DriveTest Canada

Regulatory signs

What does the one way sign mean?

The one way sign is a regulatory sign. Traffic on this road moves only in the direction of the arrow. Turn only in the direction the arrow points, and do not enter travelling the other way. It is tested in the Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick practice banks on this site, where 13 questions ask about it, and the ones on this page carry the answer and the authority behind it.
Regulatory signs13 practice questionsTested in 7 provinces
One wayONE WAY
The one way sign, drawn by us to the standard shape and colours rather than traced from any official artwork.

What it means

Traffic on this road moves only in the direction of the arrow.

What to do when you see it

Turn only in the direction the arrow points, and do not enter travelling the other way.

How to recognise a regulatory sign

Most are white with black text or a black symbol, or plain white with a red border. Two shapes are used for exactly one meaning each and nothing else: the eight sided red stop sign and the downward pointing red triangle yield sign, so you can still read them by outline alone in poor light. A red circle with a diagonal red bar always means the thing inside the circle is not allowed.

A regulatory sign states a rule you must follow. It carries the force of law behind it, not just advice, so ignoring one is a traffic offence in its own right.

What the test asks about this sign

13 questions in our banks show this sign and ask what it requires. Here are 6, each with the answer marked and the authority it rests on.

OntarioG1 test

You have turned onto a street where this sign is mounted at the corner. What does it tell you about the street?

Every vehicle on it travels in the direction of the arrow

A one-way street carries no oncoming traffic, so every lane on it, including the leftmost, is available to you. That also changes your turns, because a left turn here starts from the left lane instead of the centre of the road.

Highway Traffic Act (Ontario)
British ColumbiaICBC knowledge test

You want to turn onto a street where this sign is mounted with the arrow pointing to your left. What may you do?

Turn left only

The arrow shows the only direction traffic may travel on that street, so the only lawful way in is to turn the way the arrow points. Once you are on a one way street you may use whichever lane suits your next move, because there is no oncoming traffic to stay clear of.

Motor Vehicle Act (British Columbia)
AlbertaClass 7 learner's test

What does this sign tell you about the road it faces?

Traffic on that road travels only in the direction of the arrow

A one way sign shows the only legal direction of travel on that road. Turning in against the arrow puts you head on into drivers who are watching for hazards ahead of them and have no reason to expect a vehicle coming the other way.

Alberta Driver's Guide (Government of Alberta)
QuebecSAAQ knowledge test

This sign is posted at the corner of a downtown street, where in Quebec you may also see the words SENS UNIQUE. You want to travel the other way along that street. What can you do?

Take a different street, since traffic here moves only in the direction of the arrow

SENS UNIQUE means one direction of travel, and the arrow shows which one. A quiet street changes nothing, because drivers pulling out of parking spaces and people crossing are all looking the single way traffic is meant to come from. Reversing the length of the street is the same mistake with worse visibility.

Highway Safety Code (Quebec)
ManitobaMPI knowledge test

You are about to turn onto a downtown Winnipeg street that has this sign at the corner. What does the sign tell you?

Traffic on that street travels one way, the way the arrow points

A one-way sign shows the only direction traffic may travel on that roadway. Turn so you travel with the arrow; turning against it puts you head on with oncoming cars.

The Highway Traffic Act (Manitoba), C.C.S.M. c. H60
Nova ScotiaNova Scotia learners test

At a junction in downtown Sydney, this sign points right. Which direction may traffic follow on the signed street?

Right only

A one-way sign shows the only lawful direction of travel on that street. Follow the arrow rather than relying on how empty the road looks.

Traffic Signs Regulations (Nova Scotia)

The other 7 sit in the signs drills, which ask sign questions on their own with the reason for every answer.

Questions people ask

What does the one way sign mean?

Traffic on this road moves only in the direction of the arrow. Turn only in the direction the arrow points, and do not enter travelling the other way.

What kind of sign is the one way sign?

It is a regulatory sign. A regulatory sign states a rule you must follow. It carries the force of law behind it, not just advice, so ignoring one is a traffic offence in its own right.

Which provinces test the one way sign?

It appears in the Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick practice banks on this site: 3 in Ontario, 2 in British Columbia, 2 in Alberta, 3 in Quebec, 1 in Manitoba, 1 in Nova Scotia, 1 in New Brunswick. Every question is original prose citing Highway Traffic Act (Ontario), Motor Vehicle Act (British Columbia), Alberta Driver's Guide (Government of Alberta), Highway Safety Code (Quebec), The Highway Traffic Act (Manitoba), C.C.S.M. c. H60, Traffic Signs Regulations (Nova Scotia) and Government of New Brunswick, New Brunswick Driver’s Handbook, Part 7: Traffic Signs.

Sources for this page

The meaning and the action are the standard ones taught across Canada. Each question above cites the law or the guide it rests on, and the exam facts on the province pages come from the records below.

Highway Traffic Act (Ontario)Motor Vehicle Act (British Columbia)Alberta Driver's Guide (Government of Alberta)Highway Safety Code (Quebec)The Highway Traffic Act (Manitoba), C.C.S.M. c. H60Traffic Signs Regulations (Nova Scotia)Government of New Brunswick, New Brunswick Driver’s Handbook, Part 7: Traffic Signs