Warning signs
Railway crossing (crossbuck)
What it means
This X-shaped sign with a white background and red outline warns that railway tracks cross the road. Slow down, look both ways for trains and be prepared to stop.
Yellow diamonds (and five-sided yellow-green school signs) warn of hazards ahead.
Summarised from the Official MTO Driver’s Handbook. Read the original: MTO Driver’s Handbook – Signs ↗
How to recognise it
A large white X with a red outline, mounted on a post right at the tracks. There may be flashing red lights and a gate with it, or nothing at all.
Where you will see it
At the tracks of every level crossing, from busy commuter lines to quiet spurs in industrial areas.
What to do when you see it
- 1.Slow down and look both ways for trains; a crossbuck with no lights still means a train may come.
- 2.Be prepared to stop. If a train is coming, stop well back from the tracks and wait until it has passed and the way is clear.
- 3.School buses and vehicles carrying dangerous goods must stop at every crossing; leave room for them.
On the G1 test
The handbook describes it exactly: X-shaped, white background, red outline, warns that railway tracks cross the road. It is one of the four signs the handbook singles out by shape, so learn its description word for word.
Practice questions for this sign
You reach a railway crossing marked by this sign and a train is coming. How far from the nearest rail must you stop?