I have talked to a couple of MTO officers over the years. One had mentioned that emergency services would be going to blue/red in the future. The HTA at the time required a blue light while removing snow from a "highway". The MTO officer did not consider parking lots and private roadways to be a "highway". He said amber would be ok. Since then I have run only amber, with no problems.

 

I am part of landscape Ontario (on the board actually for the golden horseshoe chapter) and every year we have an MTO seminar, I specially asked the MTO officer and he said we can run amber all day long like DKG said without a ticket. We are a "Service Vehical" like a tow truck. Blue this year will be ticketed heavy now that most police vehicals have switched to blue. Also if you havent seen we have a meet for southern ontario people in my sig, you should come out.

Cheers
Jeff

 

I understand that there is no issue running blue on your own property, just don't get caught on the street with it running.

 

I understand that there is no issue running blue on your own property, just don't get caught on the street with it running.

Yep, you could have a full blown police rig on private property and be fine. I find im more at risk on the road then on my lots (most of them anyways) so I prefer amber as I can leave it on all the time. People are dumb, and don't know how to drive, so id rather make my self as well lit as possible.

 

Our trucks have both, and run both on site but none while on the road.

 

I am part of landscape Ontario (on the board actually for the golden horseshoe chapter) and every year we have an MTO seminar, I specially asked the MTO officer and he said we can run amber all day long like DKG said without a ticket. We are a "Service Vehical" like a tow truck. Blue this year will be ticketed heavy now that most police vehicals have switched to blue. Also if you havent seen we have a meet for southern ontario people in my sig, you should come out.

Cheers
Jeff

Thanks for the info Bro. I will change mine to amber. I agree with you that people are dumb and you need to run the lights on the street. I have a birthday party the day of the meet but I will try and get out even if for a while to meet up with you guys.

 

We run amber all year round on our tractors and trucks. For road travel the tractors stay on and the trucks go off. It kind of irritates me when I see I guy in a pickup going down the road with all his amber lights on, no offense to anyone but IMO.

 

I'll reply for the sake of getting another post, like everyone said, Amber is ok anywhere.

you can run blue or whatever you want on private property. But remember you have it on back ontoa road or something and they can nail you.

Go amber it's safe

 

We run amber all year round on our tractors and trucks. For road travel the tractors stay on and the trucks go off. It kind of irritates me when I see I guy in a pickup going down the road with all his amber lights on, no offense to anyone but IMO.

I understand what your saying and no offence taken at all. I just find if visibility is reduced id rather be safe then sorry and have it running not to mention I forget lol.

 

I understand what your saying and no offence taken at all. I just find if visibility is reduced id rather be safe then sorry and have it running not to mention I forget lol.

I do forget also. LOL

 

Basically what I was told by an MTO officer is "The only way you can run blue lighting (on a roadway) is if you are acting on behalf of a municipality, city, township etc....". And that there will be heightened enforcement this year.

 

I also changed to a whelen amber light bar this year- I don't run in the summer on the road that much but in the winter I will run always with blade and salter. I used to forget my blue light was on and jump on the highway - never got a ticket but I think they will be cracking down now also.

 

I never got a ticket before either but if you check out the wording on the requirements it states that a blue light is required if you are clearing streets on behalf of a municipality. There was never a requirement for private guys to use blue. I actually know people that have been threatened with a ticket for not using the blue light while plowing (some time ago) by police. I guess we all just figured that was what we were supposed to do. Any case, I am running orange this year.

 

I think i`m going to get an amber strobe for this season. I don`t want to get any tickets for having a blue one.

 

I bought an Orange one for doing my residentials...bought it at Grote for $50

 

We asked four different local cops about this, each seemed surprised and said hadn't heard anything about it. We were told to just keep doing what we are doing, as it would be awfully hard to mistake a dump truck and plow for someone imitating a police cruiser....

We have amber lenses too and can change if they want us to, but so far we've left it alone.

 

Becareful, cause an MTO officer will ticket you!

Flashing blue light on snow-removal equipment

(31) No person shall, while operating a road service vehicle on a highway, plow, salt or de-ice the highway or apply chemicals or abrasives to the highway for snow or ice control unless the road service vehicle is equipped with a lamp producing intermittent flashes of blue light visible for a distance of 150 metres from all directions. 1996, c. 33, s. 11.

Restriction on use of flashing blue light

(32) No person shall operate a lamp that produces intermittent flashes of blue light on a highway except,

(a) a person operating a road service vehicle in the circumstances described in subsection (31); or

(b) a person operating a police department vehicle, together with a lamp that produces intermittent flashes of red light, as permitted by subsection (14.1). 2007, c. 13, s. 17 (8).

Red and blue lights to the front restricted

(14.1) In addition to the lighting requirements in this Part, a police department vehicle may carry lamps that cast red and blue lights, but no other motor vehicle shall carry any lamp that casts red and blue lights to the front. 2007, c. 13, s. 17 (2).

http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90h08_e.htm

 

Orange shows up better anyways and you can use it in the summer also.

 

there is all this talk about blue and amber. but do you legally need the light? or do we just have it more for safety?

 

All this says is that if you are getting pulled over, turn on your sander

Flashing blue light on snow-removal equipment

(31) No person shall, while operating a road service vehicle on a highway, plow, salt or de-ice the highway or apply chemicals or abrasives to the highway for snow or ice control unless the road service vehicle is equipped with a lamp producing intermittent flashes of blue light visible for a distance of 150 metres from all directions. 1996, c. 33, s. 11.

Restriction on use of flashing blue light

(32) No person shall operate a lamp that produces intermittent flashes of blue light on a highway except,

(a) a person operating a road service vehicle in the circumstances described in subsection (31);

 

there is all this talk about blue and amber. but do you legally need the light? or do we just have it more for safety?

I like to run mine. Not because I have to, but because I can.

Good question though. So what if you didn't use it at all? What then?

 

Keep in mind the Key word in that law is Highway. The MTO has no jurisdiction over municipal and county roads, only provincial highways. A friend of mine was charged last week for running his Blue light on the highway among other infractions on the truck, but he was on the highway, also in the Highway traffic act you will see it is very specific that emergency vehicles use Blue and Red, not just one or the other, but both, and it states that blue is used for snow removal equipment, you can also note that clear or white lighting is not covered in the HTA, so clear strobes are allowed. I don't argue that amber works just fine, but i own my blue lights already, and i'm going to use them, just not on the higway.

 

Keep in mind the Key word in that law is Highway. The MTO has no jurisdiction over municipal and county roads, only provincial highways. A friend of mine was charged last week for running his Blue light on the highway among other infractions on the truck, but he was on the highway, also in the Highway traffic act you will see it is very specific that emergency vehicles use Blue and Red, not just one or the other, but both, and it states that blue is used for snow removal equipment, you can also note that clear or white lighting is not covered in the HTA, so clear strobes are allowed. I don't argue that amber works just fine, but i own my blue lights already, and i'm going to use them, just not on the highway.

 

Keep in mind the Key word in that law is Highway. The MTO has no jurisdiction over municipal and county roads, only provincial highways. A friend of mine was charged last week for running his Blue light on the highway among other infractions on the truck, but he was on the highway, also in the Highway traffic act you will see it is very specific that emergency vehicles use Blue and Red, not just one or the other, but both, and it states that blue is used for snow removal equipment, you can also note that clear or white lighting is not covered in the HTA, so clear strobes are allowed. I don't argue that amber works just fine, but i own my blue lights already, and i'm going to use them, just not on the highway.

How do you figure mto has no jurisdiction? They sit on side roads by a scrap metal yard down here, and nail trucks all the time. Does it even define what a Highway is, in the laws I forget been a while since In looked it up. I see them on the roads all the time stoping trucks not just major 400 highways. maybe your thinking of the opp. who only have traffic control over the 400 series highways?

And I'm almost sure clear falls into some other no no law.

 

How do you figure mto has no jurisdiction? They sit on side roads by a scrap metal yard down here, and nail trucks all the time. Does it even define what a Highway is, in the laws I forget been a while since In looked it up. I see them on the roads all the time stoping trucks not just major 400 highways. maybe your thinking of the opp. who only have traffic control over the 400 series highways?

And I'm almost sure clear falls into some other no no law.

Yes, sorry my mistake, I assumed it was like contracting police services to a Municipality , but my public works foreman informs that no agreement is required for the MTO to enforce on municipal and county roads. You know what assuming does, it definately made an A$$ out of me. As far as the clear lighting goes, this is the only reference to clear lighting in the HTA, other than the use of headlights.

169. (1) Despite section 168, highbeam headlamps that produce alternating flashes of white light may be used by a public utility emergency vehicle while responding to an emergency and by an emergency vehicle as defined in subsection 144 (1). R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 169 (1).

Alternating highbeams on other vehicles prohibited

(2) No person shall use highbeam headlamps that produce alternating flashes of white light on any vehicle other than a vehicle referred to in subsection (1). R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 169 (2).

I spent a lot of time looking this up, as I am also a Volunteer Fireman, and I wanted to be sure before I put clear strobes in my front marker lights an taillights.

Around here the OPP does not enforce on the Blue lght, but apparently the MTO does, and as Jeff pointed out, according to the HTA it is illegal to travel down the road with one on.