Green light, right turn, and a cyclist in the blind spot
You are driving a 7.2 t C1 box truck through a Danish provincial town at 16:20 on a wet November afternoon. Your delivery entrance is on a narrow street to the right. You approach a signalised junction and your light is green. A cycle lane runs along the right side of your lane, and a cyclist in dark clothing is overtaking you on the right at about 20 km/h. On the side street, a pedestrian waits at the marked crossing. A city bus is stopped in the bus lane 30 m beyond the junction, partly blocking the right lane. Your right mirror is set for normal driving and the box has no right-side window. The road surface is wet, and your truck is carrying 2.4 t of packaged goods. You have 6 minutes until the delivery slot closes. The side street has a give-way line and a 'ubetinget vigepligt' triangle.
1. Who has priority as you turn right, and what does that require of your speed, position and observation?
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The cyclist travelling straight ahead in the cycle lane has priority. Your green light does not give you priority over a road user already alongside or approaching on your right when you intend to cross their path. Turning traffic must give way to cyclists continuing straight.
That means you should already have reduced speed before the junction, signalled right early, and checked the right mirror plus the blind spot by leaning forward. Do not try to accelerate past the cyclist to 'get ahead' of them; a 7.2 t box truck turning across a cycle lane is exactly the classic right-turn conflict. Keep the cab behind the stop line so you do not block the cycle lane, let the cyclist clear the junction, and turn behind them. If the pedestrian steps onto the side-street crossing, stop for them as well. The wet surface lengthens your stopping distance, so walking-pace approach is appropriate.
2. The light turns amber as your front bumper reaches the stop line. What do you do?
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Amber means stop unless you are so close that stopping safely is impossible. With a loaded 7.2 t truck on a wet road, you must decide early: if you can stop without skidding or stopping beyond the line, brake progressively and stop. Do not reverse if you have crossed the line.
If you are already committed and stopping would cause a rear-end collision, clear the junction and continue, but keep watching the cyclist on your right. Do not use the amber phase to push through and then turn across the cyclist. Your priority is not the delivery slot; it is not blocking the junction and not cutting across a vulnerable road user.
3. What is the risk with the stopped bus, and how should you plan the turn?
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The bus partly blocks the right lane beyond the junction, so your exit is restricted. Do not enter the junction unless you can clear it; otherwise you will stop across the cycle lane or the side-street crossing and create a trap for the cyclist and pedestrians. Do not use the bus lane to bypass the bus.
Plan to turn behind the cyclist, then wait for a safe gap before passing the bus. Expect passengers to step out from in front of the bus, and expect the bus to pull out. If the delivery entrance is immediately after the bus, stop only where you can do so legally and without blocking the crossing. If the slot is at risk, telephone the receiver rather than trade safety for six minutes.