Traffic Bylaw No. 2276 — full text

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1 TRAFFIC BYLAW Bylaw 2276 CONSOLIDATION This consolidation is a copy of a bylaw consolidated under the authority of section 139 of the Community Charter and in accordance with section 1 of Consolidation and Revision Authority Bylaw 3514, 2013. Current to February 25, 2026 Last amended on February 18, 2026 This Bylaw has been consolidated and printed under and by authority of the Corporate Officer for the Corporation of the District of North Cowichan. 2 LIST OF AMENDMENTS Bylaw Number Description of Amendment Effective Date (YYYY-MMM-DD) 2715 Section 6 amended, add Schedule A, repeal bylaws 2472, 2491, 2511, 2524, 2528, 2541 1993-Oct-20 2781 Section 4 amended, Section 9 deleted and substituted 1994-Oct-05 2819 Section 7 (2) deleted and substituted 1995-Jun-07 3043 Schedule A amended 2000-Feb-02 3149 Schedule A replaced 2002-Sep-04 3158 Add subsection 3 to Section 7, replace Schedule A 2002-Nov-20 3218 Repealing Schedule A and substituting same 2005-Jan-19 3243 Repealing Schedule A and substituting same 2005-Sep-07 3350 Repealing Schedule A and substituting same 2008-Aug-20 3548 Miscellaneous updates 2014-Jul-16 3567 Miscellaneous updates 2015-Dec-16 3679 Repealing Schedule A and substituting same 2018-Jan-17 3700 Miscellaneous updates 2018-Jul-18 3753 Add Section 51 to Schedule 2019-Jun-19 3917 Section 7(2) and (3) amended 2023-Jul-19 3971 Update titles and replacing sections 4(1)(f) and 4(3) 2024-Dec-04 4056 Update definitions, enforcement authority and parking restrictions February 2026 3 Contents 1 Title 2 Interpretation 3 Definitions 4 Director's Powers 5 Obedience to traffic controls 6 Speed limit in lanes 7 Parking restrictions for trucks 8 - 10 General parking restrictions 11 - 12 Pedestrian traffic 13 Bicycles 14 Interference with traffic and signs 15 Restrictions by Council resolution 16 Bylaw contraventions 17 Designation of wrecking firms to remove vehicles 18 Vehicle removal 19 Sign removal Schedule A Whereas the Council is authorized, pursuant to sections 120 and 151 of the Motor Vehicle Act R.S.B.C. 1979, C.288, to regulate traffic within the Municipality; Now therefore, the Municipal Council of The Corporation of the District of North Cowichan, in open meeting assembled, enacts as follows: Part 1 - Interpretation Title 1 Repealed [BL3700] Interpretation 2 (1) Metric units are used for all measurements in this Bylaw. The approximate equivalents of these units in Imperial measure shown in brackets following each metric measurement are included for convenience only and do not form part of this Bylaw. (2) Words or phrases defined in the Motor Vehicle Act and Regulations pursuant to the Motor Vehicle Act shall have the same meaning in this Bylaw, unless otherwise defined in this Bylaw. [BL3567] Definitions [BL4056] 3 In this Bylaw: "angle parking" means parking a vehicle other than parallel to a curb or lateral boundary of a roadway; "boulevard" means the area between the curb lines or the lateral boundary of a roadway and the adjacent property boundary; "boulevard crossing" means any curbing, paving, bridge, pipe, or other structure or improvement which is installed on a boulevard to provide or facilitate access to and from the roadway for adjacent property; "commercial vehicle" means a commercial vehicle as defined in the Motor Vehicle Act but excludes an emergency vehicle, a municipal vehicle, and a public passenger vehicle; 4 "continuously parked" means a vehicle is deemed to be continuously parked unless it is moved from its parking space and is not returned to the same side of the street within the same block for a period equal to or greater than the permitted time limit; [BL4056] "Council" means the Council of the Municipality; "Director, Engineering" means the person so appointed by the Chief Administrative Officer; [BL3971] "Director, Operations" means the person so appointed by the Chief Administrative Officer; [BL3971] "Fire Chief" means the Fire Chiefs as appointed by Council in the Municipality; "fire lane" means an area where fire exit signs are displayed on any driveways and other traffic circulation areas of a public building; "fire zone" means that portion of a highway contained within the projected extension of the lateral boundaries of every parcel of land upon which a fire hall or fire station is constructed; "gross vehicle weight" means the gross weight of the vehicle and its load; "heavy truck" means a commercial vehicle having a gross vehicle weight in excess of 40 000 kg. "highway" includes a street, road, lane bridge, viaduct and any other roadway open to public use, but does not include a private right-of-way on private property; [BL4056] "lane" means a public thoroughfare separating the rear property lines of parcels of land fronting on highways or streets more or less parallel to and on each side of such public thoroughfare; "licensed gross vehicle weight" means the gross vehicle weight for which a commercial vehicle is licensed; [BL4056] "Municipality" means the area within the boundaries of The Corporation of the District of North Cowichan, or The Corporation of the District of North Cowichan, as the context may require; "Municipal vehicle" means any vehicle owned or leased by the Municipality and includes vehicles operated for or on behalf of the Municipality; "no heavy trucks route" means a portion of a highway, a highway, or a series of connected highways, designated under this Bylaw on which heavy trucks are prohibited and on which no person shall drive or operate a heavy truck at any time; "over size or over load" means a vehicle or combination of vehicles exceeding the limits of dimensions, weight and loads, drive axles, horsepower, or other limits prescribed in the Commercial Transport Act of the Province of British Columbia and the Regulations thereto, both as amended from time to time; "parade" means any procession of more than thirty pedestrians or more than ten vehicles upon any highway; "Peace Officer" has the same meaning as defined under the Criminal Code of Canada, RSC 1985. cC-46, as revised or replaced from time to time; [BL4056] 5 "private road" means every way or place in private ownership and used for vehicular travel by the owner and those having permission from the owner; "recreational vehicle" means a vehicle, trailer, coach, structure or conveyance permanently fitted with wheels, designed to travel or be transported on a highway and equipped to be used for recreational living and sleeping purposes without requiring continuous connection to sewage, water and electric hook ups; [BL4056] "shoulder" means that portion of a highway which lies between the lateral boundary of the roadway and the closest parallel ditch or sidewalk, or if there is no ditch or sidewalk, the area within 2 m of the roadway; "skateboard" means a board mounted on wheels; "street line" means the boundary line between any private property or any property not a highway and the adjoining highway; "truck tractor" means a motor vehicle designed primarily to draw other vehicles and not constructed to carry a load other than part of the weight of the vehicle drawn and of the load of the other vehicle; "trailer" has the same meaning as defined under the Motor Vehicle Act, as revised or replaced from time to time; [BL4056] "walkway" means a path less than 4 m wide, designed for the use of pedestrians and constructed on its own right-of-way separate from a highway right-of-way. [BL3458; BL3567] Part 2 - Traffic Regulations Director's powers 4 (1) The Director, Engineering is authorized to order the placing or erection of traffic control devices at such locations in the Municipality as he deems appropriate for regulation of the following traffic matters, and by those orders to exercise the powers of the Municipality under this Bylaw: [BL3971] (a) regulation, control, or prohibition of pedestrian traffic, animal traffic, vehicular traffic, and cycle traffic on sidewalks, walkways, boulevards, lanes, and at intersections of lanes or walkways; (b) regulation, control, or prohibition of the stopping, standing, or parking of vehicles; (c) setting apart and allotting portions of highways adjacent to Federal, Provincial or Municipal public buildings for the exclusive use of officials and officers engaged therein for the parking of vehicles, and regulation of such parking; (d) providing for the establishment and use of loading, commercial, and passenger zones, and for designation of such zones; (e) regulation of the width, length, and height of vehicles and the width, length, height, fastening, and distribution of loads on vehicles that are operated on a highway; (f) on a highway where construction, reconstruction, widening, repair, marking, or other work is being carried out, providing an indication that people or equipment are working; [BL3971] (g) regulating or prohibiting pedestrian traffic on highways other than at crosswalks; 6 (h) establishing school crossings in the Municipality and regulating and controlling pedestrian and vehicular traffic with respect to such crossings; (i) regulating traffic passing by or in the vicinity of schools through traffic patrols, and vesting in school children or other persons employed in traffic patrols power to require vehicles to stop at school crossings or other designated places on a highway; (j) regulating and controlling processions on highways in the Municipality; (k) regulating, controlling, or prohibiting persons using roller skates, sleighs, skates, skateboards, skis, or other similar means of conveyance on a highway; and (l) providing for the establishment and use of taxi stands in the Municipality and their designation. [BL3548] (2) Traffic control devices installed pursuant to this Bylaw shall conform to and have the same meaning as the corresponding device in the regulations made under the Motor Vehicle Act and where a device is not included in the Motor Vehicle Act regulations, it shall have the meaning ascribed to it in the "Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Canada", as amended from time to time. (3) Traffic control devices may, from time to time, as required on a highway where construction, reconstruction, widening, repair, marking, or other work if being carried out, be placed by a Peace Officer of by the Director, Engineering, to regulate or prohibit traffic in the vicinity of the work. [BL3548, BL3971] [BL4056] (4) The Director, Engineering may rescind, revoke, amend, or vary an order made by him under this section. [BL3548, BL3971] (5) The Director, Engineering may place or erect traffic control devices to give effect to any provision of this Bylaw or any resolution of Council. [BL3548, BL3971] (6) [BL2781, Deleted by BL3971] Obedience to traffic controls 5 Where traffic control devices authorized by section 4 of this Bylaw are erected or placed on any highway, no person shall act contrary to the manner indicated by the traffic control device, except where directed to do so by a Peace Officer. [BL4056] Speed limit in lanes 6 No person shall drive or operate a vehicle upon any lane within the Municipality at a greater rate of speed than 20 km per hour and no person shall drive or operate a vehicle on a highway in the Municipality at a rate of speed greater than that which is shown outlined on the Schedule attached to and forming part of this Bylaw. [BL2715; BL3700] Parking restrictions for trucks, trailers & recreational vehicles [BL4056] 7 (1) No person shall stop, stand, or park any vehicle, or combination of vehicles, having a total length exceeding 6 m (a) in any lane, except while engaged in delivering or picking up goods, or (b) in any designated angle parking zone. 7 (2) No person shall park any vehicle having a gross vehicle weight exceeding 5,500 kg on any highway for more than 4 hours. [BL2819, BL3917] (3) No person may park a trailer or recreational vehicle on any highway for more than 4 hours. [BL3158, BL3917, BL4056] General Parking Restrictions 8 No person shall park a vehicle on a highway (a) within 6 m of any intersecting highway other than a lane, unless otherwise permitted by a traffic control device, (b) within 2 m of any intersecting lane, (c) in such a manner as to leave unobstructed less than 3 m of the width of the highway, or opposite to or in such close proximity to another vehicle already stopped or parked in that highway as to obstruct the movement of vehicular traffic on the highway, [BL4056] (d) at an angle to the street line except where authorized by an "angle parking" sign, (e) continuously parked for a period longer than 24 hours, [BL4056] (f) in such a manner as to block the exit of a vehicle already parked. (g) park a motor vehicle or recreational vehicle other than in an established parking area, unless the vehicle is an emergency vehicle or authorized by the Municipality, [BL4056] (h) for the purpose of sleeping overnight in vehicle, or [BL4056] (i) against the direction of traffic on a parallel to the highway. [BL4056] 9 No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle [BL4056] (a) [Deleted BL4056] (b) in front of, or within 2 m of either side of a private road, driveway, or sidewalk crossing, (c) on the highway next to a curb painted yellow, a curb painted red, a sign designating a bus stop zone, a line painted on the side of the road where no curb is present, or a white line representing a walking lane, [BL4056] (d) in a fire zone and/or obstruct fire hydrant, [BL4056] (e) in a restricted and/or time limited parking zone longer than designated, [BL2781] [BL4056] (f) within 6 metres of a stop sign, [BL4056] (g) within 3 metres of a post office box. [BL4056] 10 The provisions of this Bylaw prohibiting stopping or parking shall not apply to (a) municipal, provincial, or public utility service vehicles, or emergency vehicles, or (b) tow trucks while such vehicles are engaged in work requiring them to be stopped or parked in a manner contrary to this Bylaw, provided that this 8 exemption shall not relieve the operators of such vehicles from taking due precautions to indicate the presence of such vehicle on the street while so parked or stopped. Pedestrian Traffic 11 Pedestrians shall conform to the following regulations: (a) where a traffic control device such as a crosswalk or signal is provided to facilitate crossing a highway, no pedestrian shall cross the highway at any place other than at that traffic control device, within a distance of 200 m from that device; (b) upon an emergency vehicle displaying flashing lights or sounding a siren approaching a pedestrian on a highway, the pedestrian shall immediately leave and keep off the highway until such vehicle has passed him or stopped. 12 When water, mud, snow, or slush is lying on any highway, the driver of a vehicle shall reduce the speed of the vehicle as necessary to avoid splashing any pedestrian. Bicycles 13 (1) No person shall leave a bicycle in a reclining position on a highway, sidewalk, or any walkway. (2) Where stands are provided for use by bicycles, no person shall leave a bicycle on any highway or public place except in an upright position in the bicycle stand. Interference with traffic and signs 14 (1) No person shall establish, place or maintain, or display in, upon or in view of a highway, any traffic sign or traffic control signal or other device which purports to be, or is in imitation of, or in any way resembles any traffic sign or traffic control device, or any device which attempts to divert the movement of traffic or the parking of vehicles within the Municipality, save and except as provided by this Bylaw. (2) No person shall wholly or partly obliterate, deface, damage, injure, move, obstruct or otherwise interfere with any traffic control device erected, placed or maintained within the Municipality pursuant to this Bylaw. Part 3 - Traffic Restrictions on Designated Highways Restrictions by Council resolution 15 Council may, by resolution, restrict certain types of vehicles or combination of vehicles from using certain designated highways within the Municipality. Bylaw contraventions 16 Any person who contravenes any provisions of this Bylaw commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $2 000, to imprisonment. Designation of wrecking firms to remove vehicles 17 Council may, by resolution, designate certain wrecking firms to be used for the removal of vehicles contravening this Bylaw. Vehicle Removal 9 18 (1) Any vehicle unlawfully occupying a portion of a highway or public place may be removed, detained, or impounded by order of the Director, Engineering, Director, Operations, or the Peace Officer. [BL3971] [BL4056] (2) Removal and impoundment fees, as prescribed in the Fees Bylaw, for each day or part of a day which a vehicle is impounded, shall be paid by the owner before release of the vehicle, and may be recovered by sale of the vehicle at public auction not less than 30 days after the date of impoundment, or by action in a court of competent jurisdiction. [BL3470; BL3548; BL3567] Sign Removal 19 Any sign, advertisement or guide post placed or maintained in contravention of this Bylaw may be altered, repainted, torn down, or removed by the Director, Engineering or a Peace Officer, without compensation to any person. [BL3548, BL3971, BL4056] ______________________________________ Read a first time on August 17, 1988. Read a second and third time on October 5, 1988. Adopted October 19, 1988. 10 Schedule North Cowichan Speed Zones Column 1 Name Column 2 km/hr Column 3 From: Column 4 To: 1 Arthur Street 30 Chaplin Street Emily Street 2 Auchinachie Road 30 North Road 3541 Auchinachie Road 3 Banks Road 30 Start Finish 4 Bare Point Road 30 Chemainus Road Halhed Road 5 Bell McKinnon Road 30 6508 Bell McKinnon Road Trans-Canada Highway 6 Beverly Street 30 Clair Street 2544 Beverly Street 7 Chemainus Road 60 9075 Chemainus Road 8567 Chemainus Road 8 Chemainus Road 40 Between Askew Creek and 9827 Chemainus Road Henry Road 9 Chemainus Road 30 North of 9933 Chemainus Rd North of 10055 Chemainus Road 10 Chesterfield Ave 30 5782 Chesterfield Avenue Alexander Street 11 Chesterfield Ave 30 Dingwall Street Beverly Street 12 Chisholm Trail 30 Redcap Street Genoa Bay Road 13 Clements Street 30 Start Finish 14 Crescent Road 30 Start Finish 15 Daniel Street 30 Elliot Street 9877 Daniel Street 16 Deuchars Drive 30 Start Finish 17 Donnay Drive 30 1456 Donnay Drive Kingsview Road 18 Edmund Street 30 Chaplin Street Robert Street 19 Elliot Street 30 Daniel Street Beach Street 20 Elm Street 30 Start Finish 21 Garner Street 30 Start Finish 22 Genoa Bay Road 40 6318 Genoa Bay Road Lot 5, Plan 11421 23 George Street 30 Lot 3, Plan 19170 2999 George Street 24 Gibbins Road 30 3085 Gibbins Road 3011 Gibbins Road 25 Hall Road 30 6935 Hall Road Sprott Road 26 Hawthorne Street 30 Start Finish 27 Henry Road 60 Chemainus Road Trans-Canada Highway 28 Henry Road 50 East of 2871 Henry Road Chemainus Road 29 Herd Road 30 997 Herd Road Manley Street 30 Herd Road 60 Trans-Canada Highway 1067 Herd Road 31 Howard Avenue 30 5818 Howard Avenue Beverly Street 32 Indian Road 30 Start Finish 33 James Street 30 Garden Street Trans-Canada Highway 11 34 Lakes Road 60 Herd Road Wicks Road 35 Lane Road 30 Golab Place Moorfield Road 36 Maple Bay Road 30 Crescent Road 2121 Jaynes Road 37 Maple Bay Road 60 Genoa Bay Road 1941 Maple Bay Road 38 Moorfield Road 30 Somenos Road Lane Road 39 Moose Road 30 Lakes Road Davis Crescent East 40 Musgrave Street 30 Chaplin Street Robert Street 41 North Road 30 6230 North Road Auchinachie Road 42 Osborne Bay Road 60 Tatlo Road West Herd Road 43 Pine Street 30 West of 3040 Chemainus Rd Cedar Street 44 Queen Street 30 Charlotte Street Brook Street 45 Richards Trail 40 Westholme Road 7136 Richards Trail 46 Robert Street 30 Elizabeth Street York Street 47 Roome Road 30 2435 Roome Road Tulare Drive 48 Somenos Road 30 Glacier Street 6122 Somenos Road 49 Sprott Road 30 Hall Road 2975 Sprott Road 50 Westholme Road 30 Mount Sicker Road 7026 Westholme Road 51 River Road 40 Chemainus Road Askew Creek Drive [BL3350; BL3567; BL3679; BL3753]