Is the bus driver allowed to overtake in the zone of this sign?

Explanation

Yes; in this zone the bus driver may overtake, observing the general rules of overtaking.

This sign's prohibition has a specific addressee: lorries with a permissible maximum mass over 3.5 tonnes. A bus does not fall into that class, so the prohibition does not reach the bus driver and he operates under the general overtaking rules — sufficient unobstructed visibility, a clear opposing lane, no solid line, and avoiding overtaking at pedestrian crossings, junctions, level crossings and similar prohibited points. The reason the legislator targeted this one group is the time spent occupying the opposing lane: a heavy lorry accelerates slowly and its overtaking manoeuvre takes several times as long, so it stays in the opposing lane far longer, and on climbs and at points of limited visibility that is the principal mechanism of head-on collisions.

Note that "permitted" does not mean "unrestricted": the permission that follows from being outside the restricted class does not exempt you from markings, other signs and the safety condition of the manoeuvre. On Armenia's mountain roads with poor visibility, the final decision always rests on your assessment of sight lines and distance, not merely on the sign's permission.

• The prohibition does not attach to a bus; the target group of this restriction is heavy lorries, not passenger-carrying vehicles. • The numerical condition of 30 km/h does not exist in this zone; the law's criterion is the class of vehicle, not its instantaneous speed.

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