Traffic Operations
- School Crossing Guards
- Traffic Signals
- Pedestrian Signals
- Pedestrian Push Button Activation
- Signage:
School Crossing Guards
A Crossing Guard is a person that has been designated by the City of Welland, Traffic and Parking Operations Division, who directs the movement of all persons across a roadway. A Crossing Guard must display a hand held stop sign in an upright position visible to approaching traffic in each direction.
All vehicles must come to a complete stop a safe distance before reaching the crossing when a Crossing Guard enters the road right-of-way. Motorists must remain stopped until the children and Crossing Guard have safely cleared the roadway.
The Stop sign carried by the Crossing Guard has the same legal authority as a Stop sign at an intersection. The operations of a Crossing Guard and their authority is defined under the regulations of the Highway Traffic Act. Failure to comply with the regulation of the Highway Traffic Act can result in a minimum fine of $78.75, three (3) demerit point on your driving record, increase in the motorist insurance rate and the motorist could be responsible for seriously injuring a child and/or Crossing Guard.
Traffic Signals
The function of a traffic control signal is to alternate the right-of-way between conflicting vehicular traffic and pedestrians crossing a roadway. Traffic signals provide a minimum delay to traffic and operate to provide minimum hazard to vehicles and pedestrians. Traffic control signals are primarily control devices rather than safety devices.
Unnecessary traffic control signals can lead to excessive delay, increased fuel consumption, increased air pollution, increased noise, motorist frustration, greater disobedience of signals and potentially reroute vehicles in an attempt to avoid the signals.
Unjustified traffic signals may alter the type of collisions and in some cases increase the collision frequency. The installation of traffic control signals can not guarantee a reduction in collision frequency although some signals can be justified on a safety basis.
Pedestrian Signals
Pedestrian signals consist of two symbols, Walking Pedestrian and an orange Hand. Pedestrian signals are used at intersections where traffic signals directing motorists do not meet the needs of pedestrians.
A Walking Pedestrian symbol means you man begin crossing. A pedestrian facing this signal may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal and while so proceeding has the right-of-way over all vehicles. Pedestrians should only begin crossing a roadway when the walk signal is present.
A flashing orange Hand symbol implies it is too late to begin crossing. Do not enter the roadway but finish crossing if you have already started. There is enough time included in the flashing Hand to permit a pedestrian to complete a crossing. A pedestrian proceeding across the roadway when the signal starts flashing should continue crossing and has the right-of-way over all vehicles. The flashing Hand symbol is intended to warn pedestrians not to begin the crossing.
Pedestrian Push Button Activation
Intersections which have low numbers of pedestrian crossings may be equipped with push buttons which enable the pedestrian to activate the Walk symbol. Often, pedestrians push the button when the traffic signal has already commenced a cycle and the walk symbol does not appear. In these instances, the Walk symbol will not appear until the next green cycle for the direction in which the pedestrian wishes to cross the roadway.
