Right Turn Beside a Swinging Trailer, a Cyclist and a Cane User
It is 8:30 a.m. on a dry four-lane Winnipeg street with the sun low in the east. You are northbound in the curb lane at the 50 km/h limit. Ahead, a tractor-trailer has its right signal on and has swung wide left to set up the turn, so the cab straddles the lane line while the trailer is still square in your lane. On your right, a cyclist in a painted bike lane is closing on your right-rear quarter at about 25 km/h. You also want to turn right at that same corner, about 40 m ahead. At the corner, a man holding a white cane is standing at the curb of a marked crosswalk, and the pedestrian signal is already showing the walking symbol. Your windshield is catching the low sun, and a delivery van is double-parked further up, narrowing the lane.
1. The truck has left a gap on its right. Should you take it to get around and make your turn?
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No. That gap is the swing space the trailer needs, not a lane. A long trailer tracks inside the path of the cab, so as the driver completes the turn the rear wheels will sweep back to the right and close exactly the space you would be occupying. Anyone sitting in that gap is invisible to the driver and gets squeezed against the curb or crushed. The correct response is to hang back well behind the trailer's pivot point, out of the swing zone, and wait for the whole unit to complete the turn before you set up your own. Do not try to beat it through, and do not assume the driver has seen you, because large vehicles have significant blind spots along both sides and directly behind. Patience here costs a few seconds; the alternative costs a vehicle.
2. How does the cyclist change your right turn?
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The cyclist is travelling straight in the bike lane and you are turning across that lane, so the cyclist has the right of way and you must not cut across their path. Practically, that means the turn sequence is: signal early, check the mirror and then shoulder check the bike lane for the cyclist's actual position rather than relying on where they were five seconds ago, and slow enough that you can stop before the bike lane if they are still coming. Because the cyclist is closing at 25 km/h from behind your right quarter, they will likely arrive at the intersection after you would have turned, which is exactly the collision pattern to avoid. Wait until they have passed, then turn behind them. A cyclist is entitled to the lane, so do not crowd them into the parked van or force them to stop.
3. What do you owe the man with the white cane at the corner?
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He is at a marked crosswalk with the walking symbol already displayed, so he has the right of way and you must stop and let him cross. The white cane means he is blind or has low vision, so he may be listening for traffic and judging the crossing by sound rather than by sight. That changes your behaviour in specific ways: stop fully behind the crosswalk line rather than creeping, do not honk to hurry him, keep the engine noise predictable, and do not wave or shout directions he cannot see. If he is still standing at the curb, wait long enough to see whether he intends to cross or is simply waiting; a person who cannot see the signal may take longer to commit. Do not begin your turn until he is completely clear of your path and you can confirm it visually.