Canadian Model Rules of the Road Project Launched

A new Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) project has been launched to identify additions and updates required to the 1996 publication Canadian Model Rules of the Road.

The Canadian Model Rules of the Road is a reference guide for professionals who are responsible for preparing the legislation that governs the use of Canadian roadway facilities. It presents a generic set of traffic rules that a road user must know and observe while using the road system.

Since the document was published in 1996, the emergence of modern roundabouts and traffic calming, the increased popularity of active transportation modes, and changes in traffic control issues particularly with respect to transit, require that this publication be reviewed and updated.

Advanced by the Traffic Operations and Management Standing Committee, the objectives of the project include:

• Review all current Highway Traffic Acts in Canadian provinces and territories
• Identify additions and updates required in a new edition of the Canadian Model Rules of the Road
• Draft appropriate rules and accompanying illustrations as necessary

The project steering committee is being formed to develop the terms of reference. It is expected that the work will be completed in a year.

The project funding partners are Alberta Transportation; Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation; the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario; le Ministère des Transports du Québec ; Saskatchewan Highways and Infrastructure and the City of Ottawa.