Signs & Signals

Information regarding traffic signs and signals.

Q&A - Lane Use Signs

Q&A ImageFrom our understanding of the learning guide with the road sign in picture 4 (sign straight or right turn) says that you are to move into correct lane prior to passing road sign cause once you pass road sign you have to now commit to that direction and you also can't cross over solid white line.

Q&A - Yellow Light Collision

image of a yellow lightQuestion: I am driving westbound on Moscrop Street, approaching the intersection with Willingdon Avenue in Burnaby. The signal changed to a yellow light and I decided that I was past the point of no return so I did not brake. A driver coming toward me decided to turn left and we collided. ICBC has found me to be partly at fault.

Disputing a Yellow Light Ticket

image of a yellow lightI was recently issued a ticket for failure to stop at a yellow light at an intersection. I am a class 2 bus operator and given the total stopping time of my class 2 vehicle (perception/reaction/actual braking time) and the fact I had a elderly person seated at the front on my bus, I thought it would be unsafe to either try and make a smooth controlled stop (which would have left the bus past the stop line) or make a sudden stop (possibly causing the elderly passenger to leave her seat).

Q&A - HOV Lane Sign Rules

Q&A ImagePlease let me know what the rules are when there are different HOV signs. For example, in Coquitlam, HOV signs clearly state the lane is for vehicles with one or more persons per vehicle during the hours of 6 am and 7 pm Mon-Fri. HOV signs in Langley, however, do not state the hours, nor do they state the days of the week HOV is in effect. Does this mean there are different HOV laws depending on jurisdiction?

All Traffic Lights Red at Once

image of a Red LightQuestion: I remember reading in one of the Courtenay newspapers where someone from the City of Courtenay advised that they were changing the timing of the traffic lights in intersections. The change was from (possibly) a half second to a full second – meaning all the lights would be red for this amount of time.

Give Me a Sign

Two Lane Left Turn SignDuring one of my Elder College presentations I work through a module on traffic signs and lane markings with the students. Driving examiners tell me that this is one area that older drivers have trouble with if they are called in for a re-examination. Based on discussions in the forum on the DriveSmartBC web site I can truthfully say that older drivers are not the only ones having difficulty with signs.

Consider the Simple Traffic Sign

Pedestrian CrossingConsider the simple traffic sign or signal.  It stands by the side of the highway doing it’s job regardless of the season.  We rely on it to tell us when to stop, how fast to go, which way to turn or whether we can travel in a certain direction as well as many other controlling functions. This is a reliance that we might not consider until we run into trouble because it is lacking.

Q&A - Who Has The Right of Way?

Q&A ImageYou are traveling on Cliffe Avenue and going to turn right at 5th Street in Courtenay with the green turning arrow lit.  If there is a car turning left onto 5th Street (which you can only do at certain times of the day) who has the right of way - the person turning right with the green signal light or the person turning left but also with a green light?