Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Road Markings

What do short white T-shaped, L-shaped, or similar marks painted on the pavement along a curb indicate?

A row of short white T- and L-shaped marks along the edge of a dark roadway, defining parallel parking stalls.
  1. A.
    The boundaries of angled parking spaces along the curb.
  2. B.
    The ends of on-street parallel parking spaces. Correct
  3. C.
    The edges of a commercial loading zone.
  4. D.
    A no-parking area beside a fire hydrant.
The Why

The answer is "The ends of on-street parallel parking spaces."

T- and L-shaped marks sit at the corners of on-street parallel parking spaces so you can see where one space begins and the next ends. Park entirely between a pair of marks and parallel to the curb. A driver whose only curbside parking has been in striped diagonal lots picks the angled-bay choice because every painted parking guide they have used ran the full length of the bay, not just at its ends.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. The boundaries of angled parking spaces along the curb.

Angled spaces are outlined by full painted stripes running the length of each bay, not by short corner marks at the head and tail of a parallel envelope. This answer extends the diagonal-lot stripe pattern to the curb because that is the parking layout many drivers meet first when they learn to park a car.

C. The edges of a commercial loading zone.

Loading zones are identified by local signing or curb regulations posted at the site, not by short T- or L-shaped pavement marks that bracket an individual parking space. This answer extends the loading-zone label to any painted curbside guide because that is where a driver expects a restriction to be marked on the pavement.

D. A no-parking area beside a fire hydrant.

Hydrant restrictions are set by law or posted controls; T- and L-shaped marks are parking-space boundary marks, not hydrant-clearance markings. This answer treats any curbside pavement mark as a prohibition when this pair actually brackets a space a driver is allowed to use.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Road Markings on the roads of every US state . Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, marking 3B.20 (Parking Space T-Marks)..

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