T-junction at Nakasi with a cyclist and a right-turning car
You are on a gravel minor road approaching a T-junction with the sealed main road at Nakasi. You intend to turn left. A stop sign is partly hidden by a mango branch, but the stop line is visible. On the main road, a white car approaching from your right has its left indicator on and appears to be turning into your minor road. A cyclist is coming from your left along the main road’s shoulder, about 15 m away and pedalling steadily. Behind the white car, a minibus is approaching without indicating. You have stopped at the line. The white car slows but has not begun its turn, and the cyclist is still moving toward the junction.
1. Who should go first, second and third, and why? Include the cyclist, white car and minibus.
Read the worked answer
The cyclist should go first. The cyclist is already on the main road, travelling straight, is closest to the junction, and is the most vulnerable road user. Your stop line requires you to give way to traffic on the main road, and that includes cyclists using the shoulder. The white car should go next only if it actually commits to the turn into your road and the cyclist has cleared. Its indicator shows intention, not priority. The minibus, if it continues straight, also has priority over you because it is on the main road. You should go last, after the cyclist has passed, the white car has either turned or continued, and the minibus is far enough away that your left turn will not force it to brake. Do not treat the white car’s indicator as a guarantee; wait until its speed and position show what it is really doing.
2. Does the white car’s left indicator give it a right to turn across your path? What must you confirm before moving?
Read the worked answer
No. An indicator is a signal of intention, not a legal right to priority. The white car is still on the main road and has not begun its turn. Before you move, confirm its speed is actually reducing, its wheels are turned into your road, and it is positioned to turn. Check that the cyclist from your left is not continuing straight into the space you would enter. Check the minibus behind the white car, because it may follow closely or overtake a slowing car. Also check your mirrors and blind spot for any vehicle or cyclist on your left. If the white car hesitates or continues straight, you must remain stopped. The safe rule is: do not move on a signal alone; move only when the other road user’s movement and the whole junction are clear.
3. The cyclist waves you out, but the minibus is closing. What do you do?
Read the worked answer
Acknowledge the cyclist but do not move. The cyclist can choose to yield, but the cyclist cannot give away the minibus’s priority or guarantee that the minibus driver has seen you. The minibus is on the main road and is closing, so your left turn could cut across it or force it to brake. Wait until the minibus has passed or has clearly slowed and signalled to turn, and until there is a gap large enough that you can complete the turn without making another road user change speed. If the minibus is far enough away, proceed smoothly and check the cyclist again before crossing the shoulder line. Never let a friendly wave override your own observation; the wave is only one piece of information, not a clearance.