In what direction is the traffic allowed?

Explanation

Straight ahead and a U-turn (movement in the opposite direction).

The sign on the right is "no left turn": a white circle with a red border and an arrow curving left with a red line across it. The key point is that this sign closes off the left turn and nothing else; it does not prohibit a U-turn. If a U-turn were also to be prohibited, a separate "no U-turn" sign would have to be posted.

Now look at the junction itself: the crossing road joins this street only from the left. On the right there is a continuous kerb, metal railing, a grass strip and the wall of a building, and there is no road at all to turn right into. So of all the possible movements, the left turn is closed by the sign, the right turn is closed by the geometry of the road itself, and straight ahead and the U-turn remain.

The legislator's logic in this distinction is destination, not merely the cutting of the opposing flow. A left turn takes you into a street it is undesirable to enter from this side — because it is one-way, has a tram line or a density of pedestrians. A U-turn, however, keeps you on the same street in the opposite direction and does not create the prohibited destination.

The common exam trap is here: most candidates cautiously choose "straight ahead only", assuming the left prohibition covers a U-turn as well. That assumption is wrong. Remember: every prohibitory sign closes exactly the movement its image shows, and no more.

• "Straight ahead only" is the over-cautious answer; the sign has not prohibited the U-turn, and removing it from the answer is reading more into the sign than it says. • "All directions" ignores the sign; the left turn is expressly prohibited and on the right there is no road at all.

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