Regulatory signs
HOV lane (reserved lane)
What it means
This lane is reserved for public vehicles such as buses and for passenger vehicles carrying at least the minimum number of people shown on the sign. Read the sign, because the minimum is not the same everywhere.
White with black or red; a red circle with a slash means prohibited, a green circle means permitted.
Summarised from the Official MTO Driver’s Handbook. Read the original: MTO Driver’s Handbook – Signs ↗
How to recognise it
A white sign with a black diamond and the letters HOV, plus the minimum number of people, for example HOV 2+, and the hours it applies. The same diamond is painted in the lane.
Where you will see it
The left lane of provincial freeways around the Greater Toronto Area, and reserved lanes on some busy arterial roads.
What to do when you see it
- 1.Use the lane only if your vehicle carries at least the number of people shown, counting the driver, or is a bus or other vehicle the sign permits.
- 2.Enter and leave the lane only where the markings allow. A solid line means stay where you are.
- 3.Outside the posted hours the lane is usually open to everyone. Check the times.
On the G1 test
The handbook's example is a lane for vehicles with three or more people. Count everyone in the vehicle, driver included, and remember the diamond marks a reserved lane, not a passing lane.
