Welcome to Road Signs of Canada
If you are looking to understand the road signs of Canada, look no further. Road signs can be understood by their shapes, their colours, and also the messages printed on them (obviously). Feel free to check out my other article about the road lines, too.
In a nutshell, yellow signs are warnings; white, black, and red are regulation signs; green and blue are information signs; and orange is for construction and/or temporary signs.
Certain signs don’t share their shape with others. The stop sign is the only sign of that shape. The school zone sign (often referred to as being shaped “like a house,” is the only sign of that shape).
Intelligent drivers not only scan for signs for themselves, but also for the shapes of the signs that are facing the opposing traffic. This gives us, as drivers, immense clues and insight (wisdom).
Canada Road Signs eBook
Are you looking to see a lot of Canadian road signs? Like, almost all of them? While writing this article, I found myself having to visit 10+ websites, just to check with each province for similarities and differences.
And each province’s website was slightly hard to find. It was quite time-consuming and a bit frustrating. It got me inspired to create a Canada Road Signs ebook
, just in case somebody would simply like to see a lot of signs together. (Also because, let’s face it, I’m obsessed with driving and so naturally I think that road signs are the most mesmerizing and beautiful things I’ve ever seen.)
It is not fancy, but it shows many of the most common Canadian road signs. And while it doesn’t explain each and every road sign, it does explain some of the most common and most common sources of confusion for drivers. Check it out on Amazon Kindle & thanks to those who support BC Driving Blog.
Road Signs of Canada – Introduction
Road signs in Canada can be understood in three ways:
- Their shape
- Their color
- The messages printed on them
Their colors mean different things:
- Warning signs – Yellow road signs are warnings of upcoming hazards. If you see a speed limit on a sign with a yellow background, it’s a recommendation/advisory; not law. However, road signs are there for a reason and not merely to decorate the side of the road. Sticking to any speed advisory is always a good idea. Drivers may not get a speeding ticket if they don’t follow the speed advisory limit, but they might fall off the road.
- Regulation signs – These are the law, and drivers who disobey them may receive penalties. These signs use a combination of colors that are white, black, red & green. Think speed limit signs, crosswalk signs (stopping for pedestrians in marked and unmarked crosswalks is legally required unless you are unable to safely stop in time), and lane control signs, just as a few examples.
- Construction or temporary maintenance work signs – these are orange.
- Information & destination signs – These signs give information about destinations, route numbers, and facilities. These are most commonly green and blue. The most obvious place to see them is on highways and freeways, although they are virtually everywhere.
Sometimes, when you’re driving down the highway, there are a lot of road signs. It may seem it’s actually impossible to read them all at the same time.
- Looking to find a gas station, for example? Check out signs that are blue.
- If you want to know how far away you are from your destination, check out the green signs.
- If visibility or weather is poor, but you know where you’re going, you can probably ignore the green and blue signs safely, and focus on the yellow signs and regulation signs.
The other thing about road signs that I’ve been noticing over the years is:
- They aren’t always clean
- They aren’t always visible to you
- And they are sometimes missing from where they were supposed to be
Yes, AWOL road signs are a real thing; you heard it here first.
Stare at these road signs for as long as you want, without a seatbelt. We stare at our kids, we stare at our friends and we stare at the TV. So why can’t we stare at our road signs without bursting into flames? Well, now we can. Amen! (I’m weird; at least I know it).
Contents:
- White, Black, & Red Road Signs
- Regulation Signs
- How Can You Tell if There Will be a Turning Lane?
- Yellow Signs
- Yellow Signs & Yellow Speed Signs
- Playground Zone With Speed Tab
- Playground Zone Sign Without Speed Tab
- Checkers (End of the Road)
- Driving On The Shoulder
- What’s a Soft Shoulder?
- Grade (Slope)
- Freeway & Highway Signs (Blue & Green)
- Orange Signs (Construction & Temporary)
- Reminder About Turning Restriction Sign & Sign Location
- Conclusion
White & Black & Red Road Signs Of Canada
Black & White & Red Signs Are Regulation Signs
Any combination of black, white, and red signs are regulatory signs. This means if you disregard what is on the sign, you’re breaking the law. (Read the British Columbia Motor Vehicle Act
which is literally “the law,” I speak of. I’d never want to be ambiguous).
Let’s look at this typical speed sign example. You never have to drive at the speed that is on the sign; you just can’t legally drive faster.
Canadians speak in metric, so any Canadian speed sign is in kilometers (km).
- 1 mile = 1.6 km
- 1 km = 0.6 km
- Metric conversions calculator
Keep in mind it’s always up to the driver to decide on an appropriate speed, based on conditions.
Examples of conditions are weather, road conditions, driver experience, condition of the vehicle, condition of the tires, condition of the driver, etc.
How Can You Tell If There Will Be a Turning Lane?
Check for black and white signs hanging above and before intersections. These can help a lot with knowing which lane goes where.
Yield Sign – Regulation Sign
The yield sign is a regulation sign. If you are facing this sign, you must yield. In other words, give the right of way to the other relevant road user(s). Let them go first, before you, whenever there may be a potential conflict. This includes stopping, if necessary.
Speed Limit Change Soon Sign
This black and white Canadian speed sign with the black arrow on the top means that the speed limit is changing soon (up ahead on the road) to a slower speed limit. So you have until your vehicle is at this sign, to the next speed sign (which will be the same speed sign as this but without the arrow) to get the speed down to the maximum legal limit on the sign.
Disaster Response Route Road Sign
You may see this disaster response route sign – emergency vehicles only in a disaster – on major roads and routes. It tells drivers to stay off these routes in a major disaster or emergency so that the necessary emergency vehicles can get to where they need to.
Do Not Enter Road Sign
This regulation sign means “do not enter.” You may see it commonly on freeway exit ramps, one-way streets, and other roads.
Yellow Road Signs Of Canada
Signs with yellow backgrounds are warning signs; usually about upcoming hazards. Most warning signs are in the shape of a diamond.
A speed sign on a yellow background is a recommendation; not law.
However, we must not forget to consider the difference between recommendations and decorations.
It’s a good idea to stick to the speed on the sign. But if you go 5 km more for example, you aren’t breaking any law like you would be if the sign were on a white background. Hope that made sense.
In the following example, the road will curve to the right up ahead. If you’re looking far ahead in this case, maybe it’s obvious that there’s a curve in the road. But maybe it’s not so obvious in the dark.
These are called chevrons. Not too different from the Chevron station sign, eh?
If there is no speed advisory tab, it means that for this particular curve, you should be able to go the speed limit without any issues whatsoever (providing for conditions, of course).
In other words, you only need to slow down for a curve if there’s a warning sign ahead of the curve. Otherwise, the curve is not extreme enough to warrant slowing down, according to them transportation engineers. But of course, think for yourself and be extra careful in unfamiliar places.
Yellow Signs & Yellow Speed Signs
Yellow speed signs have been a colossal source of confusion for student drivers in my experience. Going by the colors, any sign on a yellow background is a warning sign. For example:
The Following sign warns of a crosswalk ahead, that’s it
The speed limit doesn’t change because of this sign. It is just telling you to watch for a pedestrian crosswalk coming up soon. You can slow down if you see a good reason of course.
Yellow Signs Are Warning Signs
They warn of hazards ahead
It’s time to brush up on your road signs. Let’s start with something simple, a nice curve road sign. Since this is a yellow sign, it’s a warning sign. Most warning signs are yellow, and diamond‑shaped. They warn of possible hazards ahead.
Let’s see this curve ahead road sign in context
While it might be obvious during the daytime that there is a curve coming, it’s not always the case at night. Especially when it’s raining or bad visibility, one will really learn to appreciate these road signs.
Since the 30 km/hr speed tab is on a yellow background, this is a recommendation, not law. However, it is obviously there for a good reason, and not for decorative purposes. If you proceed around the curve too fast, your car will tend to continue in a straight line as per physics, so do proceed with caution.
The Chevron Road Sign
Playground Zone Sign With Speed Tab
This is a warning sign for a playground zone.
Since the speed tab is white and black and not yellow, it means you legally must slow to 30 km/hr when the playground zones are in effect.
This is every single day of the year from dawn until dusk unless otherwise posted.
Road Signs of Canada: Playground Nearby Sign Without Speed Tab
The following is a sign warning that there’s a playground nearby.
The speed limit does not change, because there’s no speed tab.
In other words, if a playground sign does not warn of a speed change, then the legal speed limit is still whatever it was before you saw the sign.
It’s simply warning you because there may be children nearby.
The End of the Road Checkers Sign
This is the ‘end of the road’ sign. In other words, there is no more road here.
Notice how it’s eerily similar in design to the checkered flag indicating the end of a Formula 1 car race. Just something I noticed one day while daydreaming.
Driving On the Shoulder – Yellow Road Signs Of Canada
This ‘soft shoulder’ yellow sign is a warning sign. You don’t necessarily have to slow down, because the sign does not indicate the need.
The following ‘do not drive on the shoulder’ sign is a regulation sign. Its white and black colors make it so. If you drive on the shoulder, you’re breaking the law.
Road Signs Of Canada: What is a shoulder?
The shoulder is essential to the edge of the road. It’s not a real lane.
We aren’t supposed to drive in it, ever. Sometimes people pull over to the shoulder in emergencies or for a flat tire situation, but this is not considered safe. The shoulder is often quite narrow.
A question from Shannon.
Q: I know to stay toward the center line when turning left, and the curb when turning right, or to merge into the bike lane if there is one. But what about turning right when there is a shoulder but no curb?
It seems reasonable to me to move over a bit into the shoulder, but the manual is very clear that “you may not drive on or across the shoulder or edge line of the road unless a sign permits it”, so I’m not sure what to do.
Good question! Generally, driving on the shoulder is a big no-no. It is not an actual lane intended for use by vehicles and is illegal in many places.
This is generally not a safe place to drive because no one expects you to be there, there may be stuff like nails and other sharp or random objects there, or there may be broken-down vehicles.
Or, the shoulder may be reserved as a bike lane, like it is on Highway 1 in West Vancouver. Never drive on the shoulder unless you are moving there in an emergency or your vehicle is breaking down.
In terms of turning right, drivers are expected to move toward the right – but not onto the shoulder – before turning.
Some drivers will go on the shoulder anyway, even when they aren’t supposed to, so be aware of your surroundings – practice defensive driving skills – and check your mirrors & shoulder check your blind spot before turning just in case.
Sometimes motorcycles drive on the shoulder to bypass traffic, but this is positively illegal.
What’s a Soft Shoulder?
Soft shoulder means that the pavement transitions into gravel/dirt at the shoulder or edge of the lane that you are driving in.
Usually, shoulders are ‘hard’ i.e. made of normal pavement. So usually, if you drive a bit over the edge, nothing crazy will happen. However…
If your car goes off of the pavement and hits the soft shoulder, there is a possibility you could lose control of your car quite easily.
If you do find that you have somehow meandered onto the soft shoulder, the safest thing to do is to make sure you return to the pavement very gradually. Make no sudden movements; sudden movements here will bring on a sudden ‘adventure’ (not in a good way).
Road Signs Of Canada – Grade % Slope Sign
Ever wondered what this road sign means?
Basically, it means that for every 100 units you go straight, you decline by 8 units.
In other words, there’s a huge hill coming up soon, so be prepared.
Road Signs Of Canada – Freeway & Highway Signs
Green Highway Signs in Canada
Green signs are typically for destinations and route numbers.
Road Signs Of Canada – Blue Highway Signs
Blue signs are often for services and attractions such as food, hotel, gas, camping, boat launch, rest area, etc.
Road Signs Of Canada – Orange Signs
Orange signs are for construction, maintenance, and/or something of a temporary nature. Be sure to watch for traffic control people and follow their directions.
Remember that orange signs warn us about construction zones or construction information
Construction and Obstruction signs: Crew Working Road Sign
There are many construction signs. Just remember that any orange sign you see is a temporary sign and has something to do with construction. Pay careful attention as there are often crews working on or beside the road. It is often a good idea to reduce speed, based on conditions or there will often be a speed sign as well. The construction road sign or ‘crew working ahead’ road sign will be orange look something like this:
Obstruction Road Signs Otherwise Known as Object Markers– Yellow and Black
These wonderful little signs help warn us – especially helpful at night time – that there is an object or obstruction on the road. It lets us know which side of the object we should stay to – left or right; or either way (just don’t go straight thru obviously.)
Now let’s see all these signs in a real example:
Reminder About Turning Restriction Signs & Sign Location
Road Signs Of Canada – Details… Details
Any sign white, black, red, green, or any combination of those colors is a regulation sign and refers to an action you can or can not do Right Here, Right Now.
Notice a typical crosswalk sign. It means you are legally required to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk and the crosswalk is right here, at the same exact location as the sign.
This is as opposed to the yellow sign with the same symbol, which means, “There is a pedestrian crosswalk up ahead. Be prepared to scan and stop if there are pedestrians.”
Enter Holmes & E. Columbia/North Road in New Westminster. This turning restriction is for the lane since it is posted at the lane, not the intersection. Drivers may still turn right at the intersection. It’s a white and black sign so it means “Do not turn right, right here” not “Do not turn right up there in 1/2 block.”
Road Signs Of Canada – Conclusion
Road signs of Canada are color coded so you can tell what kind of sign you’re dealing with by the color. Some colors are for regulation signs, which means you’d be breaking the law if you don’t follow the instructions on the signs.
Other signs are yellow and are meant as a warning, recommendation, or suggestion.
Blue and green signs are most commonly found on highways and freeways and mostly have to do with directions, exits, attractions, etc.
Lastly, orange signs are construction or temporary signs. Follow the instructions carefully because construction zones bring added hazards of course.
Besides the colors, you can tell a lot about road signs by their shapes. For example, the stop sign is the only sign with that shape. That shape sign will never say, for example, ‘GO,’ or anything else. It will always say ‘Stop.’ It will always be red.
This is good to know because as motorists we need to identify the ‘backs’ of signs in order to determine what the drivers facing us are seeing. This will give us a certain amount of confidence or educated guess as to what that driver is supposed to be doing or how they are supposed to be acting at a certain intersection or area.
Now that you’ve mastered road signs, why not brush up on your road lines? Those are just as important as the road signs of Canada. Drive safe!
See also: School and Playground Zones
Read more from ICBC: Learn To Drive Smart: Signs, Signals & Road Markings
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