What do these road signs show?

Explanation

Stopping is prohibited on working days.

A blue circle with a red border and a red cross means "no stopping" — both parking and a brief halt. The plate beneath it, bearing two crossed hammers, defines the time scope of that prohibition: working days. That is, on days officially counted as working days this kerbside is closed to stopping, and it is free on holidays.

Tie the symbol to its meaning so you do not forget it: a hammer is the sign of work, so a plate with hammers means working days. Its opposite number is a plate with a star-like symbol, meaning Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. In the exam these two plates are deliberately presented with almost identical images and closely similar options, to establish whether you know the symbol or are guessing.

The safety logic of a working-day prohibition is predictable too: on a street beside an office, a school or a busy morning route, a vehicle stopped at the kerb takes a traffic lane out of use and creates a knot at exactly the peak hour; at the weekend, when that load does not exist, there is no reason for the restriction either. Note that the plate limits only the time of application, not the severity of the prohibition; on working days the prohibition is complete and even a momentary halt is not permitted.

• Saturday is a non-working day, not a working day; this option reads the plate's meaning backwards. • Sunday too stands on the opposite side of the concept of a "working day" and belongs to the non-working-days plate, not to the hammer symbol.

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