Asked by Oksana Korolenko:
The Mariupol-Donetsk highway
Let's take a small section of the highway from the exit from Dokuchaevsk to the turn to Berezove (commonly known as "Gutyr").
We leave Dokuchaevsk, turn right, towards Donetsk. We drive along the highway, we need to turn left towards Berezove. On the right side we see sign 2.3.3 "Junction with a minor road on the left", further behind it sign 5.19.1 "Pedestrian crossing". So, we have exactly an intersection where previously we could turn left and go to Berezove. But here's a surprise! On the median strip at the intersection there is sign 5.26, i.e. you cannot turn here! And if you want to go to Berezove, go to Yelenovka, make a U-turn, come back to the starting point (a considerable detour) and turn right into Berezove. The same situation when driving back. You won't be able to turn left into Dokuchaevsk either. First you need to go to Novotroitske.
According to drivers' stories, this situation is observed on almost every turn on this highway! There were no 5.26 signs at intersections before. Now people are forced to violate the rules (some don't even know they are violating, which is used by patrol police officers) or go around for several kilometers.
And now the questions:
1. Is it legal to install 5.26 signs at these intersections?
2. And since they are still there, maybe it is still possible to turn left in this case, and how to explain this to the traffic police?
Experts of the Karat driving school answer.
1. It is difficult to talk about the subject of the question without having a visual representation of it. The 5.26 sign (which prohibits turning left) may be installed due to heavy oncoming traffic on this section of the highway.
Yes, sign 5.26 is not installed at intersections (if it really is an intersection), but this does not change anything; if the sign is there, it cannot be ignored. There is a higher authority that installed it there, and therefore had its own reasons, and only it can voice them.
In the "Rules for the installation of road signs DSTU 4100-2002" there are clauses:
10.1.4 Road signs are allowed to be used in cases not provided for by this standard, if the need for their use (caused by - AutoPortal) specific traffic conditions.
10.1.5 With the permission of the Main Department of the State Automobile Inspection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the Research and Design Center for Road Safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, it is allowed to use road signs not established by current standards and technical conditions in an experimental order, including controlled road signs ...
In some cities, such information is also provided by municipal services that install signs and on whose balance these signs are. Most likely, the Donetsk ROAD REPAIR AND CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT (DRSU) is responsible for this section,
KP 83086, Donetsk, 50-letiya SSSR str., 1
Tel: (62) 305-2520
2. No, turning left in the presence of sign 5.26 will be considered a violation of traffic rules, since signs 5.26, 5.27 prohibit such a turn.
Let us remind you that AutoPortal previously wrote about how to properly make a U-turn on the boulevard.
If you do not understand signs or markings on Ukrainian roads, send us your questions with the city and address to [email protected].
All answers will be published in the "Traffic Rules Lessons" section.
