Question

Difficulty: MediumPublic Transit Buses and Light Rail Vehicles

You are driving in the right-hand lane of a multi-lane urban street and approach a public transit bus stopped at the curb. As your vehicle draws near, the bus driver activates the left-turn signal, indicating an intention to re-enter the flow of traffic. Under standard traffic laws regarding public transit vehicles, which of the following actions must you take?

  1. Yield the right-of-way and slow down or stop if necessary to allow the transit bus to merge safely into your lane.Answer
  2. B
    Maintain your speed and proceed past the bus, because vehicles already moving in the traffic lane always have absolute right-of-way over merging transit vehicles.
  3. C
    Come to an immediate complete stop in the middle of the lane, regardless of following traffic, and remain stationary until the bus has completely cleared the corridor.
  4. D
    Accelerate sharply and execute a rapid lane change to overtake the bus within 100 feet of an upcoming roadway intersection.

Answer

Yield the right-of-way and slow down or stop if necessary to allow the transit bus to merge safely into your lane.
When a public transit bus is equipped with a yield sign/signal and indicates its intention to re-enter traffic from a stopped position at the curb, drivers in the adjacent lane must yield the right-of-way to allow the bus to merge smoothly into traffic.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the situation
A public transit bus at a designated curb stop is displaying a left-turn signal to re-enter the active lane of travel.
Recognizing the signal alerts the driver to an impending right-of-way interaction.
2
Apply statutory rules for public transit vehicles
Drivers in the adjacent lane are legally obligated to yield to public transit buses entering traffic when signaling.
Transit yield laws prioritize public safety and efficient transit movement.
3
Select the correct vehicle control response
Adjust speed by slowing down or stopping safely to create a gap for the bus to merge.
Yielding smoothly prevents side-swipe collisions and ensures safe traffic flow.

Key Concept

Yielding Right-of-Way to Public Transit Buses Re-entering Traffic
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