I live near Toronto and often drive on Highway 401. On one particular three-lane off-ramp, there’s a middle lane that can be used for left and right turns. I see people regularly turning right on a red light from that lane. Is that legal? It is my impression that you can only turn right on a red light from the right lane. – Patrick
The off ramp at Avenue Rd. from Highway 401 in Toronto is an example of an intersection with a designated right-turn lane in the middle lane.Jordan Chittley/The Globe and Mail
Turning right on a red from a middle lane might feel wrong, but it’s actually right – as long as that lane is a designated turning lane.
“It’s funny, I grew up thinking you couldn’t turn right from a middle lane,” said Sean Shapiro, a road safety consultant and former Toronto traffic cop. “You can [in a designated lane], as long as you turn into the appropriate lane.”
Under the rules in Ontario, anyone in a designated right-turning lane – shown by signs or by markings on the road – can turn on a red light after coming to a complete stop, as long as they can do it safely and there’s no sign banning it.
But you have to stick to your lane – if you started in the curb lane, for instance, you can’t turn into the middle lane, Shapiro said, adding that that’s true of any turn.
Plus, just like any right turn on a red light, you have to watch for traffic, cyclists and pedestrians, Shapiro said.
“So if you were to cause a collision because of [your turn], you’d be liable,” he said. “There’s a big push to get rid of right turns on reds because of the risk to pedestrians."
If the centre lane isn’t a designated right-turning lane, you can’t turn right from it no matter what colour the light is.
Mid-light crisis?
But although you’re allowed to turn right on a red in a designated right-turn lane, you don’t have to, Shapiro said.
“Right turns on red lights are an option, not a mandatory thing,” he said. “Essentially, [in any lane where right turns on red are allowed] you can sit there until you feel safe because it is incumbent on you to ensure it’s safe. There’s no law that will prevent you from [waiting].”
That’s true even if the cars behind you are honking, he said.
“Ignore them. If the person behind you is in a rush, they should have left earlier,” he said. “They aren’t the one who is going to pay your ticket or be in the hospital recovering if you get T-boned [because you rushed into an unsafe turn].
While we’re talking about turns on red lights, can you ever turn left at one?
In Ontario and most other provinces, the only time you can turn left on a red light is if you’re turning from a one-way street to another one-way street and there’s no sign banning it.
In British Columbia, you can also turn left on a red from a two-way street to a one-way street. No provinces allow left turns to a two-way street on a red light.
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