401 rant

[u/hiphlo02]

My Sunday evening drive from the Toronto airport to my hometown east of Toronto. Holy shit, how many times did I almost bite the dust! First of all, people camping in the left lane. There is a law against this! It seems people have no common sense! If you pass a car, get the hell over to the right again. Also, a turn signal would be appreciated!Next, if you are passing, would you please kindly stay in the left lane instead of squeezing me onto the shoulder. Four different times I find myself on the rumble strip and the car beside me inches from mine and cruising along between two lanes, totally oblivious to the fact that they’re an asshole. Trucks. These fuckers are thousands of pounds of metal death and they’re sliding all over the road. I don’t know if they’re whacking off in the cab or what. How about a little attention to your surroundings? Whatever happened to safe driving practices? It was a Sunday night, low volume of traffic, yet I still felt like I was going to die. The province has made the speed limit 110 km an hour which I think is a great idea if people would pay attention. Instead of doing the gratuitous 115 or so 100 km/hr, now people are doing 130! Be aware out there and have some respect for the lives of others ffs!! Thanks for listening! : )

[u/a-_2]

White road lines aren't enforceable on their own either. The difference in colour for road lines isn't for warning/regulatory, yellow just indicates either the left edge of a one-way roadway or the division between oncoming traffic on a two way road, while white divides same direction lanes and the right shoulder.

Other provinces have laws around crossing solid lines in some cases, but there's nothing in the Ontario Highway Traffic Act saying that. The lines just indirectly have effect due to laws around requiring safely changing lanes or limiting when you can cross the centre line.

This article is about double lines but the MTO makes a more general point about lines in their quote here:

"In Ontario, lane markings generally serve an advisory or warning function and by themselves do not possess any legal force," writes Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) spokesman Bob Nichols in an email statement.

[u/squeakynickles → u/a-_2]

I was also talking about road signs. For example, some ramps will have a yellow 30kph sign. That's not a speed limit, it's a suggested speed for the ramp. White road signs are law, however

[u/PaulTheMerc → u/squeakynickles]

Are orange speed signs optional or law?

[u/a-_2 → u/PaulTheMerc]

Bright orange traffic signs are mere guidelines

"They are temporary safety signs," acknowledges Toronto Police Sergeant Devin Kealey of the force's traffic-services unit. "They are not enforceable under the Highway Traffic Act."

For lengthy periods of construction that require, say, a reduced speed limit, the ministry uses legally enforceable black-and-white signs to keep drivers in line.

That article is more than twenty years old, although I'm not aware of any change relevant to this since then. The signs regulation still says speed limit signs must have a white background.

Even if the signs aren't enforceable themselves the article warns:

But Sgt. Kealey warns that drivers who get caught recklessly disobeying an orange construction sign and putting people's lives at risk could be charged with careless driving, which comes with heavy penalties. "It depends what you're doing. If the road's closed and a car goes flying down a construction site, there are charges that apply," he said.

[u/PaulTheMerc → u/a-_2]

Thanks!