Which vehicles are allowed to park?

Explanation

Only the passenger car and the motorcycle.

The sign on the left of the picture is "parking prohibited" (a blue disc with a red border and one oblique stroke), but beneath it a supplementary plate showing a lorry is fitted. That supplementary plate narrows the scope of the prohibition: the parking ban applies only to lorries, not to all vehicles. That is why the yellow passenger car and the motorcycle may park here, but the blue lorry marked "4 t" may not.

The "type of vehicle" supplementary plate is one of the most frequent points in the exam, because it changes the whole meaning of the main sign. Looking at the round sign alone and choosing "all vehicles" is the commonest mistake in this kind of question; always read the plate below before deciding.

The reason such selective restrictions exist is practical too. A parked lorry takes up a large share of the road's width, completely blocks the view of drivers and pedestrians, and makes exiting a car park or side road dangerous; whereas a passenger car or motorcycle at the same point causes no problem. Instead of closing the place entirely, the legislator has removed only the source of the obstruction.

• "Only the motorcycle" needlessly prohibits the passenger car as well; the supplementary plate has singled out only the lorry. • "Only the lorry" is exactly the reverse of the answer; the lorry is the only vehicle that has no right to park here. • "Only the passenger car" sets the motorcycle aside without reason; the motorcycle is not covered by the prohibition either and may park. • "All vehicles" is the mistake that occurs when the supplementary plate is ignored; without that plate this option would be wrong, and with it the lorry must be excepted.

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