Your light turns green, but a cyclist who entered the intersection on the previous phase is still crossing in front of you, and a pedestrian released a few seconds early is still in the crosswalk. Whose move is it?

Correct answer: A. Yield to both — a green light does not displace anyone who lawfully entered the intersection on an earlier phase

Theirs. Section 144(8) of the Highway Traffic Act says that when a driver "is permitted to proceed, he or she shall yield the right-of-way to traffic lawfully using an intersection." Book 12 spells out what that covers from the driver's seat: road users facing a green "must first yield the right-of-way to other users lawfully using an intersection, such as may have entered on a previous signal phase or during a signal clearance interval", and "a motorist must yield the right-of-way to any cyclist or pedestrian that may be within the confines of an intersection during the red signal indication who first legally entered it during the green or amber indications or a walk indication." It adds the case that catches drivers out most often: "straight through motor vehicles must yield to bicycles or pedestrians that have been released earlier, such as from a bike box or a leading bicycle or pedestrian phase." A green light is permission to enter, not a claim on space someone is already lawfully occupying.

Source: MTO Driver's Handbook: Ontario Traffic Manual, Book 12 — Traffic Signals (July 2024), Section 2.4 — Highway Traffic Act Subsection 144(8), Yielding to Traffic