You are stopped in a lane that has both an ordinary traffic signal and, mounted beside it, a smaller signal displaying bicycle symbols. The bicycle signal goes green while yours is still red. May you move off?

Correct answer: B. No — you obey the signal that is not a bicycle signal, and cyclists obey the bicycle one, even in the same lane

No. Section 144(10) of the Highway Traffic Act says every driver "shall obey every traffic control signal that applies to the lane that he or she is in", and then removes any doubt about shared lanes: where both a bicycle traffic control signal and an ordinary one apply to the same lane, "a person riding or operating a bicycle in that lane shall obey the bicycle traffic control signal" and "a person driving a vehicle other than a bicycle in that lane shall obey the traffic control signal that is not a bicycle traffic control signal." Book 12 puts the same point plainly: "the cyclists and general traffic drivers must obey the signals that are specific to their movements." A bicycle signal running ahead of yours is usually deliberate — it releases cyclists into the intersection before drivers get their green, so that a turning driver can see them.

Source: MTO Driver's Handbook: Ontario Traffic Manual, Book 12 — Traffic Signals (July 2024), Section 2.4 — Highway Traffic Act Subsection 144(10), Obeying Lane Lights