“Passing Over Solid Lines”

when is it not illegal to pass over solid lines

Theoretically it is not illegal to cross a solid line on its own. But the line becomes solid for safety reasons or it is near an area (crosswalks, intersections, hills, railway crossings) where it is illegal to "pass".

Where a solid line forms a shoulder (including the triangles near on- or off-ramps) it would be "passing off roadway" or "driving on paved shoulder".

I also find no laws stating that it is illegal to pass near or within an intersection or crosswalk, although signs can be erected by by-law making it illegal. Changing lanes seems to be legal in all three areas as long as you follow standard lane-changing laws. Passing near a hill or railway crossing is illegal only when there are no marked lanes or a single lane in your direction (i.e., you have to cross into oncoming lanes). Passing as you go down a steep hill may actually be illegal as you must be able to determine that the lane to your left is free from overtaking traffic - a steep enough hill would obscure your line of sight.

I remember reading that where a vehicle is stopped at a crosswalk, an overtaking vehicle must also stop before the crosswalk and proceed only when it is clear. I can't find that today, so maybe it was another province or one of those tips in the Driver's Handbook that isn't actually law.

I remember something about 150m of visibility.........

30 m is listed for crossing the centre line near a bridge, viaduct, or tunnel, as well as making U-turns near a railway crossing. No distance for crossing the centre line near a curve or grade, just that the driver's view cannot be obscured so as to create a potential hazard. 150 m is for making U-turns near a curve, grade, or bridge/viaduct/tunnel.

Just to add a couple nuggets of info:

- a double-solid line is treated the same as a single (can still pass).

- I'll never trust the dashed lines painted on 2-lane highways by the MTO. In many cases, they have them dashed WAAAY to close to a hill, limiting your view of oncoming traffic. I'm not sure what criteria is used by the MTO when determining when to transition from dashed to solid, but it's flawed in many places. I find "much-HP" is useful when in doubt

When "trusting" the dashed centre lines, I consider where they end to be at most the spot where I expect to be able to merge back in. I agree - some of them are so close to hills that I would be over the crest in opposing lanes if I decided to start a pass just before dashed turns to solid.

Things change in Quebec, though. As far as I know, you do have a legal obligation to follow their solid lane markings all on their own.

I trust me and my knowledge of the road.......lines really mean jack, but I think we have covered it.

Squishy wrote:I also find no laws stating that it is illegal to pass near or within an intersection or crosswalk, although signs can be erected by by-law making it illegal. Changing lanes seems to be legal in all three areas as long as you follow standard lane-changing laws. Passing near a hill or railway crossing is illegal only when there are no marked lanes or a single lane in your direction (i.e., you have to cross into oncoming lanes). Passing as you go down a steep hill may actually be illegal as you must be able to determine that the lane to your left is free from overtaking traffic - a steep enough hill would obscure your line of sight.

I remember reading that where a vehicle is stopped at a crosswalk, an overtaking vehicle must also stop before the crosswalk and proceed only when it is clear. I can't find that today, so maybe it was another province or one of those tips in the Driver's Handbook that isn't actually law.

Ticketcombat, you were right about passing near a crosswalk. I finally found the section, 140 - I had been looking through the longer 144 instead. Not allowed to pass within 30 metres of a crosswalk [140 (3)], and must stop before passing a stopped vehicle at a crosswalk [140 (2)]. It does look like you are allowed to change lanes, though.