Green Light, Raised Palm, and a Temporary Stop Line
At 6:40 p.m. in Lahore, light rain has made the asphalt slick. You are riding a 125 cc motorcycle in the left lane of a four-lane approach to a signalized intersection. Your signal is green. A traffic warden stands in the middle of the intersection facing you, right palm raised. Ahead, roadworks have covered the old stop line with fresh tar; a temporary yellow sign reads “Diversion ahead - keep left,” and a solid white line separates your lane from a coned-off work area. A bus close behind sounds its horn. Your visor is fogging at the edges, and the warden is partly silhouetted by the headlights of a car turning right. The car turning right has not yet begun its turn. You need to cross the intersection without entering the coned area or colliding with the warden.
1. What should you do in the next few seconds, and which instruction takes priority?
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The warden’s raised palm is an instruction to stop, and it overrides the green light. A green light means the signal permits movement only if the way is clear and no officer or warden is directing otherwise.
- Begin braking early and smoothly so the bus behind sees your brake light.
- Stop before the warden’s path and before the temporary work area, not inside the junction.
- Do not cross the solid white line or enter the coned-off area to get around the warden.
- Keep your visor clear enough to see the warden’s hands and the turning car.
The key judgement is that the green light is not permission to proceed blindly. The warden is physically controlling the junction, and the wet tar reduces your braking grip, so the stop must start early rather than at the last metre.
2. How should you rank the warden, the signal, the temporary sign and the road marking when they appear to conflict?
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The order of authority is: warden first, then the traffic signal, then temporary signs and markings that guide the path.
- The warden’s signal is a direct instruction and must be obeyed even when the light is green.
- The green light still tells you the normal flow for your approach, but it does not cancel the warden’s stop signal.
- The temporary sign tells you where the permitted path goes after the warden allows you to move: keep left of the coned area.
- The solid white line marks the edge of the work zone. You should not cross it merely because the old stop line is covered.
If the warden waves you on, follow the keep-left direction and pass the cones slowly. Do not treat the temporary sign as permission to ignore the warden; it only defines the safe path once movement is authorised.
3. If the warden waves you through while the light is still green, what observations and speed should you use?
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Move off only after confirming the warden’s wave is directed at you, not at the turning car. Use walking pace until your front wheel is clear of the junction and the cones.
- Look right at the car that may turn across your path; make eye contact if possible.
- Check the wet tar strip before braking or turning on it; fresh tar can be slippery.
- Keep the motorcycle upright and avoid sudden acceleration while crossing the painted line and tar.
- Cover the front brake and be ready to stop if the warden changes the signal or the car begins to turn.
Accelerating hard to clear the junction quickly is the wrong judgement: it reduces your time to react to the turning car and increases the chance of a slip on the wet surface.