These signs allow traffic:

Explanation

Straight ahead, to the right and a U-turn are permitted; only the left turn is prohibited.

On the sign post you see two elements: a round sign with a red border and a white field, meaning "no entry", and directly beneath it a rectangular supplementary plate with a black arrow pointing left. The job of that plate is to define the direction in which the main sign applies. So the prohibition does not extend to the whole junction; it closes only the road branching off to the left.

For the green car in the picture the result is clear: entering the left branch is prohibited, but continuing straight, turning right and making a U-turn all remain permitted. A U-turn stays permitted because it does not take you into the prohibited road; it keeps you on the road you are already on and merely reverses your direction.

This combination is usually used to close one-way streets, entrances to restricted areas or streets under repair; its value is that one branch can be closed without disabling the whole junction.

The exam trap takes two forms: either you read the main sign without regard to the arrow and treat everything as prohibited, or you take the arrow as mandatory and imagine the sign is directing you to the left. An arrow beneath a prohibitory sign does not direct; it states which way the prohibition applies.

• "Left only" is precisely the direction the sign closes; this option reads the arrow's meaning backwards and treats it as mandatory. • "Straight ahead only" extends the prohibition too far; no sign in the picture has closed the right turn or the U-turn. • "Right only" states part of the truth: the right turn is permitted, but going straight and making a U-turn remain permitted too.

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