Durham Region issues June 3 notice about slow-moving farm equipment on rural roads

Durham Region issued a notice on June 3 warning drivers that slow-moving farm equipment may be using rural Regional roads and could cause temporary traffic delays.

The Region said farmers often travel on public roads to move between fields at this time of year and during harvest season. The notice includes several cautions the Region says motorists should keep in mind when approaching farm machinery.

In the notice, Durham Region said an orange triangle emblem on the back of a vehicle indicates it is a slow-moving vehicle.

The Region said farm equipment continues to increase in size and speed and may be pulling substantial weight. The notice advises drivers to give farm equipment plenty of room and not attempt to pass when road conditions are unsafe.

Durham Region also said farm vehicles do not always have brake lights or turn signals and often use hand signals to show their intentions.

According to the Region’s notice, farm vehicles may need to swing wide to make turns, and a vehicle swinging to the right may still be turning left.

The Region said operators may not be able to pull off the road because of equipment weight or road shoulder conditions.

The notice also says some farm equipment must take up more than one travel lane. The Region said machinery travelling partly on the road and partly on the shoulder may move fully onto the road to avoid mailboxes or other obstructions, and tractors can have protruding parts that may be difficult to see.

Durham Region warned drivers not to pass and then slow down or stop directly in front of farm equipment because the equipment cannot brake as quickly as a car. The Region also warned against passing farm equipment at intersections because the equipment may turn without the ability to signal or see traffic behind it.