QUESTION
I have a question regarding the centre lines on our roads and streets. I should know the answer to this question, but I'm not sure - so I just stay on my side of the road.
1) One solid white line: - No passing my side
2) Two solid white lines: - No passing either side
3) One solid yellow line?
4) Two solid yellow lines?
Victor Bray, North Vancouver
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Dear Mr. Bray:
Thank you for your question.
Lines have a language of their own with a vocabulary that consists of two main components: colour and continuity.
The two colours used are, as you point out, white and yellow. The two configurations of continuity are equally simple: solid or broken up into dashes, which we simply call broken.
Road lines can be coupled in different configurations, from double solid yellow to single broken white, and within each are embedded specific rules.
There is a fundamental difference between the functions of yellow and white lines, and they are regarded by the Motor Vehicle Act as separate and distinct.
Yellow lines divide traffic that moves in opposite directions, whereas white lines separate vehicles that travel in the same direction.
For vehicles travelling in the same direction, there are two general white-line configurations, and their respective rules are simple. When the line is solid you may not change lanes, and when it is broken, you may.
Reserved lanes such as HOV and bus lanes are marked off by a thicker white line, but these too are either solid or broken, and the same rule applies.
In the MVA, rules about crossing yellow lines most often come with an attached overarching caveat that requires drivers to use caution when employing them. The act places the onus on drivers and stipulates that even if an action is permitted, the driver must only perform it when it is safe and reasonable to do so. In general, however, rules governing yellow lines have nonetheless been, as they say, drawn in the sand.
You may cross a broken single yellow line to pass when it is safe to do. When a broken yellow line is next to a solid yellow line, you may cross it to pass another vehicle as long as the broken yellow line is on your side of the solid yellow line, and again, only when it is safe. No passing is allowed when there is a double solid yellow line, but passing is allowed when there is a single solid yellow line, provided you use extra caution when doing so.
Sometimes yellow or white lines are used to paint an imaginary median. These can come in various shapes, and are usually found around intersections. You may not drive over these - in fact, it helps to regard them as though they were raised medians made of concrete or grass.
You may at some time come to a section of road that looks as though the line painter was paying homage to Picasso. In fact, some line configurations can be confusing and even seem overwhelming, but employing the above rules and using your intuition combined with a healthy dose of caution will help guide your way.
As for the double solid white lines you mention in your question, these shouldn't exist, and you may be misremembering having seen them. Since you may not cross a single solid white line, the placement of two together would be redundant, and any case where this exists should prompt careful scrutiny of the reason why the painter did not refer back to these same exact rules and come up with the correct end result.
Then again, perhaps the traffic engineer was joking. In my experience they can be quite funny; they always seem ready with a good line.
Peter DeVries, District West Response Sergeant North Vancouver RCMP
Follow Peter on Twitter at www. twitter.com/rcmpdevries
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