Crossing guard, hidden children, and a bicyclist at school
It is 7:50 a.m. on a Wednesday. You are driving a compact car east on a two-lane collector street posted 25 mph. You approach an elementary school. A yellow 'SCHOOL SPEED LIMIT 20 WHEN FLASHING' sign has its lights flashing. A crossing guard in an orange vest stands in the road holding a STOP paddle facing your direction; a car ahead of you is stopped. You see no children in the crosswalk, but several children are on the sidewalk behind parked cars. A marked bike lane runs along the right side; a bicyclist is 50 feet ahead, signaling a left turn. Your right-turn destination is the school driveway 100 feet ahead. You are running late.
1. Must you stop for the crossing guard even though no children are visible? What speed applies?
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Yes. The crossing guard's STOP paddle controls your direction, and the stopped car ahead is another cue to stop. The absence of visible children does not cancel the guard's authority; children may be hidden behind the parked cars or about to step out. The flashing school sign makes the 20 mph school speed limit active, so 25 mph is already too fast. Slow below 20 mph as you approach, stop behind the car ahead rather than beside it, and wait until the guard lowers the paddle or signals you through. Being late is not a reason to creep forward or to treat the empty crosswalk as permission to proceed. Watch the guard's signal and the crosswalk, not just the space immediately in front of your bumper.
2. How should you handle the bicyclist while turning right into the school driveway?
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The bicyclist is traveling in the bike lane you must cross to reach the driveway. A left-turn signal from the bicyclist does not mean you may cut across the bike lane; the rider may be preparing to move left, may change their mind, or may still be going straight through the intersection area. Slow behind the rider, signal your right turn, check the right mirror and blind spot, and yield until the bicyclist has cleared the driveway path. Do not pass the bicyclist and then turn sharply across their front wheel. Because the school zone is active and children are nearby, make the turn at low speed and be ready to stop again for pedestrians.
3. The crossing guard lowers the paddle and waves the stopped car through, but the bicyclist is still approaching. What do you do?
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Proceed only when your own path is clear. The guard's wave releases the car ahead, but it does not override your duty to yield to the bicyclist in the bike lane. Let the bicyclist clear the area before you move across the bike lane into the driveway. Keep your speed low, continue scanning for children behind the parked cars, and do not follow the car ahead blindly just because it has started moving. If the bicyclist is still beside you when you reach the turn, wait rather than turning across their path. The safe sequence is: guard's signal, clear crosswalk, clear bike lane, then turn.