Manitoba handbook · chapter 3 · 16 min read

Marking, Lanes, and Roundabouts

Pavement markings A solid line on the left of your lane means you must not pass or change lanes. A broken line means you may pass or change lanes if safe from both front and rear to do so. It’s permissible to turn left over a single or double solid line onto a private road or driveway.

Yellow lines Yellow lines indicate traffic moving in opposite directions.

• Broken line — Passing is permitted.
• Solid and broken line together — Passing is not permitted if the solid line is on your side of the highway.
• Double solid line — Passing is prohibited for traffic going either way.

White lines White lines indicate traffic moving in the same direction.

• Solid line — Lane changing is not permitted.
• Broken line — Lane changing is permitted.
• Stop line — You must stop before this line. No traffic is permitted within Painted Left-Turn Islands, which are commonly used in rural areas to channel traffic into turning lanes.

• Reserved lanes In some urban centres, to improve the safety and flow of designated vehicles, certain traffic lanes have been reserved for specific uses. Traffic signs identify the vehicles or actions that the lanes are reserved for. The reserved lanes are marked by double broken lines and white diamond patterns.
• The following are some examples of how reserved lanes are used:
• 1. With-Flow Reserved Lane A curb lane is reserved for use by designated vehicles only. Motorists making right turns are permitted to enter the reserved lane at any point in the block preceding their turn. Pavement Markings Double broken white lane lines and diamond symbols designate the reserved lane.
• Turning Right onto a Reserved Lane If you’re turning right onto a street with a Diamond Lane in the curb lane, you must turn as close as practicable to the curb and into the first lane. You should then signal, check and change lanes out of the Diamond Lane into the adjacent lane as soon as it’s safe to do so. If you’re driving parallel to a Diamond Lane and need to turn right, you can enter the Diamond Lane but you must turn right at the next intersection. Always be watchful and respect the rights of cyclists using the Diamond Lanes.