Right turn is allowed in this situation

Explanation

Yes, provided you create no obstruction for pedestrians.

In the picture the traffic controller is facing you side-on with both arms lowered. In this position, for drivers who see him from the side, going straight and turning right are free, and pedestrians also have the right to cross the carriageway. That is why a group of pedestrians in the picture is crossing on the pedestrian markings; their presence is a mark of that same permission, not a mark that your manoeuvre is prohibited.

So a right turn is permitted, but conditionally: at the end of the turn you enter a carriageway on whose markings pedestrians are walking, and you must let them finish crossing. The fact that the controller's signal has permitted you to move does not permit you to press upon a pedestrian; permission to move and priority are two separate things.

Worth memorising for the controller's signals: when the arms are lowered or extended to both sides, only those who see him from his left or right side may move, and then only straight ahead and to the right. If the controller's chest or back faces you, movement is prohibited altogether. The common exam trap is to take the sight of pedestrians crossing as a reason why the right turn is prohibited.

• "No" would be right if the controller had his chest or his back towards you; but the picture shows him from the side, and in that position the right turn is not closed.

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