A driver for Amazon is being criticized for not only blocking on a bike lane, but also parking on a sidewalk in Saanich.
A photo was posted on Reddit of the Amazon van clearly blocking both a sidewalk and a bike lane on McKenzie Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Saanich.
The person who posted the photo said that they were driving on McKenzie and attempting to go around the Amazon van when their vehicle was “clipped” by the van’s mirror.
“I wonder … what are the road safety laws about delivery vans (i.e. UPS or Amazon) pulling slightly out of traffic up onto a sidewalk, into a bike lane etc … while delivering?” reads the post. “On the one hand, I feel for these low-paid drivers who have to deliver a million packages in a short period of time … but on the other hand, sometimes these vehicles are just pulled right into an active bike lane on a busy street, right up onto a sidewalk, etc. Couple days ago, this Amazon truck suddenly pulled into a bike lane right in front of me on McKenzie. His side mirror stuck out 16 (inches) into traffic, and as I passed it, my side mirror clipped his. I stopped and we exchanged info, but I haven’t heard anything yet from ICBC. I’m interested to know what others think about this situation. I saw two cyclists really struggle to get past the truck while it was sitting in their lane. One cyclist veered dangerously into traffic and one veered onto the sidewalk and nearly hit a pedestrian.”
Most of the responses said the blame lies with the parent company.
“They need to have heavy fines for the parent company,” wrote one person. “Drivers are under so much pressure for fast delivery that the cost must apply directly to Amazon. Blocking bike lanes needs much heavier enforcement.”
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