Chapter 19

Pedestrian signals

Commentary in expert review. The plain-language decode below is drafted against the official text and still working through verification — treat it as a helpful guide, not the final word.

Now reading—Overview

Official MTO Handbook text

Overview

Pedestrian signals help pedestrians cross at intersections with traffic lights. The signal for pedestrians to walk is a white walking symbol. A flashing or steady orange hand symbol means pedestrians must not begin to cross.

A pedestrian facing a walk signal may cross the road in the direction of the signal. While crossing, pedestrians have the right-of-way over all vehicles.

A pedestrian facing a flashing or steady hand symbol should not begin to cross the road. Pedestrians who have already begun to cross when the hand signal appears, should go as quickly as possible to a safe area. While they are crossing, pedestrians still have the right-of-way over vehicles.

At intersections with traffic lights where there are no pedestrian signals, pedestrians facing a green light may cross. Pedestrians may not cross on a flashing green light or a left-turn green arrow.

a pedestrian walk signal

Diagram not yet hosted here — the official figure is on ontario.ca.

View this figure on ontario.ca →

a pedestrian do not walk signal

Diagram not yet hosted here — the official figure is on ontario.ca.

View this figure on ontario.ca →

RoadRede decodeDraft

This section is written from the pedestrian's point of view, but as a driver it tells you exactly what the people crossing in front of you are allowed to do — and when they have the right-of-way over you. The key thing to hold onto: a pedestrian who legally started crossing on a walk signal keeps the right-of-way even after the signal changes to the hand symbol, so you can't assume the intersection is clear for you just because the signal switched. The last paragraph covers a trickier case — regular traffic lights with no dedicated pedestrian signal — where a green light lets pedestrians cross but a flashing green or a left-turn arrow doesn't.

White walking symbol = pedestrians may start crossing and have the right-of-way over all vehicles while crossing.
Flashing or steady orange hand = pedestrians must not start crossing, but anyone already in the crosswalk still has the right-of-way and should finish crossing quickly.
At lights with no pedestrian signal, pedestrians may cross on a plain green light, but not on a flashing green or a left-turn green arrow.

Watch for: Don't assume a pedestrian mid-crosswalk has "missed their turn" once the hand symbol appears — they're still legally allowed to be there and still have priority over your vehicle.

Intersection pedestrian signals

Where there are pedestrian push-buttons, a pedestrian must use the button to bring on the walk signal. Pedestrian signals give people more time to cross than regular traffic lights. On a busy main road, an intersection pedestrian signal helps people to cross the road safely by signalling traffic to stop. The intersection pedestrian signal has one or more crosswalks; pedestrian walk and don't walk signals; push buttons for pedestrians; and, traffic signal lights on the main road only. Stop signs control traffic on the smaller, less busy crossroad.

You must observe, obey the traffic rules and use safe driving skills to drive through these intersections. See also the section on driving through intersections.

RoadRede decodeDraft

This describes a specific intersection setup you'll see on busier roads: a full set of pedestrian signals and push-buttons on the main road, but only stop signs (not lights) controlling the smaller side street. As a driver, the practical takeaway is that pushing the button is what actually triggers the stop for traffic — the signal doesn't cycle on its own the way a normal traffic light does — so you need to be ready for the main-road light to turn red on demand, not on a predictable timer.

An intersection pedestrian signal only changes when a pedestrian presses the button — it isn't on a fixed automatic cycle like a regular traffic light.
The main road gets full signal lights; the smaller crossroad is controlled by stop signs instead.
You still need to apply normal intersection driving rules and safe driving judgment here, the same as at any other intersection.

Summary

By the end of this section, you should know:

- What the symbols on pedestrian signals indicate - What an intersection pedestrian signal is and what to do if you encounter one