Road signs · BC Knowledge Test Prep

1.Reading a sign: shape, colour and message

There are 3 ways to read a sign: by its shape, by its colour and by the message printed on it. Knowing all 3 helps you work out the meaning of a sign you have never seen before.
The guide's overview groups signs by their job: stop; yield the right-of-way; show a driving regulation; show a permitted action; show an action that is not permitted; explain lane use; warn of hazards ahead; warn of construction zones; tell about motorist services; show distance and direction; and mark a railway crossing.
Warning signs are usually yellow diamonds, and each one points to a hazard that may lie ahead.
School zone signs are fluorescent yellow-green, and so is the school crosswalk ahead sign, so that colour alone tells you children may be nearby.
Construction signs warn of construction and maintenance work; information and destination signs tell you about destinations, route numbers and facilities; and a white diamond painted on the road surface marks a reserved lane.

Signs in this section

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗

2.Regulatory signs

Regulatory signs tell you about driving laws and regulations. Disregarding one is an offence under the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act, so ignoring what these signs say can bring a penalty.
Stop: stop completely and continue only when it is safe. Yield: give the right-of-way to other vehicles and to crossing pedestrians.
A speed limit sign gives the top legal speed for a bare, dry road with good visibility; a speed limit ahead sign warns that a lower limit is coming.
Direction signs: do not enter; wrong way, meaning do not go this way, usually mounted on exit ramps; one way, which shows the direction of traffic on the cross street; keep right of the divider; and two-way traffic, keep right unless passing.
Passing and slow-vehicle signs: do not pass; keep right unless passing; passing lane ahead; move into the right lane if you are driving slower than regular traffic; slow vehicles must use the pullouts for the stated distance; and slow traffic delaying 5 vehicles must use the pullout.
Other regulatory signs: no stopping between here and the next no-stopping sign, or during the posted times; no right turn on a red light; no bicycle riding beyond this point; winter tires or chains must be used when the sign is displayed; and a disaster response route that must be left to emergency vehicles during major disasters.
After a full stop at a steady red light, a right turn — or a left turn onto a one-way street — is permitted unless a sign says no, so watch for signs prohibiting these turns on a red light.

Signs in this section

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗

3.School, playground and crosswalk signs

School, playground and crosswalk signs tell you the rules in areas where you need to be extra cautious: smaller children are harder to see than adults and less predictable, so observe carefully in school and playground zones.
When the tab under a school zone sign shows only a speed limit, that limit applies on school days from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Seeing a 30 km/h school zone sign, slow to 30 km/h; the zone runs until you pass the back of the sign facing the other direction.
If the tab shows both a speed limit and hours, those hours apply — in the guide's example, a 30 km/h limit on school days from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A 50 km/h school zone sign applies on school days from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but only while children are on the roadway or shoulder.
A school zone sign with no speed tab means reduce speed when children are present.
In a playground zone the 30 km/h limit is in effect every day from dawn to dusk. A playground nearby sign means be prepared to slow down.
Crosswalk signs: at a pedestrian crosswalk, yield to people crossing; at a school crosswalk, yield to pedestrians and follow the directions of a crossing guard; at a pedestrian-activated crosswalk, prepare to stop if the light is flashing. School patrols and crossing supervisors must be obeyed at all times.
Crosswalks with flashing green lights are controlled by pedestrians: someone standing near one has probably pressed the button, so slow down and be prepared to stop. Never pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk — it is illegal and unsafe.

Sign	Speed limit	When it applies
School zone, tab shows speed only	30 km/h	School days, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
School zone, tab shows speed and hours	30 km/h	The hours on the tab (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on school days in the guide's example)
School zone, 50 km/h	50 km/h	School days, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while children are on the roadway or shoulder
School zone, no speed tab	Reduce speed	When children are present
Playground zone	30 km/h	Every day from dawn to dusk

Signs in this section

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Sharing the road ↗

4.Lane use and turn control signs

Lane use signs show which lanes may be used to turn or to go straight. They are mounted above the lane, or at the side of it, before the intersection.
In a designated lane you must follow the direction of the arrows, and once you are in the intersection, changing into or out of a designated lane is not allowed.
The guide shows these lane use signs: left turn only; straight through only; straight through or left turn; straight through or right turn; left turns only from both directions, with through traffic not allowed; and left turns only from both of these lanes.
Turn control signs hang directly above the intersection, and the arrow's direction is mandatory: left turns only; straight ahead only, with no turning; right or left turns only; and no right turns during the posted times.
A large intersection may offer several right- or left-turn lanes, so study the pavement markings, lane-use signs and signals carefully. Turning from the lane next to the far-left lane, you turn into the lane next to the far-left lane of the cross street.
As you approach any intersection, check the signs and pavement markings so you are in the correct lane to turn or go straight. Use a lane marked with turn arrows only if you are turning, and remember that a two-way left-turn lane in the centre is shared by vehicles coming from both directions.

Signs in this section

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗

5.Parking and reserved lane signs

Parking signs tell you where and when you are allowed to park. If you park illegally you may be fined, your vehicle may be towed, or both.
The guide shows these parking signs: no parking here; no parking during the posted times; time-limited parking during the posted times; and a space reserved for a vehicle that displays the disabled parking sign and has a person with a disability aboard.
Even without a sign, it is illegal to park beside a curb painted yellow or red, within 5 metres of a fire hydrant, within 6 metres of a crosswalk, intersection, stop sign or traffic light, closer than 15 metres to the nearest rail at a railway crossing, or where your vehicle blocks the view of a traffic sign.
A white diamond painted on the road marks a reserved lane, and reserved lane signs stand over or beside lanes kept for buses or high occupancy vehicles (HOVs). A bus lane sign shows a diamond and a bus: only buses, and sometimes cyclists, may use the lane, plus vanpools with 6 or more occupants where a Vanpool Permitted tab is shown below the sign.
An HOV lane sign may show how many people must be in the vehicle. HOV lanes are reserved for buses and carpools, and motorcycles, bicycles and taxis may use them on some roads; most operate 24 hours a day but some only at peak times, so read the signs: they say where the lane begins and ends, when it operates and the minimum number of people required.
Enter and leave an HOV lane only where broken lines mark a crossing point. A warning sign that says the curb lane of the cross street ahead is a reserved lane tells you to turn into the lane next to the reserved lane, unless you are entitled to use it.

Signs in this section

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗

6.Warning signs and object markers

Warning signs are usually yellow diamonds. Each one points to a hazard that may lie ahead, so slow down and be ready for what the sign shows.
Road shape: winding road ahead; curve ahead, slow down; sharp curve ahead, slow to the advisory speed shown; hidden side road ahead; steep hill ahead, slow down; bump or rough road ahead; and road may be slippery ahead.
Lanes and roadway: merging traffic ahead; road merges with another road, adding a lane on the right; right lane ends ahead; road narrows ahead; narrow structure ahead, often a bridge; two-way traffic ahead; divided highway ends ahead, keep right; and pavement ends ahead.
Traffic controls ahead: stop sign ahead; signal lights ahead; signal lights ahead, prepare to stop when the lights are flashing; roundabout ahead; and highway or freeway exit, slow to the advisory speed shown.
Other road users: pedestrian crosswalk ahead; school crosswalk ahead, on a fluorescent yellow-green sign; school bus stop ahead; cyclists may be on the roadway; fire truck entrance ahead; truck crossing ahead; and watch for deer ahead.
Surroundings: watch for rocks on the road ahead; opening bridge ahead; snow shed ahead; tunnel ahead; use headlights ahead; remove sunglasses; and hazard or danger ahead, turn right or left.
Object markers are mounted on obstructions, so pay special attention to them: one tells you to keep right, one to keep left, and one that you may keep right or left.

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗

7.Construction signs

Construction signs flag road building and maintenance work. Take their warnings seriously and do what they say: follow the traffic-control persons, hold to the posted speed, give all equipment a wide berth and pass only when it is safe.
The guide shows these construction signs: a detour coming up; a soft shoulder ahead that you must stay off; construction ahead; a traffic-control person ahead; a lighted arrow to follow; a crew working, with the posted speed limit to be obeyed; a survey crew, likewise; the end of a construction zone speed limit; a notice of the fine for speeding in a work zone; and blasting ahead, with instructions on the sign to follow.
Traffic control persons and road construction signs must be obeyed for the entire length of the construction zone, from its first sign to its last, and a posted construction zone speed limit is in force 24 hours a day.
Fines for traffic offences double inside a construction zone. Expect an uneven or unpaved surface, so slow down and obey the construction zone speed limit.
Construction zones often need lane closures: merge to avoid a closure as soon as you can, avoid changing lanes inside the zone, leave plenty of following distance and side room for crews and equipment, and be ready to stop for a traffic control person or to wait for a pilot car to escort you through.
Road work also happens at night, so pay extra attention and drive extra slowly through construction zones after dark. If you are directed to stop, switch the engine off — once a stop passes 10 seconds, idling burns more fuel than a restart would.

Signs in this section

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Sharing the road ↗

8.Information, destination and railway signs

Information and destination signs give information about destinations, route numbers and facilities. A destination sign shows distances in kilometres, and a directional sign points the way.
Service signs tell you that a hospital is nearby, gas is available ahead, accommodation is ahead or travel information is ahead. Route markers identify the Trans-Canada Highway and the primary highways.
The slow-moving vehicle sign on the back of a vehicle tells you it will not be keeping up with traffic: stay back and pass only once you are sure it is safe. A truck or pilot car carrying a Wide Load, Long Load or Oversize Load sign is hauling or escorting an oversize load.
Every public railway crossing is marked by signs or pavement markings, and many add mechanical or electrical warning devices to protect you. Watch for them, and remember that a train always has the right-of-way.
Railway crossing ahead and railway crossing on side road ahead both mean be prepared to stop. These advance warning signs are usually posted where you cannot see the crossing itself, an advisory speed sign below may show that the safe speed is lower than the posted limit, and a painted X on the pavement may mark the approach.
At the crossing itself: the railway crossing sign means stop, then proceed when it is safe; where there is a gate, stay stopped until it is fully raised; if flashing red lights are displayed you must stop; and if a flag person directs you to stop, you must obey.
Stop no closer than 5 metres and no further than 15 metres from the nearest rail. Trains always have the right of way and need about 2 kilometres to stop, so never try to beat one, and watch for a second train on another track.

Signs in this section

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Sharing the road ↗