Traffic Light Meanings in Montreal 

hi Dr. Rick!! thank you so much for all your helpful videos. i just started driving 7 months ago and have been watching your videos for the entire time. today i had my road test and using all the tips youve talked about, i passed on my first try!!! :)

PRO TIP: Don't drive in Downtown Montreal EVER! There are worse places like Greater Toronto, but MTL on the weekends is the worst

One more thing that could’ve been useful to add is that when a traffic light has a flashing red light, it means that it’s a stop so same rules as a regular stop sign. For some reason some people think that it’s a red light and wait unnecessarily

Montréaler here. The arrow in a green circle don't mean that you can make a turn, but that you MUST make that turn. That's an imperative sign. The arrow light can also go to one side or the other. Mean that you can only turn to that direction. Flashing green mean protected left turn. It can happen at the start or the end of the cycle. It can happen at both timings. In that case, it's at the start for one direction and at the end for the other direction. The traffic light are on the far side so that you can easily see them even if there is a big vehicle beside you. Those are also valid pretty much everywhere else in the whole province of Québec.

Traffic lights work very well in Montreal in what they allow you what to do or not to do. Each cycle can last a while, so going straight through in an intersection can take a while. There are way too many four way stop signs in Montreal, though. Even the streets that look more "important" have a stop sign approaching a little side street. The time that I have lived in Montreal, I have not seen a Yield sign. Everything has a Stop sign. The other thing is that Montreal is the World's capital city for worst roads. Billions and billions of pot holes or broken asphalt. We've spent close to $10,000 in the last two years fixing the broken suspension pieces. And, you cannot sue the city for damages. Montreal drivers, on the whole, are better than Toronto drivers. Toronto drivers are THE worst in the World, and I have driven in a lot places across Europe, Midddle East, and the USA. The main reason for that is that the Ontario or Toronto Police do not enforce all the Highway Traffic Acts; they focus on speeding. If you fly through a red light or a Stop sign or change lanes without signaling, no problem. Oh, forgot to mention. In Montreal a green light for pedestrians doesn't happen every cycle; sometimes the cars get a green three or four times before it turns green fo the pedestrians, so you end up waiting longer, much longer than in other jusrisdictions. Not a big problem when the weather is nice, but not so nice in Winter when the windchill is -40C.

Can I go straight, or make a right turn on a flashing solid green?

OMG..... driving at night in Montreal seems quite tricky!!! by the time you noticed the red light on the sides, you will have to quickly locate the white line to stop at and lighting doesn't seem bright enough!!!

0:31-2:14 same rule as NYC and the Five Boroughs which is your Video with Sam. That causes confusion with drivers from Ontario New Brunswick Canadian provinces Neighbouring American States Upstate NY Vermont New Hampshire and Maine since the normal procedure is that right on red is allowed unless a sign is posted to prohibit that. I can see Quebec going NYC Vision Zero. Excellent video rick

Hi Rick! Thanks for your straight forward and easy to follow explanations for why we do certain things. I just did my drivers test this morning & passed on my first try. Thanks to the information in your videos and a lot of driving practice !!

Can you turn right on a straight through arrow?

Thank you so much rick for your videos I had pass my road test today I got a 87 on my test you is the best bro.

A green circle signals an obligation, not a permission. If a right pointing arrow is circled in green, it means you must turn right. If a right and straight pointing arrows are in a green circle, you must either go straight or turn right.

Wow can you do Winnipeg, Manitoba too ?

Thank you very much for the video, I'm going to move to Montreal in a next few days and this is super helpful! Thanks again

Thanks smart drive test , I just pass my driving test a few minutes ago and I wnna thank you for having videos for learners like me it really help, I AM NOW LICENSED 😀

When i visited Montreal i noticed that many drivers proceeded through intersections regardless if the light was green or red, it didn't matter lol. As for the no right turn on red that is just plain dumb and over restrictive.

I have been wondering for a long time. What is the reason behind certain signals in Quebec, and the Maritime Provinces such as parts of New Brunswick, and PEI. Where the signal has a red light on both sides, as appose to just one red light. I've seen dual reds in Alberta and Saskatchewan but usually those are there for the reason to instate that they are a turning signal, not a multi straight/turning signal. Excluding some other reasons they might use at certain locations around those two provinces, in Quebec and east, I never understood the twin red reasons.

If there is no red light when there is a green straight arrow, and there are no signs stating turns are not allowed, then what legally prohibits making a turn on a straight green arrow?

Driving in Montreal is shitty asf

Thanks Rick for the video. I would recommend anyone choosing to visit a large city with smaller streets and with as many pedestrians and cyclists to avoid renting a pickup, SUV or crossover. You'll have a better time finding parking, you can brake better and your driving will be safer. A collision with a heavier vehicle is much more likely to cause injury or death to those outside the vehicle. A jeep is a bad choice.

Thank you for making this video. I'm going to Montreal in October for the first time and this video will be very helpful

Thank you! Had my nav tell me to take a left, and the sign said I could, but someone behind me blared on their horn for waiting for the arrow to change to a full green. I guess I was right!

Hi Dr. Rick! Just wanted to comment to say that thanks to all your videos, I passed my driving test in Pennsylvania on the first try! Thanks for everything!

Hey do you have a video on which headlights to use at night I had my high beams on and I know that can blind other drivers so which do I use for night driving high or low beams to not blind drivers?

Great video, I have learned a lot about driving in Montreal in this video,

HEYYY i passed my road test first try here in Burnaby BC, it was like 12 minutes LOL the examiner was really good and he said i was a confident driver!!!

Just passed my driving test today and all I can say is thanks for the help and tips on how to drive and what to look for

Pedestrians should be doing their part too I swear some people would be throwing themselves at the car almost

I always scan intersections before proceeding to a green light, and a yellow light means slow down be prepared to stop before the intersection if it’s safe to do so, and a red light means stop. And driving at night is a challenge because our vision is reduced and I watch the traffic light and the yellow lights at night does blend in with street lights in cities. Great video man 👍🏼