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Road signs, traffic signals, and pavement markings are collectively known as traffic control devices, and they do exactly what the name suggests: they control the movement of traffic on every road in Ontario. Understanding them is not optional. Every driver is legally required to obey them, and misreading or ignoring one can result in a traffic ticket, demerit points, or a collision.
For new drivers preparing for the Ontario G1 knowledge test, this topic is particularly important. The G1 test has 40 questions in total: 20 on road signs, signals, and markings, and 20 on rules of the road. You need at least 16 correct out of 20 in each section to pass. That means signs, signals, and markings make up exactly half your test score.
This guide covers everything in one place, drawn from the Ontario Driver’s Handbook.
Ontario road signs fall into four distinct categories. You can identify which category a sign belongs to by its shape and colour before you have even read the text or symbol on it. Learning to recognize categories at a glance is one of the most practical G1 test preparation skills you can build.
Regulatory signs tell you what you must do or must not do. They are legal requirements, not suggestions.
Shape and colour: Most are white rectangles with black text and symbols. Some use red, such as the stop sign (red octagon), the yield sign (red and white downward-pointing triangle), and the do-not-enter sign (red rectangle with white horizontal bar). A red circle with a red diagonal slash over a symbol means that action is prohibited.
Examples: Stop signs, yield signs, speed limit signs, no-parking signs, one-way signs, no-turn signs, keep-right signs, and lane-use control signs.
What to remember: Red means prohibited. If a regulatory sign has a red border or is predominantly red, it is telling you something is not allowed. You must comply with regulatory signs at all times. Failing to obey a regulatory sign is an offence under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act and can result in fines and demerit points.
Warning signs alert you to hazards, changing road conditions, or situations that require extra caution ahead.
Shape and colour: Yellow diamond shapes with black symbols or text. Some warning signs use a black diamond on a yellow background. The yellow colour and diamond shape together signal: proceed carefully.
Examples: Curve ahead, steep hill, slippery when wet, pedestrian crossing, school zone, hidden intersection, railway crossing, animal crossing, narrow bridge.
What to remember: Warning signs do not require you to stop or change your speed by law, but they do require you to adjust your driving to the conditions indicated. Treating a warning sign as informational only, and failing to slow down before a sharp curve or a pedestrian crossing, is both dangerous and potentially negligent if a collision results.
Information and directional signs help drivers navigate and locate services.
Shape and colour: Typically large green rectangles for highway and road direction signs, blue rectangles for service information (hospitals, gas stations, rest areas, tourist attractions), and brown rectangles for parks and recreational areas.
Examples: Highway route markers, exit signs, kilometre distance signs, service signs for fuel or food, hospital directional signs, international border crossing signs.
What to remember: These signs are not regulatory, but they contain information that helps you make safe decisions, particularly on high-speed roads where missing an exit can mean travelling a significant distance to the next one. Read them well in advance.
Temporary condition signs indicate construction zones, detours, temporary lane closures, or other short-term changes to the normal road layout.
Shape and colour: Orange background with black text or symbols. Orange construction zone signs may be rectangular, diamond-shaped, or other configurations depending on the specific situation.
Examples: Road work ahead, lane closed, flagger ahead, detour, reduced speed zone in construction area.
What to remember: Ontario law increases fines significantly for speeding in a construction zone where workers are present. Reduced speed limits posted on orange signs in these zones are legally enforceable, not advisory. The presence of a flagger (a person with a flag or sign directing traffic) overrides all other signals, including traffic lights.
Traffic signals control the flow of vehicles and pedestrians at intersections and on some roadways.
Green light: You may proceed through the intersection, provided it is safe to do so. A green light does not mean the intersection is automatically clear. Scan left, ahead, and right before entering.
Yellow (amber) light: The light is about to turn red. If you can stop safely before the stop line, you must stop. If you are already so close to the intersection that stopping safely is not possible, proceed through with caution. Never accelerate to beat a yellow light.
Red light: Stop before the stop line and wait until the light turns green. In Ontario, you may turn right on a red light after making a complete stop, unless a sign prohibits it, and provided you yield to pedestrians and cross traffic. A left turn on a red light is only permitted from a one-way street onto another one-way street.
Flashing red light: Treat it exactly as a stop sign. Come to a complete stop before the stop line, yield to traffic and pedestrians with the right of way, then proceed when it is safe.
Flashing yellow light: Slow down and proceed with caution. You do not need to stop, but you must be prepared for crossing traffic or a hazard. This signal is common at pedestrian crossings during overnight hours.
Advanced green light (flashing green): In Ontario, a flashing green light or a green arrow in addition to the green light means you have an advance signal. Oncoming traffic is facing a red light. You may turn left, go straight, or turn right. However, this does not mean the intersection is guaranteed clear. Always yield to pedestrians and cyclists.
Green arrow: A green arrow indicates you may move only in the direction shown. Oncoming traffic is controlled. Yield to any pedestrians or cyclists in your path.
Yellow arrow: The protected phase is ending. Prepare to stop unless you have already passed the stop line and committed to the turn.
Red arrow: Do not move in the direction indicated. Wait for a green signal.
A walking person symbol (white) means pedestrians may cross. A raised hand symbol (orange) means pedestrians should not begin crossing. Many signals now include a countdown timer showing how many seconds remain in the crossing phase.
As a driver, when you see the countdown timer reaching its last few seconds, the light is about to change. Factor this into your approach speed.
Pavement markings work alongside signs and signals to guide traffic and regulate movement. They are particularly important because they give continuous lane guidance between intersections.
White lines separate traffic moving in the same direction.
Broken white line: You are in a lane of traffic moving the same way. You may change lanes when it is safe to do so.
Solid white line: You should not cross this line. Solid white lines appear at the edge of a lane near an intersection, near a crosswalk, or in areas where lane changes are discouraged for safety reasons.
Double solid white lines: Do not cross under any circumstances. These appear in tunnels, on bridges, or in areas with specific lane-use restrictions.
Yellow lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions.
Broken yellow line: Passing is permitted when it is safe to do so and you have a clear view of oncoming traffic.
Solid yellow line on your side: You may not cross to pass. The driver on the opposite side may or may not be permitted to pass depending on what is on their side.
Double solid yellow lines: No passing in either direction. These appear on roads where passing would be particularly dangerous due to curves, hills, or traffic volume.
A solid white line across a lane at an intersection marks the stop line. When a traffic light or stop sign requires you to stop, your vehicle must stop before this line, not at or beyond it.
A crosswalk is marked by two parallel white lines or a series of parallel lines across the road. Pedestrians have the right of way in a marked crosswalk. You must wait until they have fully crossed to the opposite side before proceeding.
Bike lane markings: A white bicycle symbol with the words “BIKE LANE” indicates a lane reserved for cyclists. Drivers must not travel or park in a bike lane except to cross it to turn or access a driveway.
HOV lane markings: A diamond symbol on the pavement and signs at the entrance indicate a High Occupancy Vehicle lane. These lanes are reserved for vehicles with two or more occupants (or the number specified by signs) during the designated hours.
Turning lane markings: Arrows painted on the pavement within a lane indicate which movements are permitted from that lane. A straight arrow means go straight. A curved arrow means turn. A combination of arrows means both movements are permitted.
Reading traffic controls is a skill that develops with practice. New drivers often underestimate how much information the road is communicating at any one time. A single approach to an intersection may involve reading a regulatory sign, checking a traffic signal, noting a pedestrian crosswalk, and interpreting lane markings, all within a few seconds.
The goal is not to memorize each sign individually but to understand the system. Once you know that yellow diamonds always mean caution, orange always means temporary conditions, and red always means prohibition, you can make sense of signs you have never seen before.
As mentioned, road signs, signals, and markings make up 20 of the 40 questions on the Ontario G1 knowledge test. You need 16 out of 20 correct in this section to pass. Questions are visual: you will be shown an image of a sign and asked what it means, or given a scenario involving a traffic signal or road marking and asked the correct response.
The Ontario Driver’s Handbook, available free from the MTO, is the authoritative source for all of this material. If you are preparing for the G1 test, work through the handbook and take practice tests to confirm your knowledge, not just your reading.
If you want structured support alongside your self-study, Fanshawe’s Beginner Driver Education Packages include in-class training that covers the full G1 and G2 curriculum with MTO-certified instructors, giving you a clear explanation of these topics and the chance to ask questions.
For drivers who already hold a licence and want to refresh their knowledge of signs and traffic law as part of broader driving improvement, our Driving Improvement Course (DIC) is a practical option.
What are the four types of road signs in Ontario? Regulatory signs (white and black, or red-bordered), warning signs (yellow diamonds), information and directional signs (green or blue rectangles), and temporary condition signs (orange). Each category has a distinct shape and colour so you can identify the sign’s purpose at a glance, before reading the text or symbol.
What does a flashing red light mean in Ontario? Treat it as a stop sign. Come to a complete stop, yield to traffic and pedestrians with the right of way, and proceed when it is safe. A flashing red is not the same as a regular red light where you wait for it to change.
What does a flashing yellow light mean in Ontario? Slow down and proceed with caution. You do not need to stop, but you must be alert to potential hazards or crossing traffic. Flashing yellows are common at pedestrian crossings during quiet hours or at intersections with lower traffic volume.
What is the difference between white and yellow road lines in Ontario? White lines separate traffic moving in the same direction. Yellow lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions. Whether a line is broken or solid tells you whether you are permitted to cross it.
What does an advanced green light mean in Ontario? A flashing green light or a green arrow alongside the green light means you have an advance phase. Oncoming traffic faces a red light. You may turn left, go straight, or turn right, but you must still yield to pedestrians and cyclists in your path.
How many questions about road signs are on the G1 test? Twenty out of forty questions on the G1 knowledge test cover road signs, signals, and pavement markings. You need at least 16 correct out of 20 in this section to pass. It is the single largest subject area on the test.
Understanding road signs, signals, and markings is foundational to everything else in driving. Once you know the system, you can read any road with confidence. Browse our driving courses and packages or contact us to find the right starting point for you.
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