Q&A - Two Questions About Stopping

Question: I have two questions concerning stopping at the intersections of Vivian Street and Nanaimo Street where they cross 49th Avenue in Vancouver. I'm not sure what to do at both of these intersections and I'm hoping that you will help me understand what I need to do.

Stopping at Vivian and 49th

There is a pedestrian controlled traffic light at this intersection for 49th Avenue. For vehicle traffic on Vivian Street there is a stop sign. Do I still have to obey the stop sign if I see that a pedestrian has turn the light red (i.e. all traffic on 49th is stopped)?

Can I just go straight through?

It seems odd to ignore the stop sign but it seems just as odd for each car that was waiting for the light to change to stop at the intersection when they know it is perfectly safe to cross.

Obeying traffic controls

125 Unless otherwise directed by a peace officer or a person authorized by a peace officer to direct traffic, every driver of a vehicle and every pedestrian must obey the instructions of an applicable traffic control device.

This section of the Motor Vehicle Act makes the answer simple. If you are facing a traffic control, you obey it. Drivers on 49th follow the traffic lights and drivers on Vivian obey the stop signs.

Stopping at Nanaimo and 49th

Also, I found the article about not "staying" at a red light when it was not at an intersection. What about pedestrian controlled blinking yellow lights at this intersection? Do I have to "stay" if the pedestrian has crossed my half of the street, even though the lights are still blinking?

Flashing Yellow Lights

The crosswalk that crosses 49th Avenue is controlled by pedestrian activated flashing yellow lights. As my article on flashing traffic signals explains, you approach with caution, stop if necessary and continue when safe, even if the lights are still flashing.

In this case there is no specific direction about when a driver is to proceed after the pedestrian has crossed as there is when no traffic signals are present. Keep in mind that drivers must maintain a specific distance when passing vulnerable road users and must always avoid colliding with a pedestrian on the highway.

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