Earlier this month, the City of Toronto added and modified signals and signage along King Street West in the downtown core that appear to be causing a dangerous amount of confusion for some drivers.
The changes were made in an effort to reinforce the corridor’s road rules and make the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists, the city told Now Toronto in an email statement on Tuesday.
But a video shared on X on Sunday showing multiple cars running a red light at King and Yonge streets, has raised concerns about the clarity of the signs and signals.
In the video, the traffic lights are red, and there’s a green right turn light. To the left of the green light are two green transit lights with signage above that reads “transit and authorized vehicle signal.”
To the right of the green traffic light are bike lights illuminated red with a sign that says “bicycle signal” next to it.
There are also multiple signs outlining when turns are and are not permitted.
But the cars running the red light seem to have misunderstood the signals.
The video, which has been viewed about 40,000 times as of publication, was shared alongside a comment calling on the city to rethink its new signs on King Street.
“Alright, adding more signage failed as we all said it would. Mayor @OliviaChow would you like to start listening to what Torontonians who actually live on King Street have to say, or is the city going to perpetually continue the same mistakes of prior administrations?” the tweet said.
Alright, adding more signage failed as we all said it would. Mayor @OliviaChow would you like to start listening to what Torontonians who actually live on King Street have to say, or is the city going to perpetually continue the same mistakes of prior administrations? #TOpoli pic.twitter.com/EDmmm7gxXc
— Pedro Marques (@MetroManTO) April 14, 2024
X users were quick to react to the footage, with some saying people follow cars, not signs and that road rules need to be more self-explanatory. Others said the signage is confusing and too dense for drivers to process while operating a vehicle.
“Drivers don’t follow signs, they follow roads. This one continues ahead, so they do too. No amount of signs will change that,” one person wrote.
“Those [additional] green lights make it much less clear that cars can’t go straight through,” another person said.
“Drivers have gone through freshly painted bright yellow crosshatches. I’ve watched this on King for 7 years: drivers DO NOT follow signs, they follow the road. If the street requires this much signage, then it’s the street that is poorly designed,” another person responded.
The city said its new measures are supposed to “reduce the likelihood of motorists accidentally making an illegal movement, such as driving through an intersection on a green light reserved for streetcars, cyclists and authorized vehicles.”
Additional traffic changes the city made to King Street include:
- Dedicated bicycle signals and signage.
- Eastbound and westbound motorists will receive an advance right turn green arrow ahead of the transit, bicycle and pedestrian signal phases to ensure motorists can turn safely and efficiently.
- A solid green signal will no longer appear on the main traffic lights except between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. when taxis can travel through the intersections. Other vehicles are still required to turn at intersections at all times.
The city say traffic agents have been stationed at intersections along King Street on weekdays during the afternoon rush hour since November 2023.
“The City will continue to monitor compliance with the new measures on King Street and make further adjustments as necessary,” the statement concluded.
