New Road Laws in Ontario

by Jay Kana

Images courtesy of www.mot.gov.on.ca

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Effective January 1st, 2016, there are a couple of new rules of the road regarding crossing the street.
And no, it's got nothing to do with a chicken.

Before, when you let someone cross the street at a crossover (the one where there's suspended yellow lights, signs and specific road markings), you'd come to a stop, let them cross in front of your car and then resume driving once they weren't in your direct driving line.
Now, you have to ensure they've made it all the way across the street before you can swap the wide pedal for the thin one.

Crossover diagram

The same applies for school crossings monitored by a  crossing guard. 

School crossing diagram

Fines for violating this new law range from $150 to $500 slumping loonies and count em', not one, not two but three demerit points.
Oh, and if you're in a community zone and break this law, fines are doubled. 

Yes, it may eat up another 20-30 seconds of your time before the pedestrian(s) makes it completely across the crossover/school zone but this kind of stuff should be common sense.
Even if the pedestrian is one foot away from making it to the other side and then decides to turn around and re-cross the street, your right foot needs to remain on the brake pedal.

Even though drivers operate huge hunks of sculpted steel that weigh several thousand pounds, we must share the road safely and respectfully.

For additional info, click here: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/index.shtml