Dear Cop - Do Not Proceed

I have been told that in the case of a controlled pedestrian - only traffic light, once the light turns red and the pedestrians have safely made it across the street, it is legal for vehicular traffic to proceed through the intersection, whether or not the light has turned green. Is this true?

Stay Where You Are
If a driver is stopped at an intersection facing a red light for a dedicated pedestrian crossing, you are required to stay stopped until the red light is no longer luminated.

Red light:
Section 129 (1) of the Motor Vehicle Act is quite specific and indicates that when a red light alone is exhibited at an intersection by a traffic control signal, the driver of a vehicle approaching the intersection and facing the red light must cause it to stop before entering the marked crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or if there is no marked crosswalk, before entering the intersection, and must not cause the vehicle to proceed until a traffic control signal instructs the driver that he or she is permitted to do so.

Constable R.A.(Richard) ASELTON
Central Okanagan Traffic Services - Media Liaison

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