Chapter 3 · Signs, signals and road markings

(Learn to Drive Smart, March 2026 edition)

This chapter is a reference to the signs, lights and painted lines that organize traffic.

Signs. Any sign can be read three ways: by its shape, by its colour, and by what is written on it. Knowing these three lets you work out a sign you have never seen. Regulatory signs state the law; ignoring one is an offence under the Motor Vehicle Act. Most warning signs are yellow diamonds. School and school-crosswalk signs are fluorescent yellow-green. A playground zone limit of 30 km/h applies every day from dawn to dusk; a school zone limit applies from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on school days; the sign or the tab under it may add conditions or other hours. In construction areas you must obey both the signs and the traffic-control person. At railway crossings you must always yield to trains.

Signals. Lane control signals above the road show which lanes are open. At a steady red light, once you have stopped completely, you may turn right, or left onto a one-way street, as long as no sign prohibits it. A flashing green light is controlled by pedestrians.

Road markings. Yellow lines separate traffic going in opposite directions, and white lines separate lanes going the same way. Whether you may pass depends on the line on your side: a broken line allows it when safe, a solid line does not. A white diamond marks a reserved lane. Driving over freshly painted, wet markings is illegal.