Motorists and cyclists are about to be one step closer to sharing the road. June 1 marks the proclamation of the Bill 93 amendment to the Nova Scotia Motor Vehicle Act, which most notably includes the one metre rule. Nova Scotia will be the first province that requires drivers to allow for one metre of space between their vehicles and cyclists while passing. The bill also prohibits motorists from parking in bike lanes. “The one metre law is about education,” says Lawrence Plug of Bicycle Nova Scotia. “In the longer run we’ll actually get more cyclists on the road because I think the bill clarifies the interactions between motorists and cyclists. Both groups can be more confident on the road around each other.” Hundreds of people, including Plug, cycled 40 legs across the province in a celebratory Bill 93 Relay. The relay will end at the Nova Scotia Legislature at 12:45 pm on Wednesday, just in time for Bill 93’s proclamation. –Allison Saunders
This article appears in May 26 – Jun 1, 2011.
So exactly how does that work, if the only way I can give them 1 meter…is to cross a solid line & then be in violation of an already in place law, that deals with driving in the lane for oncoming traffic ?
Out here in the country, there are roads that if i drive 1 meter from a bicycle, I could only do so by driving partially in uncoming traffic’s lane !?!?!
Seems like a stund idea, badly thought out & can cause more problems than it will solve !
Highways are not designed for bicycles…. does this law now mean the 102 that I drive on most days is now a bike route ?
it breaks it down with more details here :
http://www.gov.ns.ca/tran/hottopics/onemet…
And you can’t ride side-by-side!!!!!
Let’s see how that stacks up the first time I beep at someone…
More:
Crossing the solid line is not a violation. The Motor Vehicle Act states that you must equally share the road when you come upon obstacles, such as parked cars (and now bicyclists, as per the specific wording of Bill 93). The centre line is there only as a guide.
Don’t be silly about the highways – they plainly state that only motorized vehicles are allowed.
Calm it down, as a motorist and only recreational bicyclist, I applaud any efforts to improve cycling in this very dangerous city.
While I’m driving, I’ll have my wife hold a yard stick out the passenger window (allowing for an extra 3.37 inches) in order to meet the criteria of keeping one meter away from cyclists. It doesn’t need to be a law, just common sense. Now I know why it has to become a law.
Don’t pay for a licence.
Don’t pay road taxes.
Pay a lower fine than a motorist.
The law says ‘Cyclists are special’
MAD
Joeblow, what “road taxes”…?
Bike owners are also homeowners, taxpayers, and gasp, often even car owners, paying fuel tax. But the important bit is that your fuel taxes do not come close to funding road construction and maintenance: we ALL pay for that, even those that do not drive.
Don’t pretend — even if cyclists DID have to be licensed you’d still be butthurt over them. Why? Because you actually need to pay attention to avoid running them over? Jealous over how much you pay in gas driving from Hammonds Plains or wherever? Think about it, cyclists make your commute easier by keeping cars off already-clogged streets.
Hey Joe Blow, I’ve been paying car registration fees, driver’s license fees, GST/HST/PST, and income tax for 25 years. And I ride a bike.
The kid buying nickle candy at the corner store is even contributing to the taxes that pay for roads.
Think about it.
You’re just sore. Poor guy, so hard done by. Cyclists are sooooooo evil….
So, will the cops actually ticket those Critical Mass fuckfaces the next time they ride?
That would be hilarious and a cluster fuck all at once if they tried to do that. I think it’d be cool to see the entire critical mass riding single file.
Come to think of it, it would probably piss motorists off more, as it would be even more impossible to enter a main street from a side street with a steady tire to tire stream of cyclists rolling by…
More: It’s pretty simple. Use your brakes and pass when safe. It’s never been safe to be passing on a blind corner, into oncoming traffic or not giving space to a cyclist, tractor or pedestrian.
The law just makes common sense required. There are lots of vehicles like Tractors in the country and city that require the same amount of care as a cyclist.
Yes, without a doubt cyclists are “special” here in Halifax. They don’t pollute. They don’t congest traffic. They don’t contribute to raising gas prices. They don’t add wear and tear to our roads. And generally speaking most cyclists are healthy and thus wont be sucking health care money like over weight smokers and drinkers. I don’t have the balls to drive my bike on these streets, but I sure as hell have respect for those who do.
There ya go, Hockeynut, you said it — cyclists feel like they are better than the other poor schmucks sitting in traffic, paying fuel taxes and obeying the rules. Meanwhile you and you ilk can break every traffic law with impunity, cause vehicle and property damage, not pay a dime in taxes, and do it all while smirking at everyone else.
Yep, you got it. Cyclists act like arseholes for the most part and it is no bloody wonder that motorists despise sharing the road with them.
Bo Gus has pretty much summed up all of the BS attitudes towards cyclists in one post. Everyone else and relax, now, your job is done.
hockeynut – the fat people, the smokers, the drinkers and the not so healthy are a net benefit to society. They die young and do not consume OAS, CPP, pensions and long term care.
When you get older you’ll be sucking health care dollars by the ship load, courtesy of others. People who drop dead of a heart attack are subsidising people like you.
Today a cop told me that this law had not actually been passed by the Legislature and might not happen. This was in response to my question about when it would come into effect.
Just a cop talking out of his ass, read this for real info: http://www.gov.ns.ca/tran/hottopics/onemet…
As a driver and cyclist I appreciate cyclists pulling off as close as safely possible to the side of the road when I’m driving as much as I appreciate cars giving me space when I’m riding. Common sense is a 2-way street.
@Matthew Luthor I’m a snobby cyclist and I would love that. I hate Critical Mass. I did the Tweed Ride on Sunday because it wasn’t a Critical Mass, and was really off put when I saw other riders using Critical Mass tactics (namely CORKING). I don’t think Critical Mass does anything “for cycling” except to make people who already hated cyclists extremely angry with concentrated justification.
Typical inane NDP law with ridiculous fines. Hopefully they’ll fine bikers $800 for riding on a sidewalk/crosswalk. BAAAAAAAAAAA.