1.Steady red, yellow and green lights
- Lighted traffic signals organize the flow of traffic. As a rule, red means stop, yellow means caution and green means go — but a light that flashes, or one shaped as an arrow instead of a circle, can carry a slightly different meaning.
- A steady red light means a full stop, and going straight ahead has to wait for the green.
- Once you have stopped at a red light and made sure no vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians are in the way, a right turn — or a left turn onto a one-way street — is allowed, unless a sign prohibits that turn on a red light.
- A steady green light means go — but only if the intersection is clear and it is safe. When a light has just turned green, scan the intersection before you move forward.
- A green light that has been green for a long time is "stale" and about to turn yellow. If you did not see it change, be prepared to stop; as you approach, decide on a point of no return — past that point you keep going even if the light turns yellow, so judge it so you are not in the intersection on red.
- A steady yellow light means the signal is about to turn red. You must stop before entering the intersection unless you cannot stop safely in time.
- When you turn left on a steady green, yield to oncoming traffic and wait for a safe gap. If you are already waiting in the intersection when the light turns yellow, you are legally allowed to finish the turn — but watch for oncoming drivers trying to beat the red.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗
2.Flashing red, yellow and green lights
- A flashing red light means you must come to a complete stop. After stopping, move into the intersection only when it is clear and safe to do so.
- A flashing yellow light means slow down and proceed through the intersection with caution.
- In B.C. a flashing green light marks a pedestrian-controlled intersection. You may go, but only if the intersection is clear.
- At a flashing green light a pedestrian can press a button that turns the signal yellow and then red. Even with nobody at the button, remember that side-street traffic is held by a stop sign and may be about to enter the intersection.
- A pedestrian standing beside a flashing-green crosswalk has probably pushed the button, so expect the light to turn: ease off and get ready to stop.
- Whether a green arrow flashes depends on where you are: in some places green arrows flash and in others they never do, so read each signal as you find it.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Sharing the road ↗
3.Green and yellow arrows, protected turns and transit signals
- A green arrow means you may turn in the direction the arrow points. A green arrow pointing straight ahead means go straight through only — no turn is permitted.
- A green arrow gives you a protected turn: as long as it is showing, the through traffic you are turning across faces a red light.
- Some left-turn lanes are controlled by their own set of lights, with a green arrow at the bottom telling you when to turn. Once that arrow turns yellow, stop and wait for the next green arrow before turning.
- A flashing green arrow with a steady green light lets you turn in the direction of the arrow or go straight. A flashing green arrow with a steady red light allows the left turn while through traffic must stop for the red.
- When the flashing arrow goes out and only the regular green light stays on, you may still turn left, but you must yield to pedestrians and oncoming traffic. Some advance arrows operate only during peak traffic hours.
- A yellow arrow warns that the advance left-turn signal is ending: slow and stop before the intersection, unless a safe stop is no longer possible.
- A transit priority signal is a steady white rectangular light. Only buses may go on it; everyone else waits for their own signal.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗
4.Lane control signals and pedestrian signals
- Lane control signals hang over the lanes of a road to show which lanes are open for driving.
- One signal tells you not to drive in the lane beneath it; another tells you to move out of that lane into a lane showing a green arrow; the green arrow itself means you may drive in that lane.
- If the lane control signals over every lane are flashing yellow, slow down and proceed with caution.
- A double broken yellow line marks a reversible lane; the lane control signal above it tells you whether you may use that lane at the moment.
- Pedestrian signals help drivers too: in many areas the white walking figure changes to an orange hand just before the traffic light turns yellow, or a countdown shows how many seconds remain — both are clues that the green light is stale.
- A pedestrian should not start to cross while the signal is flashing a warning such as an orange hand, should use crosswalks, and should always activate the pedestrian crossing signal where there is one.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Sharing the road ↗
5.When signals fail, and people who direct traffic
- Traffic lights sometimes stop working: they can go out, or all four lights can start flashing. When that happens, treat the intersection as a four-way stop.
- At a four-way stop, whoever arrives and stops first goes first; when two vehicles pull up together, the driver on the right has priority; and when two face each other, the one turning left waits for the one going straight.
- A traffic control person's directions override everything else — follow them.
- In a construction zone, follow the traffic-control persons, hold to the posted speed, give all equipment a wide berth and pass only when it is safe. Stop when a traffic control person or device tells you to — sometimes a pilot car has to lead you through the work zone, so be ready to wait for it.
- Near schools, look well ahead for school patrols and crossing supervisors, and obey them at all times.
- A yellow warning sign showing a traffic light warns that signal lights are ahead; the version with flashing lights added means prepare to stop when the lights are flashing. An orange sign showing a person with a flag warns of a traffic-control person ahead.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Sharing the road ↗
6.Yellow lines: two-way traffic and passing
- Road markings are painted on the roadway, curbs and other surfaces to warn or direct you. It is illegal to drive over freshly painted, wet markings.
- A yellow line is the border between opposing streams of traffic. A yellow line on your left means oncoming traffic on the far side of it.
- A broken yellow line means passing is allowed when it is safe. Where a broken line runs beside a solid one, passing is open only to the side with the broken line, and only when it is safe.
- A double solid yellow line means no passing. In B.C. a single solid yellow line does not forbid passing — it means passing is allowed with extra caution.
- You may cross a single solid yellow line to pass a cyclist, provided you can do it safely, and you should leave a side margin of at least 1 metre.
- A two-way left-turn lane in the centre of the road is shared by drivers from both directions for left turns; its markings may be reversed, with the solid lines inside the broken ones. Make sure there is enough space before you enter it, and watch for vehicles coming from the opposite direction.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Sharing the road ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗
7.White lines, stop lines and crosswalks
- White lines separate lanes of traffic moving in the same direction. They also mark crosswalks, stopping positions and the right shoulder of a highway.
- A solid white line between lanes means do not change lanes. A broken white line means you may change lanes when it is safe.
- A stop line is a white line across your lane: stop just short of it. Where a crosswalk has no stop line, stop short of the crosswalk instead; where there is neither a line, a crosswalk nor a sidewalk, stop before you enter the intersection.
- Painted crosswalk markings mean stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk. Some pedestrian-activated crosswalks add lights set into the pavement that light up when someone is crossing — stop for anyone in the crosswalk.
- Never pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk — it is illegal and unsafe, because the driver may have stopped to let pedestrians cross. Do not enter a crosswalk without checking that it is empty, even when the light is green.
- On the approach to some railway crossings a large X is painted on the pavement to warn you that a crossing is ahead.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Sharing the road ↗
8.Reserved lanes, bicycle lanes, painted islands and lane arrows
- A white diamond painted on the road marks a reserved lane. An HOV lane is set off by thick lines — solid or broken — and white diamonds, with additional signs or markings stating which vehicles may use it.
- Enter and leave an HOV lane only where broken lines mark a crossing point, and enter with care — traffic in these lanes often moves faster than the regular lanes.
- A bicycle lane is for cyclists only, and cyclists in it must travel in the same direction as the traffic beside them. It is marked with the outline of a bicycle and sometimes a diamond.
- Do not drive, stop or park in a bicycle lane. Cross one only at a break in its white line or when entering or leaving a driveway — signal well ahead and yield to all cyclists.
- A painted island is an area marked off on the pavement: keep to the right of it and do not drive on or over it.
- Arrows painted in a lane tell you what vehicles in that lane must do — turn left, or go straight or turn left. Once you are in a designated lane you must follow its arrows, and you may not move into or out of it while you are in the intersection.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗