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Road lines and pavement markings in Alberta

Lines on the road can be yellow or white, single or double, solid or broken. Together they tell you the direction of traffic and whether you may change lanes or pass.p. 38

Checked against the Driver’s Guide (Spring 2026) on .

The short version

  • Yellow lines separate traffic going in opposite directions. White lines separate traffic going the same way.p. 38p. 39
  • Solid means don’t cross to pass or change lanes. Broken means you may.p. 38
  • The yellow line should always be on your left.p. 38
  • With a solid and a broken yellow line side by side, only the driver with the broken line on their side may pass.p. 38

Yellow lines: traffic going the other way

Traffic on each side of a yellow line travels in opposite directions, so the yellow line should always be on your left.p. 38

  • Pavement marking: double solid yellow lines sign from the Driver’s GuideSolid yellow (single or double): no passing, except that within an urban area you may pass safely across a single solid yellow line.p. 38
  • Pavement marking: broken yellow line sign from the Driver’s GuideBroken yellow: passing is permitted. Make sure the lane is clear and the pass can be finished safely.p. 38
  • Pavement marking: solid yellow line with broken yellow line sign from the Driver’s GuideSolid and broken together: the driver with the broken line on their side may pass. The driver with the solid line on their side may not.p. 38

White lines: traffic going your way

Traffic on each side of a white line travels in the same direction.p. 39

  • Pavement marking: solid white lines sign from the Driver’s GuideSolid white: lane changing is not permitted.p. 39
  • Pavement marking: broken white lines sign from the Driver’s GuideBroken white: lane changing is permitted.p. 39

Arrows, diamonds and the shared turn lane

  • Arrows show the movements permitted from that lane.p. 39
  • Two-way left turn lane: the centre lane is shared, and reserved for traffic turning left from either direction.p. 39
  • Diamonds mean the lane is reserved for certain vehicles. Signs may show the times or which vehicles.p. 39
  • Two-way left turn lane markings diagram from the Driver’s GuideTwo-way left turn lanep. 39
  • Diamond pavement marking (reserved lane) sign from the Driver’s GuideDiamond: reserved lanep. 39
  • Reserved lane sign (hours and days) sign from the Driver’s GuideReserved lane sign with hours and daysp. 39

Bicycle lanes

  • Don’t drive in a bicycle lane, except to turn or to get into or out of a parking spot.p. 40
  • Near corners the bicycle lane line is usually dashed: that’s where you may enter it to turn right. Watch carefully for bicycles when you do.p. 40
  • A bicycle capped by a pair of arrows means cyclists share your lane: expect them there.p. 40
  • Bicycle lane marking (bicycle and diamond) sign from the Driver’s GuideBicycle lane: reserved for cyclistsp. 40
  • Shared lane marking (bicycle with two arrows) sign from the Driver’s GuideShared lane: expect cyclistsp. 40
  • Turning vehicles yield to bicycles sign from the Driver’s GuideTurning vehicles yield to bicyclesp. 40

Crosswalks, stop lines and other markings

  • Crosswalk lines and stop line diagram from the Driver’s GuideCrosswalk lines mark a pedestrian crosswalk. Crosswalks also exist at intersections without lines, unless a sign says there is no crossing. Stop lines show where vehicles must stop at intersections or railway crossings.p. 41
  • No stopping zone marking diagram from the Driver’s GuideNo stopping zone: don’t stop here. It is usually where large vehicles need extra room to turn.p. 41
  • Painted island sign from the Driver’s GuidePainted island: not for travel by anyone. You may cross it only to enter or leave a driveway, alley or private drive, and you may not park or stop on it.p. 40
  • X pavement marking before a railway crossing sign from the Driver’s GuideX on a rural highway: a railway crossing is ahead. An advance warning sign will also mark it.p. 40

Pavement markings are sometimes used together with signs or signals.p. 38

Where this comes from

Every point above links to the page it’s based on. These are the Driver’s Guide sections it uses, in page order.

Written by Class 7 Practice from the Driver’s Guide: cars and light trucks (Spring 2026), Government of Alberta.

Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Alberta. This is a study aid, not the law: the official guide and alberta.ca are authoritative. Found something wrong? Tell us.