Main and Kingsway, Vancouver – Driving Question

Question from a reader about the sometimes perplexing intersection of Main and Kingsway in beautiful Vancouver, Canada. Scenario: Going North on Main St, stop at light until green, and when safe, proceed to make a right turn onto Kingsway.

Although this particular intersection is an awkward right turn, however there are no restrictions listed on intersection lights(except no left turn).

Police had a hard time coming up with a violation ticket, and resorted to Section 165″(5) A person must not turn a vehicle at an intersection unless it is in the position on the highway required by this section.”

I have seen people turn here daily safely and within the rules. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this intersection detail.

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Is it just me, or does it look like the intersection was not designed for cars to turn right here, even if it may technically be a legal turn (I’m not convinced).

Any turn that looks like a U-turn would naturally attract the police in a city where U-turns are pretty much completely banned in all intersections as they are in the City of Vancouver.

I’m not sure why anyone would ever need to do this turn. Aside from the discouraging angle, if someone were to turn right there, they would be heading back South towards Broadway.

And if they were originally driving North on Main St., why in the world would they not just simply turn right on Broadway in the first place, or keep going past Kingsway and turn right on 7th or 6th?

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Carmen Cohoe

Carmen became a driving instructor in beautiful North Vancouver at the age of 22 due to some crazy people who agreed to hire her. After that, there was never a dull moment teaching many different folks from many different places how to drive using automatic and standard vehicles and a minivan.

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