Signs, signals and markings in Quebec

By the end of this topic you can

• You can identify the main sign types by shape and colour.
• You can understand common French words on Quebec signs.
• You can respond correctly to red, amber, green and arrow signals.
• You can tell when you may and may not cross a line on the road.

What you need to know and understand

• Signs, pavement markings and traffic signals are one of the three sections of the SAAQ knowledge test.
• The red octagon is the stop sign, usually marked ARRET.
• An amber light means stop unless you are so close you cannot stop safely.
• A green arrow lets you go only in the direction shown, after yielding to anyone already crossing.
• Crossing a solid line that separates lanes carries 3 demerit points.
• You may cross a solid line to pass a cyclist if you can do so safely.
• Lane-direction signals over a road show which lanes are open: drive only under a green downward arrow.

Reading a sign before you read the words

Shape and colour tell you the type of message from a distance:

• Red octagon: stop. Red usually signals a stop or a ban.
• Inverted triangle: yield the right of way.
• Yellow diamond: warning of a hazard ahead, such as a curve, a crossing or animals.
• Orange: road work. Speeding fines double in work zones.
• White rectangle with black or red: a rule you must obey, such as a speed limit or no right turn on red.
• Green: directions and distances. Blue: services.

French words you will see

You do not need to speak French to drive in Quebec, but a few words help: Arret (stop), Lentement (slowly), Sortie (exit), Detour (detour), Travaux (road work), Fin (end), and the compass points Nord, Sud, Est and Ouest. Our guide to Quebec road signs in French has a longer list.

Traffic signals

At a red light, stop before the crosswalk or stop line and wait for a signal that lets you go, unless you are making a permitted right turn on red after a full stop. At amber, stop if you safely can. A flashing red light means stop and then yield, like a stop sign. When a green arrow shows, move only in that direction. Always yield to pedestrians and cyclists already in the intersection, whatever the light shows.

Lines on the road

Yellow lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions; white lines separate lanes going the same way and mark stop lines and crosswalks. A broken line may be crossed when it is safe, for example to pass. A solid line must not be crossed, and doing so costs 3 points. The Highway Safety Code allows a few exceptions when it is safe, such as passing a cyclist, a pedestrian, a farm machine, a horse-drawn vehicle or a vehicle showing the slow-moving vehicle sign.

Common mistakes

• Ignoring a sign because you cannot read the French. Use the shape, colour and symbol to understand it.
• Speeding up on amber. Stop if you can do so safely.
• Crossing a solid line to pass an ordinary slow car. The exceptions cover cyclists, pedestrians, farm machines, horse-drawn vehicles and vehicles with a slow-moving vehicle sign, not everyday traffic.
• Missing the no right turn on red sign at an intersection outside Montreal.

Test yourself: Signs, signals and markings in Quebec

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Quebec road signs in French
• Exchanging a foreign licence in Quebec
• Learning to drive in Quebec