What exactly are the U-turn rules in Alberta? When we lived in Fort McMurray for three years, we did a U-turn at a traffic light every day and never got a ticket. But when we moved here, my spouse got a ticket for $175 for making a U-turn at a light. The officer said U-turns aren’t allowed at intersections with lights. – Graham, Spruce Grove, Alta.
If you want to make a U-turn at a traffic light in Alberta, you’ll need a sign.
“You cannot make a U-turn at an intersection with traffic lights unless a sign specifically says you can,” Corporal Troy Savinkoff, an Alberta RCMP spokesman, said in an email.
In Alberta, the law also bans U-turns at crosswalks, alleys and mid-block on urban roads, Savinkoff said.
So where can you legally make a U-turn in Alberta?
They’re allowed at intersections that don’t have traffic lights – if they’re uncontrolled or have a stop or yield sign – and at breaks in medians, as long as there’s not a sign banning them, Savinkoff said.
U-turns are also allowed between intersections on most rural roads as long as you’re not on a curve or the crest of a hill, said Gere Solomon Woldu, a driving instructor with the Alberta Motor Association.
But even where they’re allowed, you can’t make one if another car will have to slow down or stop to avoid you, Woldu said.
“You can’t interfere with the flow of traffic,” he said.
The rules vary by province. Although British Columbia and Saskatchewan also ban U-turns at traffic lights, most other provinces allow them.
In Ontario, for instance, you can make a U-turn almost anywhere unless there’s a sign saying you can’t.
But there are still exceptions. You can’t make a U-turn on a curve, the crest of a hill, at a railway crossing or within 150 metres of a bridge or tunnel.
There are also municipal bylaws. Vancouver, for instance, bans U-turns nearly everywhere.
If you’re not sure whether a U-turn is legal where you are, “then don’t do it,” Savinkoff said.
Desperate turn?
Even where U-turns are legal, they’re “not the safest manoeuvers,” Woldu said.
Often, they’re last-minute decisions – for instance, you missed an exit and your GPS is ordering you to turn around.
If you’re rushing to make a U-turn, you might assume other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians will see you in time. That’s a mistake.
“People aren’t expecting you to make a U-turn,” Woldu said. “And drivers don’t signal properly before they make U-turns.”
In most provinces, if you get in a collision while making a U-turn, you’ll usually be found at least partly at fault. In Ontario and Alberta, for example, you’ll be found 100 per cent at fault.
So if you make a U-turn, take the time to do it safely, Savinkoff said.
Slow down early, signal in the direction you’re turning, check your mirrors, then, once it’s clear, make a smooth, controlled turn while staying in your lane, he said.
But usually, the safest move is to avoid U-turns entirely, Woldu said.
“It’s almost always safer to just ignore the GPS and go around the block,” he said. “You might be delayed by two minutes, but you’re safe.”
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