Roadworks Sign and Flagger on National Road 5
You are driving a Category B pickup north on National Road 5 near Battambang in daylight. The road is dry and busy. You see an orange diamond roadworks sign, then a temporary 30 km/h speed plate, then a flagger holding a red flag. The flagger stands beside a closed lane, and a line of cones pushes traffic into the single remaining lane. A large bus is 15 metres behind you, tailgating. As you slow, the bus driver honks and pulls partly into the opposite lane to pass. The flagger waves you to stop just before the cones. Oncoming traffic is visible 150 metres away, including a truck. No police officer is present. Your passenger says temporary signs are only advice. You are about 200 metres from the cones and have a clear view of the flagger.
1. What do the orange sign, the 30 km/h plate, and the flagger require?
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- The orange diamond is a warning to prepare for roadworks; the 30 km/h plate sets a temporary maximum speed, not advice. You must slow before the cones, not at the last metre.
- The flagger controls the single open lane. A red flag and a wave to stop mean stop. The flagger's authority does not depend on a police officer being present.
- The bus driver's horn and pass attempt do not give you permission to follow into the opposite lane. Passing near a work zone with oncoming traffic is unsafe and may be illegal where lane markings or the flagger prohibit it.
- Keep scanning for workers, cones, and the oncoming truck; temporary traffic control can change quickly.
2. Where should you stop, and how should you handle the tailgating bus?
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- Stop before the cones and before the flagger's position, leaving enough space that you can see the flagger and be seen. Do not stop across the opposite lane or block the work entrance.
- Check your mirror before braking. Brake early and smoothly so the bus has time to react; a sudden stop invites a rear-end collision.
- If the bus is already passing, do not move left into its path. Stay in your lane and wait until it is clear.
- Do not enter the closed lane to make room. The legal and safe position is behind the cone line until the flagger releases you.
3. After two minutes the flagger waves you through, but the bus is still partly in the opposite lane. What do you do?
Read the worked answer
- The flagger authorizes movement through the work zone; the flagger does not necessarily clear the opposite lane for you.
- Check the left mirror and the opposite lane. If the bus is still partly there, wait until it is fully clear or has stopped.
- Then proceed slowly, watching for workers, cones, and the oncoming truck. Keep your speed near the temporary limit and be ready to stop again.
- If the flagger insists, you still must not move into an occupied lane. A wave cannot make a collision safe.