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
Around these parts, it’s almost August. That means the corn is tall and very green, and you had better stop at the intersection that you usually roll through. Young Bubba in the farm truck can’t be seen over the crops, you better stop!
“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.”
I recall that when I was young, the flashing green as the ‘advanced green’ used to be pretty common but in the years since, seems to have been completely phased out… at least in the Toronto area.
All the flashing greens I remember have now been replaced with green arrows.
However in some places like the Kitchener/Waterloo area, they have green arrows that flash. Not sure if there is any legal difference between a flashing green arrow and a solid green arrow in Ontario.
They are replacing green lights in turn lanes (not arrows, and meaning you have an unprotected turn) in my state (NC) with flashing yellow lights. This is dangerous in one situation in particular – when the flashing yellow changes to solid yellow, it can do so unilaterally on your side of the intersection, with the other direction staying green. So a driver unfamiliar might think oncoming traffic also has a yellow and will be stopping, so they make their left turn not realizing oncoming traffic won’t be slowing down.
As an Ontarian, this is insanity. Flashing green means I can hook a left without getting t-boned like a steak house. End of story.
So mixing up the use of the flashing green may result in someone from another province thinking they can turn left without worry, getting t-boned, and pushed onto a sidewalk where they could then hit the pedestrian approaching the intersection that the light is supposed to protect?
Exactly.
Spent my first couple of weeks in BC baffled by these things. Stupid idea.
I moved to Vancouver from Calgary a few years ago and was confused as hell by these initially. I had to look up what the flashing green meant. They’re all over the West End where I live as well. Eventually I figured it out, it’s even typical to ignore the stop sign and treat it as a green light when the cross light is red. Just gotta make sure there’s no pedestrians wandering in front of you lol
I had to ride with a coworker a few times. He would slow down when approaching green lights “because they might change.” I tried explaining how slowing down would only increase the chances of the light changing since he was using up more of the remaining time, but you know how it is with entrenched habits.
Interesting. My experience in Mexico is that a flashing green means the same as in Europe – advanced notice of the impending yellow light.
Why not solid green with flashing yellow to indicate the same thing?
Green says go, yellow is the light that says caution.
Green with flashing yellow clearly says “go with caution”.
If for some reason, you can’t illuminate two bulbs at once, it’s long past time to replace the controller.
Wait, wait… Flashing yellow means what?
I was always taught that in any context it meant “proceed with caution”, not “these lights are broken”.
Yeah, usually red is flashing when the light is broken.
Yes, red flashing usually means stop. So when the light is broken, they turn the intersection into a 4-way stop by flashing the red light.
It’s a common failure mode, when the intersection has a fault all the lights flash yellow
My head hurts after trying to figure that out. WTF
Sorry, eh?
It was a big change from me coming from Mexico where a flashing green means the light is about to change to Amber so you are prepared to make a decision. When the light here in the US goes to amber, I have to stomp on the brakes because I am not sure how long the amber will take to go red, the intersections are usually huge (How many “lanes” I have to cross to get to the other side of the intersection) plus if there is a cop waiting to stop you for running the amber light. Its very dangerous to me that we go from green to amber and you have milliseconds to analyze X amount of factors to make a decision.
You can’t ‘run’ an amber light, you still have the ability to cross the intersection legally. Also, most red light laws are such that if you entered the intersection before the light was red (in other words, you’re crossed the white line) then you still have right of way, you don’t have to be clear (Green doesn’t mean floor it, it means proceed if the intersection is clear.) Lastly – on most multi-lane streets in my area the white line will change from dashes to solid just before the intersection. That’s the point where you will make it across if you’re traveling the speed limit and the light turns from green to yellow.
Here in Costa Rica we have blinking green, but it signifies that the light is about to turn yellow and then red. So it’s a “hurry up” signal.
Most lights also have timers built into green and yellow so you know exactly how long you have. I love them.
Around these parts, they’re removing all of the five-element signals for left turns in favor of those four element ones which flash the amber arrow. Some people need to be reminded by a strong, steady horn honk that you can indeed make that left turn when the amber arrow blinks.
We’ve gone to flashing amber left turn arrows too, and I dislike them for the same reason Lewin dislikes the flashing green: it doesn’t do anything different other than to confuse people who are unfamiliar with them.
We don’t get yellow arrows anymore in NC. You have green arrows, flashing yellow lights, solid yellow lights and red. Arrow means protected, flashing yellow means unprotected and solid means the light is about to turn red (but not necessarily for the other side.)
I’m not sure if they’re used elsewhere, but the traffic lights in Norway are easily the best I’ve ever seen. They use the standard three-light tree with green, yellow, red. But then when the red is preparing to turn to green, both yellow and red activate to let you know that it’s turning green soon.
It allowed me to let off the brake and restart the auto stop/start so that the engine was running and I could just go at the green light. And it helped me not completely hate the auto stop/start and I actually left it activated for the whole trip!
This may be the only variation to the standard RYG setup needed. Well, that and actually standardizing yellow light timing so that if you’re traveling the speed limit and see the yellow light you need to start braking because you won’t make the light. Inconsistent yellow lights are an unnecessary hazard.
This is pretty common in Europe and the UK. It’s ideal for giving drivers an extra couple seconds to push the clutch and get into gear before the light changes. I’d love to see it here but it would just be an excuse for people to start going through the intersection before the light has changed to green.
I thought the same thing when I saw the flashing red in England.
Latvia does this. It’s awesome.
Aside from the possible confusion among out-of-province Canadians, I see nothing wrong with these. I was in Vancouver on vacation at the end of May, and discovered them then. I walked or rode a bike everywhere (and took transit to and from the airport), and did not drive. I noticed that they all appeared to be at the intersections of higher-traffic roads with greenways or other non-car-priority streets, and a friend confirmed their location and purpose. It is sort of wonderfully magical to arrive at a signaled intersection, press a button, and have it change for you. Vancouver seems to have done a very good job of designing transportation infrastructure that makes travel safe and easy for people not using cars, and this is part of it.
The US has pedestrian controlled intersections too, but they don’t need any weird blinking green lights to indicate that. A “pedestrian crossing ahead” sign is all the indication that’s needed.
A crosswalk is not a pedestrian-controlled intersection. In the US, true pedestrian-controlled intersections are nearly always only found where off-street trails cross a road, and I have never come upon one that would immediately trigger a light cycle change when a person pressed a button. The intersections discussed in Vancouver are a subset of traffic lights.
There are still a lot of flashing green lights in Massachusetts, mostly in greater Boston. Thanks to a quirk of early-20th century jurisdictional squabbling between state agencies, our Department of Conservation and Recreation (yes, the park and campground people) operate a lot of the important secondary highways around the city. Not I-95 or the MassPike, but things like Storrow Drive, the West Roxbury Parkway, Truman Parkway, Jamaicaway, etc are maintained by the DCR, and the DCR has apparently never read the MUTCD. There are flashing greens all over the place, and they operate on BC rules, only going amber and red when a pedestrian presses the button. For decades, I’ve heard that they’re about to be replaced with regular lights, but it never happens.
Your series of pictures makes no sense.
Pic #1 shows the lack of any lights facing the road coming from the lower left of the picture, which does seem to capture the blinking green. So nothing unexpected there.
Pic #2 shows the solid green for the road going from the lower left to the upper right and the pedestrian that pushed the button to make that happen. However it also shows an Escape on the road that goes from the upper left to the lower right who is stopped after the stop line and blocking the cross walk as if waiting to turn left.
Pic #3 Shows that Escape still waiting to turn left and what they were waiting for the Beetle that is in the middle of the intersection on the road that presumably had a red light.
So it appears that people aren’t following the traffic lights anyway.
Disagree.
I grew up on the left coast. The flashing green lights are more of a signal to drivers that this intersection is very commonly used by pedestrians. Those same pedestrians do not want to push the crossing button and wait when traffic is light or medium; they’ll just cross as they approach the intersection when there is a gap. Having the flashing lights is a notice to drivers to keep an extra watchful eye out for pedestrians. Now living in the states, similar flashing lights are common at highly used pedestrian crossings but they are an additional light on the side of the road. I think the flashing green is a better utilization of already existing infrastructure.
So… They’re “idiot lights” 😛
I’m all for the safety of pedestrians and for traffic to safely wield right-of-way. But pedestrians just blindly (and arrogantly) stepping out into moving traffic and expecting it to stop without fail is just asking for a Darwin award. Please don’t do that.
Welcome to California where pedestrians do expect traffic to stop when they step into the street. I was never brave enough to do that when I lived there.
Pedestrians have the right of way, dude.
I think a pedestrian crossing sign with its own flashing lights is a far better and clearer indication of what’s going on. You still have to modify the control box to add a blinking green anyways; just putting up a sign is probably easier in many cases.
As it happens, we were in Ontario over the Fourth of July and encountered the flashing green with absolutely no idea what it meant. We were in mostly rural areas, so it was kind of moot anyway.
Meanwhile, we realized that we had no idea what Canadian rules are about right on red. I think they have them, but just to be safe, we waited. We were on vacation, after all.
Turning right on a red is fine in Canada, unless indicated otherwise of course. For the longest time Québec was an outlier, but that changed just over 15 years ago. Except on the island of Montreal (and they like to check..)
I was on Vancouver Island last week and just realized, now that you mentioned it, I never considered whether right-on-red was legal there. I just did it out of habit. I used to live somewhere it wasn’t legal. Was it Virginia in the 60s?
It gives the junkies something to look at.
The left coast be different.
Some of the counties near me have implemented flashing yellow arrows, for the period after the left-turn green arrow goes away but you can still turn left if no one is oncoming. It’s confusing the hell out of everyone over 65.
Pittsburgh has recently added leading yellow arrows in a frankly (IMO) insulting attack on the venerated Pittsburgh Left.
For those who don’t know, longstanding practice in Pittsburgh (home of narrow streets and shifting grids and ravines/hollows that create limited connections) is that the first car at a light can turn left right away, without waiting for opposing traffic to clear. It’s basically a driver-created left turn arrow in a place where a single left turner can prevent any other cars from getting through a light cycle. I always appreciated it, but non-natives tend to find it confusing and frustrating, and now they’re trying to kill it with the flashing yellow arrows.
What happens is that the light turns green first while the red arrow stays lit for a couple seconds, then comes the flashing yellow. So it’s illegal to turn left when the light first turns, then you proceed with caution (which of course is actually just normal left turn behavior). So far this is mostly (only?) at intersections with left turn lanes, where the Pittsburgh left isn’t as badly needed, so I’m not actually mad. But it’s definitely predicated on eradicating a piece of unique local culture that improves traffic flow while requiring a bit of driver courtesy (only a jagoff jackrabbits straight when the opposing car has a left signal blinking).
There are a handful of intersections near me where people do that too. Where there’s no protected left, and the intersection geometry is such that the oncoming traffic has a longer run-up.
But no one here does it on the regular- it’s just the “right” intersections.
I agree it doesn’t seem accomplish anything more practical than other systems, just a friendly reminder that there are people out there and they might walk in front of your car. Kind of like deer crossing signs (or kangaroo, in your case): nobody ever slows down on the highway when these signs appear, but it might alert you to be more watchful. Given the rising toll of pedestrian deaths, at least in the US, every little bit helps. Not certain if that pertains to Canada, too.
sorry
not sorry