On a one-way street, you see a blue rectangular sign showing a white bus symbol and an arrow pointing toward you, mounted above a lane marked off by a solid white line running against the direction every other vehicle on the street is travelling. What does this sign indicate, and who may use that marked lane?
- A bus lane running with the flow of traffic, open outside the hours shown on a time plate
- A temporary diversion lane for all traffic while roadworks are carried out further along the street
- A contraflow bus lane running against the normal one-way flow, reserved for buses (and usually pedal cycles)
- A layby reserved for buses to stop and pick up passengers without holding up the traffic behind
Why C? And why not the others?
Correct answer: C. A contraflow bus lane running against the normal one-way flow, reserved for buses (and usually pedal cycles)
'Contraflow' describes traffic permitted to travel against the normal direction of a one-way street, and a contraflow bus lane sign, a blue rectangle with a bus symbol and an arrow pointing back toward oncoming general traffic, marks exactly that: a lane, usually separated by a solid white line or a kerb, reserved for buses (commonly pedal cycles too) travelling the 'wrong' way up what is otherwise a one-way road. Describing it as a same-direction bus lane with time-based hours describes a completely different, much more common sign (a rectangular lane sign with a time plate, running with the traffic flow); the defining feature tested here is the direction of travel against the one-way system, not when the restriction applies. Calling it a temporary roadworks diversion invents a purpose the permanent blue rectangular sign does not have, contraflow systems used for roadworks are marked with entirely different temporary warning signs. Describing it as a stopping layby also misreads the sign: the arrow and bus symbol mark a running lane for through movement against the one-way flow, not a place to park or wait.
Source: DfT Know Your Traffic Signs — Regulatory signs (Contraflow bus lane, GOV.UK); The Highway Code: Traffic signs — signs giving orders (GOV.UK)