Cycling Safety & Education

• Remember to leave 1 metre of space when passing – it’s the law. Leave sufficient space between your vehicle and a person on a bike, and only pass when there is enough room to do so safely. The penalty for not leaving a minimum one-metre passing distance is a fine of $110.
• Reduce speed when you encounter people on bikes.
• When turning left or right, always check your blind spot for people on bikes.
• Always signal when making lane changes or turning so that cyclists can anticipate your actions.
• Look both ways before crossing a bike lane and yield to any oncoming bikes.
• Children may not be fully aware of all the rules and dangers of the road, so drive cautiously around children cycling.
• Never park in or block bike lanes. The penalty for parking in a bike lane is $33.
• After parking on the side of the road, check your blind spots and look for cyclists before opening your door. The penalties for improper opening of a vehicle door can result in a fine of over $300 and three demerit points.
• Check out some of the new infrastructure on this page so you know what to do to keep everyone safe on the roads.

Wayfinding Pavement Markings​​​​​

Helps people navigate bike routes. The marking show where people riding bikes should position themselves.

They are positioned on a street in two different ways depending on the width of the lane:

• If the street is wide enough for a bicycle and a car to share a lane side-by-side they are painted on the right side of the lane.
• If the lane is too narrow for a bicycle and a car to share a lane side-by-side, bicycles and cars must ride single file and the sharrow is painted in the middle of the lane.

Raised Bus Stop

Allows people to board the bus from the bike lane. People on bikes must yield to people on foot.

Bike Box

Provides space at intersections where people on bikes can wait at a red light in front of other vehicles, and get into position to turn left, right or go straight. All other vehicles must be stopped behind the white line on a red light. The City identifies bike boxes with white bike stencils marked in an area coloured green. Some municipalities do not use the green asphalt, only the white bike stencils.

Motorists

• The white stop bar defines where you are to stop when the signal is red (behind the green asphalt).
• If turns are permitted “on red” at the intersection, you may advance into the bike box to make a turn if the bike box is not occupied by a cyclist.

Bicycle Detection at Stoplights

Dashed Lines at Intersections

Indicates where people in motor vehicles are expected to merge into the bike lane when making a right-hand turn. In Hamilton, the last 15m of a bike lane approaching an intersection is a dashed line to ensure motor vehicles turn from the right-most part of the road and reducing the likelihood of a ‘right-hook’ collision. People in cars are reminded to merge into the bike lane only after ensuring that there is sufficient space and a person on a bike is would not need to reduce their speed to avoid a collision.

Contraflow Bike Lane

Allows bikes to travel in two directions on a street which is one-way for motor vehicles.

Two-Stage Left-Turn Box

Allows people on bikes to make left turns in two-stages. On a green signal, advance straight through the intersection to the queue box. When the light changes, proceed as if making a through movement from the cross street.

Crossride

Provides space at intersections for people to cross without dismounting from their bicycle. Crossrides may have their own dedicated bicycle signal.

Roundabout

Designed to have vehicles slow down to travel through them. People on bikes should ride in the centre of the lane; don’t hug the curb. Learn more about Roundabouts