Crosswalks, stop lines and other road markings

Markings do the same work as signs, from a different angle: you read them by looking down rather than up, and they stay readable when a sign is hidden behind a truck.

Crosswalks are marked in white, sometimes with lights set into the pavement that illuminate when a pedestrian activates them. In every version the requirement is the same: stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk.

Stop lines mark where to stop — before the line, so that the crosswalk beyond it stays clear.

Reserved lane markings set off lanes for HOVs, buses and bicycles. HOV lanes carry thick solid or broken lines and white diamonds; a bicycle lane carries an outline of a bicycle, and cyclists in it travel the same direction as the traffic beside them.

Lane arrows painted on the surface say what the lane is for — left turn only, or straight-or-left — and repeat what the lane use signs overhead are telling you.

Painted islands are areas you keep to the right of and do not drive on or over. They are not spare road; they exist to separate movements that would otherwise conflict.