This signal over a lane means
- this lane ends ahead/move out of the lane ✓
- do not drive in this lane
- this lane is under construction
- this lane is about to become available to traffic
Answer: A. this lane ends ahead/move out of the lane
A signal over a lane like this means the lane ends ahead, so you need to move out of it and into another lane.
Why this is the answer
The handbook deals with overhead lane control signals by telling you to move out of the lane you are in and into a lane marked with a green arrow. It also explains what to do when a lane ends ahead: change lanes, adjust your speed while staying within the limit, and wait for a safe gap in the other lane. Put together, the message over that lane is that it is closing, and your job is to leave it smoothly rather than stay in it.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. do not drive in this lane — The sign is not banning the lane for everyone; it is telling traffic already in it to move over, which is a different instruction from a lane nobody may use.
- C. this lane is under construction — Nothing in the passages links this lane signal to construction; construction signs are listed as their own separate group.
- D. this lane is about to become available to traffic — The passages describe a lane becoming added on the right as a merge warning, not a lane that is opening up, and the message here points the other way.
Remember it
Treat an overhead signal telling you to leave a lane as that lane closing up ahead, so start looking for a gap early instead of waiting until the last metre.