A 4-minute lesson from the Massachusetts course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Beyond lane lines, painted words, symbols and colors guide you: lanes for buses, carpools and bikes, colored pavement, stop and yield lines, crosswalks and traffic islands.
Know the rule
Words or symbols painted on the road guide, warn or regulate drivers, often together with signs and signals. White arrows show lane directions or restrictions.
A marking that shows bicyclists where to ride in a lane shared with cars, clear of opening doors. When you see one, look for bicyclists and leave them enough space when passing.
Bicycle lanes are five feet wide and typically marked with solid white lines, symbols and signs. Motor vehicles may drive in them only when turning onto or off the road; look carefully for bicyclists and cross with care.
Advisory bicycle lanes, dashed on one or both sides, are used on streets too narrow for a full bike lane. Motor vehicles may use that space when necessary but must always yield to bicyclists first.
Green pavement marks areas where cars and bicycles may conflict: look for bicyclists before crossing it, and don't stop on green pavement at a red light.
A solid white STOP line may be painted where there's a stop sign or signal. A YIELD line, a row of painted triangles, may be painted where there's a yield sign.
A crosswalk is a pair of white lines (sometimes with diagonal or vertical lines between) or other distinct markings guiding pedestrians across. Besides intersections, you'll find them near bus stops, schools, trail crossings and busy areas.
You must stop behind stop lines, yield lines and crosswalk lines when a stop or yield sign, a traffic signal, or a pedestrian in the crosswalk requires it.
A traffic island or pavement marking that guides traffic along certain paths. You may not drive over or park on one unless a police officer directs you to.
You're turning right into a driveway across a bike lane. You may enter the bike lane only to make the turn, and first you must look carefully for bicyclists and cross with care.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
How wide is a standard marked bicycle lane in Massachusetts?
