Yellow Box, Right Turn and a Filtering Cyclist
You are driving an 18-tonne rigid truck in Dublin city centre at 08:10 on a weekday. You approach a signalised crossroads with a yellow box junction. Your intended right turn leads into a street where queuing traffic is already blocking the exit beyond the box. The lights are green, oncoming traffic is heavy, and a cyclist is filtering up your near side. A bus lane runs on your left and is active until 10:00. Your delivery slot closes at 08:30, and the dispatcher has radioed to ask why you are not there yet. You have not entered the box. You must decide whether to move forward to wait for a gap, how to treat the cyclist, and what to do if the amber light appears while you are still in the junction. State the rule you are applying and the practical action you would take.
1. May you enter the yellow box to wait for a gap in oncoming traffic for your right turn? Explain the exception and why it does or does not apply here.
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Rule. A yellow box junction may only be entered if you can clear it without stopping. The sole exception is a right turn where oncoming traffic prevents you completing the turn. Application. Your exit beyond the box is blocked by a queue, so the exception does not give you a right to enter and sit in the box: you would be stopping because the road ahead is full, not because oncoming traffic is stopping you. Wait before the box until there is space beyond it and you can complete the turn; only then enter and wait for a gap if oncoming traffic still blocks you. The 08:30 delivery slot does not override this. If you enter now, you risk blocking cross traffic when the lights change.
2. What is your sequence of checks and actions for the cyclist and the bus lane as you prepare to turn?
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Cyclist. Before moving, check both mirrors and the near-side blind spot; the cyclist may be alongside your cab. Signal early, but let the cyclist clear your path. Do not move left or squeeze the cyclist against the bus lane. Bus lane. It is active until 10:00, so treat it as prohibited for your vehicle unless a sign permits access for loading or turning. For a right turn you should not need to enter it. Position in the correct lane, keep the wheels straight while waiting, and re-check the blind spot before turning. If the cyclist is still filtering, wait.
3. The amber light appears while you are waiting in the box. What do you do, and what must you not do?
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Amber. Amber means stop unless it is unsafe to do so. If you are already in the box, do not reverse; reverse would be more dangerous and is not a way to 'undo' the entry. Clear the junction as soon as it is safe and there is space on the far side. If cross traffic starts to move, stop and wait rather than force a gap. Must not do. Do not follow the vehicle ahead into a blocked exit, do not sound the horn aggressively at the cyclist, and do not treat the delivery deadline as an emergency exemption.