Information Signs
Green signs giving directions and route information.
Green signs give distances, destinations, and exit numbers so you can plan a lane change early, but a traffic light, lane marking, or officer always overrides whatever a guide sign suggests.
A green information sign is the only sign family whose job is to help you plan ahead rather than warn or command you, which is exactly why it must never be allowed to override a control.
Key facts
- Information and guide signs use a green background with white letters, distinct from every other sign family’s colour.
- A route or destination sign never overrides a traffic light, lane marking, or police officer’s direction.
Recognize what a green sign tells you
A green background with white letters signals a direction, distance, or destination sign. Common types include direction signs to nearby towns, distance markers in kilometres, freeway exit signs with lane guidance, and interchange numbers that correspond to distance from the start of the freeway.
Other green signs point to specific facilities, such as hospitals, airports, universities, carpool lots, and railway stations, or carry a wheelchair-accessibility symbol for an accessible facility. A variable message sign can display different green-family information depending on current traffic conditions.
Plan your lane change before the sign, not after
Notice a route number, exit number, or destination name early enough to choose your lane calmly, rather than reacting only when the exit itself comes into view. An exit sign is a planning tool, and treating it as a last-second cue defeats its purpose.
Do not cross multiple lanes suddenly because you just noticed an exit sign; if you cannot make the move safely, continue to the next exit rather than forcing a late lane change through moving traffic.
Never let a guide sign outrank a real control
A green sign only ever provides information; it does not have the legal authority of a traffic light, a lane marking, or a police officer’s direction. If a route sign’s suggested lane conflicts with what a signal or officer is telling you to do, the signal or officer wins.
This distinction matters most in a construction zone or detour, where a temporary orange sign or a flagger can override the normal green guide signage for that stretch of road.
Common mistakes
- Waiting until an exit sign is directly overhead to begin planning a lane change.
- Making a sudden multi-lane move after noticing an exit sign too late.
- Assuming a green route sign’s suggested lane overrides a conflicting traffic light or officer.
- Confusing a green information sign with a white-and-black regulatory sign of similar rectangular shape.
Check your understanding
1. What colour and text combination identifies an Ontario information or guide sign?
A green background with white letters.
2. You notice a freeway exit sign only when the exit is already close. What is the safer response than a sudden lane change?
Continue to the next exit rather than forcing a late move across multiple lanes of traffic.
3. A green guide sign suggests one lane, but a police officer is directing traffic into a different lane. Which do you follow?
The police officer. A guide sign never overrides a traffic light, lane marking, or an officer’s direction.
Related Ontario G1 guides
Official references
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