Lanes On First Continue To Confuse

They “new” traffic lines on 1st Avenue NW have been seen by more than a few motorists as a bane on local motoring and now more confusion has been thrown into the mix.

During the August 10th meeting Councillor Heather Eby requested an update on the legality of the traffic lines.

“It's been brought to my attention according to SGI of course it is illegal to cross over any point of time a solid line. Which then of course puts into question the lines on 1st Avenue (NW),” Councillor Eby said.

Adding to the confusion Councillor Eby said people have failed their SGI driver’s licensing test because they crossed the yellow line to make a left hand turn.

The traffic lines on 1st Avenue NW, along with subsequent traffic flow, were changed last Fall as a means to assist with traffic flow and increase parking spaces. It also reduced the number of through traffic lanes.

The “new” lanes have proven confusing for some drivers - MJ Independent file photo

In e-mail responses to MJ Independent SGI explained the laws and rules of the road as they apply to the lane assignment on 1st Avenue NW from Manitoba Street West to Oxford Street West.

SGI additionally provided the process to rectify the error, if there was any, ultimately costing someone passing a driver's examination.

MJI - 1. Can you explain the exact rules as it pertains to this situation?

SGI - This is addressed in the Saskatchewan Driver’s Handbook (available online: https://www.sgi.sk.ca/handbook) under 3.8 Traffic Lanes (starting on page 31).

There is a note at the beginning of this section reading:

Where a solid line separates lanes, you may not move across the solid line. The only exceptions are double lines in the centre of a highway where the line nearest you is a broken line (see the preceding illustrations) or centre turning lanes (see page 41).

Centre turning lanes are discussed in more detail in section 3.16 – page 41 (image attached).

A driver who is intending on turning left, should signal, check their mirrors, perform a shoulder check and when safe, move into the centre turning lane.

MJI - 2. Can you cross the solid yellow line to make a left hand turn from the inside lane?

SGI - Yes, as noted above and on page 41 of the Handbook.

With centre turning lane lines, the intention of a solid yellow line is to highlight to the driver that they are moving into a lane that accommodates traffic traveling in the opposite direction.

MJI - 3. If turning from the center lane after crossing the solid is the right thing to do will the reportedly two people who failed their drivers road tests be awarded their licenses now?

SGI - If an applicant was marked incorrectly while using the centre turning lane, those marks would be removed and the results of the test adjusted accordingly. In this situation, if an error was marked because the applicant turned from the through lane, those results would not be changed.

This may or may not change a “fail” result to a “pass”. There may have been unrelated errors marked which may still result in a failed test.

MJI - 4. Secondly, if the driver examiner did in fact make an error can you say if the error will be rectified?

SGI - Examiners take the time to explain any errors in detail to the applicant at the end of the test. If any applicant feels they were marked incorrectly, they should contact SGI’s Driver Development team at 1-844-855-2744, and then press 2 and then 2 again. And if a driver examiner did make an error, it would absolutely be rectified.

MJI - 5. Have these problems ever cropped up before?

SGI - Centre turning lanes are a fairly new in many locations, and some drivers may have some confusion and there may be a bit of a learning curve. Using centre turning lanes, in addition to being included in the Driver’s Handbook, is also discussed in high school driver education and addressed in the Class 7 Learner’s exam.