Crosswalk safety

September 23, 2013 · 0 Comments

We all remember being taught how to use a crosswalk when we were kids.

Stand on the curb and point before crossing. How many of us know what to do as drivers?

A Crosswalk, or a Pedestrian Crossover, as it is known as in the Highway Traffic Act, “means any portion of a roadway, designated by by-law of a municipality, at an intersection or elsewhere, distinctly indicated for pedestrian crossing by signs on the highway and lines or other markings on the surface of the roadway as prescribed by the regulations”. Those signs will be posted so they are visible to drivers approaching the crossover, and include large white ‘X’s painted on the road.

A driver’s duties at a crossover are as follows: when a pedestrian or a person in a wheelchair is crossing a roadway within a pedestrian crossover, the driver of the vehicle shall yield the right of way to the pedestrian or a person in a wheelchair by slowing down or stopping if necessary.

When a vehicle is stopped at a pedestrian crossover, the driver of any other vehicle overtaking the stopped vehicle must bring the vehicle to a full stop before entering the crossover and shall yield the right of way to a pedestrian or a person in a wheelchair.

When a moving vehicle is within 30 metres of a crossover, a driver of another vehicle shall not pass.

Penalties for breaking these laws are fines between $150 and $500, and 3 demerit points.

Pedestrians also have specific duties. A pedestrian or a person in a wheelchair shall not leave the curb at a pedestrian crossover and walk, run or move the wheelchair into the path of a vehicle that is so close that it is impracticable for the driver of the vehicle to yield the right of way.

You may not ride a bicycle across a highway within a pedestrian crossover.

Pedestrian Crossovers may not be located on streets with a speed limit higher than 60 km/h.