No. In Ontario you may not ride a bicycle inside a pedestrian crossover or a crosswalk. To use either one to cross a road, you get off and walk the bike to the far side. The Government of Ontario’s Bicycle safety page, last updated March 19, 2026, says so directly. Ontario’s cycling guide lists riding in a crossover or crosswalk as an offense with an $85 set fine, and the City of Toronto’s fines table (modified July 17, 2025) shows the same amount. This article covers Ontario only and is general information, not legal advice.
Crossover or crosswalk: what is the difference?
The two terms differ, but the rule for cyclists is the same at both. Ontario’s driver-focused page describes a pedestrian crossover as a crossing set apart by dedicated signs, pavement markings and lights. Some add overhead illumination, warning signs or push buttons for pedestrians. A crosswalk, by contrast, typically sits at an intersection controlled by signals or stop signs. The same page gives two ways a crosswalk can be defined: the stretch of road that links the sidewalks on either side into one continuous route, or any marked spot where pedestrians are meant to cross, whether signs, painted lines or other markings show it, intersections included.
If you see crossing paint, a crossing sign or a walk signal, treat the spot as one where you walk. The formal definitions sit in the Highway Traffic Act, which the cycling guide points readers to at ontario.ca/laws.
Where the rule catches riders
| Situation | What Ontario’s guidance says | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-block pedestrian crossover | Riding through a crossover to get across the street is off limits. | Dismount and walk across. |
| Crosswalk at an intersection or traffic signal | Riding in a crosswalk is off limits at intersections and at any spot with traffic signals. | Walk the crosswalk, or stay on the road as a vehicle and obey the signals. |
| Trail or shared path meeting a road | The guide says to “walk your bike across a crosswalk” and calls riding across one illegal. | Walk across, and be ready to stop so pedestrians go first. |
| Roundabout | The guide offers two choices; less confident riders are told to dismount and walk at the pedestrian crossing. | If you pick the walking option, use the pedestrian crossing on foot. |
| Left turn at an intersection | The pedestrian-type turn (L-turn) has you cross on foot, bike in hand, at the crosswalk. | Walk it, or make a vehicle-type turn from the road. |
You can stay a vehicle instead
The ban targets riding on the crossing itself. Ontario treats a bicycle as a vehicle under the Highway Traffic Act, so the other option is to stay on the roadway and cross the intersection like any road user. In practice that means obeying a bicycle signal wherever one is installed and the standard signal where there is not. If both kinds apply to your lane, the bicycle signal wins.
The guide’s left-turn advice shows both modes. The pedestrian-type turn has you walk across the crosswalk, and the vehicle-type turn is, in the guide’s words, “the most practical way of turning left, except when traffic is heavy.” What you cannot do is blend the two by riding across the crosswalk. For the wider rules of lane position, signaling and right of way, see the basic rules of cycling on roads. Mapping a safer route before you leave can cut down on crossings.
Riding past a crossover versus crossing at one
The cycling guide’s crossover page has two separate lists for two different situations. Merging them would have you stop in the travel lane and dismount there.
If you are riding along the road through a crossover
The first list is addressed to “cyclists on the road”.
- Be ready to stop for pedestrians.
- Within 30 meters (about 100 feet) of the crossover, do not overtake any other bicycle or vehicle.
- Stop short of the yield line.
- Hold your position until pedestrians have fully crossed, then carry on.
If you are crossing the road at the crossover
The second list is headed “When crossing with pedestrians”.
- Get off the bike.
- Wait until traffic has stopped.
- Make eye contact with drivers so they register that you are there.
- Walk the bike across. The Bicycle safety page says to walk it “to the other side”, so stay on foot until you are clear of the crossing.
Cyclists are not exempt from yielding. Ontario’s page on driving near pedestrian crossovers names cyclists alongside drivers: at a crossover both must stop and let pedestrians clear the whole width of the road, and neither may move off until pedestrians and any school crossing guards have made it onto the sidewalk.
Why the two lists differ. A rider who stays on the road is a vehicle, so the first list is about yielding the way a driver would. Once you walk, the second list takes over. The guide’s words are “dismount” and “walk”, so scooting along with one foot on a pedal fits neither.
What a ticket looks like
The cycling guide’s table of offenses for cyclists lists HTA 140(6) / 144(29), riding in a crossover or crosswalk, with an $85 set fine. The City of Toronto’s cycling fines page (modified July 17, 2025) shows the same section numbers and the same $85, and pairs 140(6) with mid-block crossovers and 144(29) with intersection crosswalks.
The two sources differ on one detail. Toronto marks that fine with an asterisk meaning increased fines in a community safety zone. The guide’s table leaves the asterisk off this line while using it on others, such as failing to yield to a pedestrian. Treat $85 as the base figure, since it may be higher in a community safety zone.
Failing to yield to a pedestrian is a separate offense with a bigger number. The guide lists a $300 set fine under HTA 140(1), and Toronto’s table (modified July 17, 2025) shows the same $300 for that section. Ontario’s penalty table aimed at drivers who put pedestrians at risk, on a page last updated December 7, 2021, gives a different kind of figure: a ceiling of up to $1000 for failing to yield at crosswalks, school crossings and crossovers. A set fine is the amount listed for an offense, while “up to” marks a maximum, so the $300 and the $1000 do not conflict. If you have a ticket or were involved in a collision, rely on the ticket itself or a lawyer rather than a general explainer.
E-bikes, young riders and local rules
The walking requirement applies to e-bikes. The guide states that the traffic laws covering bicycles extend to e-bikes, and Ontario’s e-bike page (updated July 19, 2024) says e-bike riders must “follow the same rules of the road as other cyclists”. The guide also warns that the motor may keep pulling for a few seconds after you stop pedaling. For rules outside Ontario, see e-bike laws in the US, UK and EU.
The Bicycle safety page makes an allowance for young children: those under 10 may ride on the sidewalk while they build the skills to ride in traffic. That allowance concerns sidewalks only; the page states the crossing rule without an age exception, so teach young riders to walk at crossings too. For anything local, such as bylaws about where you may ride, the guide says to check the regulations in your own municipality.
Sources
- Government of Ontario: Bicycle safety
- Government of Ontario: Cycling Skills: Ontario’s Guide to Safe Cycling (PDF)
- Government of Ontario: Driving near pedestrian crossovers and school crossings
- Government of Ontario: Riding an e-bike
- City of Toronto: Cycling Road Fines
Last reviewed: October 2026.