Question: "Would you write an article on painted traffic islands? As I pass an island with my left turn signal on, someone behind me will often drive across the island, attempting to pass me and turn at the same intersection. I have seen professional drivers do this as well.
"Perhaps the reason that these drivers ignore painted traffic islands is that the lines do nothing to physically prevent them from driving on it. I suspect that they see it as just another area of open pavement that no one else is occupying at the time and they can use it to their advantage. A raised island may damage their vehicle so it is treated with more respect."
Chapter three of the ICBC manual Learn to Drive Smart presents a graphic of a painted traffic island and tells drivers that they must keep to the right and not drive on or over it.
Painted traffic islands are really a special case of a double solid line. The diagonals between the two parallel solid lines serve to indicate to the driver that they are related to each other and not to treat them as a single solid line.
In British Columbia a double solid line means that you must drive to the right of it only, except when entering or leaving the highway as long as other drivers are not unreasonably affected by the movement.
This is also a good illustration of the fact that a defensive driver needs to be aware of what is going on around them at all times. If this driver was not watching what was going on behind him on the traffic island there is the possibility that a collision would occur.
Just because the other driver isn't supposed to doesn't mean that they won't!
Tim Schewe is a retired constable with many years of traffic law enforcement. To comment or learn more, please visit DriveSmartBC.ca
