School Zone, Pedestrian, and Bicycle Signs
School, pedestrian, and bicycle signs use distinctive shapes and the fluorescent yellow-green color to highlight vulnerable road users. The exam tests the school pentagon, the 15 MPH school-zone limit, pedestrian signals, and bicycle markings.
Core rules
- The school sign is a five-sided pentagon, usually fluorescent yellow-green, showing children walking.
- Pennsylvania school zones are commonly posted at 15 MPH when children are present; obey the posted plaque and the times shown.
- A school crossing guard's signals have the force of law; stop and wait.
- Pedestrian signals: a walking-person symbol means proceed; an upraised hand means do not start; a countdown shows remaining time.
- Bicycle signs and markings include bike-lane symbols, shared-lane arrows (sharrows), and warning signs for bike crossings.
- Drivers must yield to pedestrians in a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.
Worked example
You enter a school area and see a fluorescent yellow-green pentagon with a SCHOOL plaque and a 15 MPH plaque reading WHEN CHILDREN PRESENT. The shape tells you it is a school warning; the plaque sets the legal school-zone speed. If children are visible, slow to 15 MPH immediately and scan between parked cars. If the plaque gives school hours, the lower limit applies during those hours; outside them, the general limit applies unless posted otherwise.
Traps
The school sign is a pentagon, not a diamond. Fluorescent yellow-green is not construction orange. A pedestrian countdown is not a license to start crossing late; once the hand appears, do not begin. Do not pass a school bus with red lights flashing when children are loading or unloading.