Road signs in Canada may conform to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Canada (MUTCDC)[1][2] by the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC)[3] for use by Canadian jurisdictions. Although it serves a similar role to the MUTCD from the US Federal Highway Administration, it has been independently developed and has a number of key differences with its American counterpart, most notably the inclusion of bilingual (English/French) signage for jurisdictions such as New Brunswick with significant anglophone and francophone population, and a heavier reliance on symbols rather than text legends.
Language
Signs for the most part employ one or two languages: English, French or both. However, some signs are trilingual, incorporating English, French and an indigenous language.
In Quebec, modern signs read either Arrêt or Stop.[4] Both stop and arrêt are considered valid French words and the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) notes that the use of "stop" on stop signs is attested in French since 1927.[5] In practice, however, it can be empirically observed (for instance, with Google Street View) that arrêt predominates in French-speaking areas (i.e., most of the geographic extent of Quebec), while stop can be found in majority English-speaking areas such as Montreal's West Island suburbs. At the time of the debates surrounding the adoption of the Charter of the French Language ("Bill 101") in 1977, the usage of stop on the older dual-word signs was considered to be English and therefore controversial; some signs were occasionally vandalized with red spray paint to turn the word stop into "101".[6] However, it was later officially determined by the OQLF that stop is a valid French word in this context, and the older dual arrêt + stop usage is therefore not considered bilingual but merely redundant and therefore deprecated (à éviter). All newly installed signs thus use either one word or the other, but not both.
The province of New Brunswick has bilingualstop arrêt in English-speaking areas. Acadian regions of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island also have bilingual signs. Some areas in Manitoba and Ontario also have bilingual signs. Entry points to the country through Canada Customs and other federally-regulated sites (including airports) also have bilingual stop signs. On First Nations or Inuit territories, stop signs sometimes use the local aboriginal language in addition to or instead of English and/or French. Other parts of Canada use stop.
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Stop (English)
Stop (French)
Stop (English and French)
Stop (French and English)
Stop (Inuktitut and English)
Stop (Cree)
Stop (Cree and French)
Stop (Cree and English and French)
Gallery of other signs
Alphanumeric reference IDs from the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Canada are included.
RA-2 Yield
RA-3 School Crossing
RA-5 Pedestrian Crossing
RA-6 Railway Crossing
RB-1 Maximum Speed Limit (ex: 50 km/h)
RB-10 Do not proceed straight ahead
RB-14L Left turn required
RB-14R Right turn required
RB-14b Turn left or right
RB-15 Must proceed straight only, turns prohibited
RB-17 No right turn on red
RB-21 One Way
RB-23 No entry
RB-24 Two-way traffic
RB-25 Keep right
RB-33 Motorists must not pass cyclists
RB-53 Parking Permitted (24/7 variant)
RB-55 No stopping
RB-61 Truck route
RB-64 Snowmobile trail.
RB-66 No pedestrians
RB-67 No bicycles
RB-69 Hazardous material route
RB-79 Cyclists must dismount their bikes and walk
RB-81 Bus Lane In Quebec, taxis are often included and thus shown and as well as time periods in force. In Quebec bus and taxi are spelled out & the arrow at bottom left is not shown
This sign is posted after the Canada–US border to remind US drivers that Canada uses the metric system. The imperial speed limit (left) is a Canadian-style sign, rather than an MUTCD-standard one as would be used in the US.
Disaster response route. All non-emergency vehicles must refrain from using such a route if a major disaster occurs.
School zone.
Crosswalk ahead.
Crosswalk with flashing lights ahead.
School bus stop ahead.
Keep left of obstacle.
Keep right of obstacle.
Gentle curve ahead.
Sharp curve ahead.
Double curve ahead.
Hairpin curve ahead.
Multiple curves ahead.
Stop sign ahead.
Traffic signal ahead.
Yield ahead.
Height restriction ahead.
Slow.
This sign is posted when there is a history of vehicles taking a curve too quickly and losing control. The sunburst emphasizes that drivers need to take extra caution when going through the curve.[7]
The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) also has historically used its own MUTCD which bore many similarities to the TAC MUTCDC. However, as of approximately 2000, MTO has been developing the Ontario Traffic Manual (OTM), a series of smaller volumes each covering different aspects of traffic control (e.g., sign design principles).
Sign classification
The Ontario Traffic Manual Committee categorizes all road signs into two main categories: freeway and non-freeway sign types. Signs are then subcategorized into two additional groups: urban and rural.[8]
Examples of Ontario regulatory and warning road signs
Some Ontario maximum speed signs have an additional tab at the bottom of the speed limit, reminding motorists that the unit of speed is kilometres per hour. The "km/h" tab sign (Rb-7t) is mandatory on all King's Highways because of the likelihood of unfamiliar interprovincial and international travellers.[8]
Where there is a change in the legal speed limit, the first maximum speed sign in the new zone must be accompanied by a "BEGINS" tab sign (Rb-84t).[8]
RC-4 No Littering
No right turn or straight ahead
No left turn or straight ahead
Keep right
The purpose of the VEHICLES OVER 5 TONNES MUST HAVE VALID TRANSPONDER sign is to indicate to heavy vehicles that they are required to have valid toll devices known as transponders when travelling on toll roads. Specifically, the sign above is located before entrance ramps to the 407 ETR (Express Toll Route).[8]
The purpose of the FASTEN SEAT BELT sign is to remind passengers in vehicles to ensure that their seat belts are fastened while the vehicle is travelling. The sign is placed at exits from locations which generate a large percentage of foreign or tourist traffic, where drivers may be unfamiliar with Ontario seat belt laws.[8]
A blue metric reminder signage used in Ontario, Canada is seen near the US borders.
The following are samples of Quebec road signs.[9][10][11] A notable difference between Quebec road signs and those of the rest of Canada is Quebec's use of a white chevron on a red background to mark road alignment around a curve, whereas the remainder of the country employs a black chevron on a yellow background.
Quebec gallery
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Metric signage reminder in Quebec, posted near US border and at major airports The imperial speed limit (left) is a Quebec-style sign, rather than an MUTCD-standard one as would be used in the US
ARRÊT (Translation: STOP)
Yield
Yield at roundabout
Do not enter
Left or right turn required
French-language version of do not enter (plate type)
Maximum speed (50 km/h)
No left turn
No right turn
Route for dangerous goods vehicles
Shared path
Dangerous goods vehicles prohibited
No overtaking
No parking
Parking permitted for 2 hours
No stopping
Keep right
Keep left
No littering
Stop ahead
Yield ahead
Traffic signal ahead
Roundabout ahead
School bus stop ahead
Deer crossing
Moose crossing
Reindeer crossing
Cattle crossing
Skier crossing
Dogsled crossing
End of road
Slippery surface, often accompanied by 0 °C
Pavement ends
Uneven surface
Bump
Dip
Dangerous Crosswinds (Some variants include a pictogram of snowflakes, while others include flashing lights and a plaque that says "Reduced Visibility" or "When The Lights Flash")
MAXIMUM SPEED signs along Quebec autoroutes are accompanied by a MINIMUM SPEED sign. The minimum sign is positioned directly below the maximum speed sign on the same post.
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