THUNDER BAY – NEWS – With the return to school, students are in greater numbers using crosswalks to safely cross roads and highways across Ontario.
Vehicles must stop when a pedestrian is crossing a roadway at a marked or unmarked crosswalk. A pedestrian is considered to be crossing when “any part or extension of the body moves into the roadway” in a crosswalk. Drivers, including cyclists, must stop and allow pedestrians to cross. Only when pedestrians and school crossing guards have crossed and are safely on the sidewalk can drivers and cyclists proceed. Do not pass any vehicle within 30 metres of a pedestrian crossover.
Whether a designated crosswalk is identified with lights or with signage and road markings, the rules for motorists remain the same. When a driver is permitted to proceed, the driver shall yield the right of way to pedestrians lawfully within a crosswalk. By law, drivers and cyclists must stop and yield to pedestrians intending to cross the road, AND wait for them to completely reach the other side before driving.
Drivers who contravene these rules of the road may be liable to a $365 fine ($730 in a community safety zone) and four demerit points accumulated to their driver’s licence.
