Once upon a time, traffic lights were green and red. Then we threw in amber to give drivers a little time to react, and we called it good. Except, British Columbia couldn’t stop there. It wanted to mix things up! So it introduced the flashing green.
Don’t confuse this with the common flashing amber, either. That’s a signal typically used to indicate that a set of traffic lights are malfunctioning or otherwise not in operation. This is its own thing entirely.
The short explanation is that the flashing green still means go, but it’s a little more complicated than that. Let’s dive in to what it’s all about.
Pedestrian In Control
As explained by l0cal transport agency TranBC, the basic idea is that a flashing green light indicates an intersection is “pedestrian controlled.” That means that upon a pedestrian pressing the crossing button, the lights will change to stop traffic. Let’s hear it in the agencies own words, though.
A flashing green light on a traffic signal means the signal is pedestrian activated. So, when you approach a flashing green light, use caution, because the signal could be activated by a pedestrian at any time and you might have to stop and let the pedestrian to cross.
We’ve been using flashing green lights in BC since the 80s and they are usually found either mid-block in the city or at intersections on city roads and provincial highways,” says the agency.
If the light is flashing green, you’re still good to go. It’s just warning you that a pedestrian could theoretically press the button and then the lights would change. In this case, the lights will tend to go solid green, then amber, then red—just like a regular traffic light.
Drivers are just asked to take caution when seeing a flashing green because pedestrians might be in the area. You are expected to approach in such a manner that you’re ready to stop.
The specifics are explained in the Motor Vehicle Act of British Columbia, section 131.(5). The flashing green is used in multiple places, and this passage specifically refers to intersections and mid-block crossings that aren’t intersections:
When rapid intermittent flashes of green light are exhibited at an intersection or at a place other than an intersection by a traffic control signal,
(a)the driver of a vehicle approaching the intersection or signal and facing the signal must cause it to approach the intersection or signal in such a manner that the driver is able to cause the vehicle to stop before reaching the signal or any crosswalk in the vicinity of the signal if a stop should become necessary, and must yield the right of way to pedestrians lawfully in a crosswalk in the vicinity of the signal or in the intersection, and
(b)a pedestrian may proceed across the roadway with caution and at an intersection only in a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
That seems to suggest that drivers must expect pedestrians to randomly wander out during a flashing green. However, the pedestrian is also required to press the crossing button to turn the signals red anyway, and they’re supposed to wait for the WALK signal, too. Given those are the rules, it’s hard to see the need for the flashing green.
Are you confused? That’s fair. The flashing green still means go. It’s just telling you something you don’t really need to know—that a pedestrian might cause the lights to change, as opposed to a simple time cycle or whatever. If you see a flashing green, just go steady and watch for hazards.
Don’t Worry, It Gets More Complicated
So, there’s one place in the world with flashing greens. They’re a bit weird, but if you treat them like normal greens, you’re fine. But.. what’s this I’m hearing? Oh. In other places, they use flashing greens that mean something totally different.
In most of the rest of Canada, the flashing green is called an “Advanced Green.” This terminology is used across Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and several other provinces. In this case, the flashing green means that you are allowed to turn left across traffic without having to worry about oncoming vehicles. You don’t need to yield.
This signal was apparently invented because Canada used to use arrow lights differently. Green arrows were originally used to indicate that traffic must turn. The Advanced Green was also a simple way to add a “left turns allowed” signal that didn’t require adding an additional green arrow bulb to an existing three-bulb signal.
If you’re reading this as an American, and you’re getting angry, that’s okay. You have every right. Flashing greens fly in the face of the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, as well as the US 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
Meanwhile, in Europe, there’s a further twist on the theme. As explained by Stadt Wien, in Austria, as the green phase comes to an end, the green light may flash four times to indicate the impending amber. It’s like an amber before the amber, as if any of us needed such a thing. Croatia and Estonia have used the same signal at times. Somewhat ironically, this too breaches the Vienna Convention, but Austria seems not to mind.
I Don’t Approve
It’s not often that I come out with a hot opinion in an explainer article like this, but I’m afraid British Columbia has me steamed. It created a confusing flashing traffic light that nobody else uses! And funnily enough, it’s completely useless! Traffic lights already tell drivers when to go and when to stop!
The whole flashing idea is just patently ludicrous. The flashing helps draw driver attention, sure. But when the lights are flashing, it’s to indicate that the intersection is still essentially safe to pass. So why flash?!
Besides, every other jurisdiction in the world handles pedestrian-controlled lights without this nonsense. Do you know what happens when a pedestrian hits the cross button? The lights turn yellow, then red, and the cars stop! Magic! No flashing required!
This goes for all the other weird flashy greens out there. There’s no need to break convention. The regular three-bulb layout works, and you throw arrows on as needed. Adding in the flashes just makes it all confusing.
In any case, if you’re driving in a new place, and you see a flashing green, try not to panic. Generally, in most areas, not knowing what they mean won’t get you into too much trouble out on the road. Still, they can be a confronting and mystifying sight if you come across them out of the blue. Or flashing green, for that matter.
Image credits: City of Vienna, BC Driving Blog via YouTube screenshot, ICBC, Lewin Day, US DOT
Eh, I find them useful. A flashing green light indicates that there are no pressure plates or timers to change the light, as there is no light for the cross street. The only time that light will turn red is when a pedestrian (or impatient passenger) pushes the button, at which point the light (at least used to) turns solid green for a few seconds, then yellow and red. So if there’s no pedestrians around, you don’t need to slow down as much like you might for a “stale green” at a major intersection that might turn yellow soon – you’ll have warning when the green stops flashing (and you hear the button beep lol) that it’s getting ready to turn yellow.
They are also different from the yellow or white flashing lights above a button-activated crosswalk (sometimes used for crosswalks mid-block), because those have no wait time at all for pedestrians – they are immediate on-demand signals. Flashing greens are used for residential roads with bike paths or heavy foot traffic (like near a school) where they cross an arterial road, so that the light isn’t contantly stopping car traffic on the arterial road and actually has to go through a light cycle for each button press.