Ontario Street, a one-way going southbound, meets Adelaide Street East, a one-way going eastbound in downtown Toronto. A one-way street to another one-way is the only place you can legally turn left on a red light in Ontario.Jordan Chittley/JOBFlocks
I’ve seen drivers turning left on a red light. And not just at 2 a.m. when nobody is around (although I see that, too). Is that ever actually allowed? Or are they just betting that nobody will catch them? – Jim, Toronto
There’s only one way to legally turn left at a red light in Ontario – and you likely haven’t heard of it.
“You can turn left [at a red] when it’s from a one-way (street) to another one-way,” said Sean Shapiro, a road safety consultant and former Toronto traffic cop. “That’s always been on the books … but the vast majority of drivers don’t know.”
Ontario’s law says drivers must stop at a red light and, after yielding to pedestrians, cyclists and approaching traffic, you can turn right – or left “from a one-way street into a one-way street.”
That’s as long as there’s not a sign banning them, Shapiro said.
But unless you’re driving in a congested downtown core, you probably won’t see intersections with two one-way streets often, he said.
“You may see the odd one-way side street,” Shapiro said. “And then there’s really no issue because it’s [usually] stop signs.”
If you do turn left on a red at a one-way, watch for drivers or pedestrians who may not know that you’re allowed to turn.
Also, with any turn, you have to stick to your lane. So, turn from the leftmost lane into the leftmost lane.
If you’re not comfortable making a left or right turn on a red, wait for it to turn green, Shapiro said. “It’s not a requirement [to turn on a red light] – it’s an option.”
The rules vary by province, but most allow left turns on red lights at intersections of two one-way streets.
In British Columbia, you also can turn left from a two-way street onto a one-way street after stopping on a red. Quebec’s law doesn’t list any exception that allows a left turn on a red light.
No other exceptions
So, is it ever legal to turn left on a red if it’s not a one-way? For example, what if nobody is around at 2 a.m. and you can make the turn safely?
“Technically no, it’s not legal at 2 a.m. [or anytime],” Shapiro said.
If you turn, you could face a ticket for running a red light. In Ontario, that’s a $260 fine and three demerits. If you’re caught by a red light camera, it’s the same fine, but there are no demerits.
But what if the light seems to be stuck on red?
“Sometimes it seems like forever [and actually isn’t], because you’re bored to tears and you just want to go home,” Shapiro said. “But some lights only change when they’re triggered [by sensors in the pavement] – if they’re not triggered, they will never change.”
That can especially be a problem with motorcycles, which may not be big enough to trigger sensors to change the light. Although several U.S. states have “dead-red” laws that let you treat a red light like a stop sign if it hasn’t changed in a certain time, we couldn’t find any similar laws in Canada.
“There’s no dead-red law in Ontario,” Shapiro said.
So, instead of risking a ticket by going through a red light that isn’t changing, what should you do?
“The better option is to make a legal right turn at the red, make a legal U-turn where you can, and continue along the way,” he said. “Do what you can do legally and safely.”
Have a driving question? Send it to globedrive@globeandmail.com and put ‘Driving Concerns’ in your subject line. E-mails without the correct subject line may not be answered. Canada’s a big place, so let us know where you are so we can find the answer for your city and province.