Is the driver of a tour bus allowed to enter the "A" lane if this marking is present?

Explanation

Allowed.

In the picture the right-hand lane is marked with the letter "A" — that is, a lane reserved for public-transport vehicles — and, more importantly, the boundary of this lane with the adjacent one is drawn broken. That broken form determines the answer: entering the "A" lane at such a place is not prohibited.

Judge the difference against the opposite case: if the "A" lane's boundary were solid, entering it would be prohibited and a tour-bus driver, like everyone else, would have no right to enter. The marking is broken at particular points along the route for exactly this reason: so that cars can enter it to turn right or to stop beside the pavement and pick up and set down passengers, provided they do not obstruct public-transport vehicles.

Worth memorising: in questions about the "A" lane, look first at the type of boundary line, not at the type of vehicle. It is the type of line that creates the permission or the prohibition, and in the picture the broken line is clearly visible.

The exam trap is that the phrase "dedicated lane" becomes tied in the mind to "absolute prohibition", and the candidate picks "prohibited" without looking at the marking.

• "Prohibited" would be right if the "A" lane's boundary were solid; in this picture the boundary is broken, and that is what makes entering the lane permitted.

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