33.3.10. Are you permitted to pick up a passenger in the situation shown?
UAЧи дозволено Вам виконати посадку пасажира в зображеній ситуації?
This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine tests the driver's attentiveness to prohibitory road signs and correct understanding of movement restriction modes. In real traffic, confusion between “stop” and “parking” often leads to fines and conflict situations, which is why such tasks regularly appear in the theoretical exam. The topic is directly related to safety and the proper organization of traffic in areas where long-term parking is limited.
The question belongs to section 33 of the Traffic Rules (road signs), specifically to prohibitory signs: sign 3.35 “Parking prohibited” and plate 7.2.2 “Zone of effect.” It checks whether the driver understands that sign 3.35 prohibits only parking, and the plate merely specifies the extent of this prohibition within the marked area, without changing its meaning.
The option where the action is allowed is correct, because according to the definition in the Traffic Rules (point 1.10), passenger boarding is considered a stop: stopping is permitted if necessary for boarding or alighting. On the other hand, the statement about prohibition would only be relevant if the restriction concerned stopping (a different sign), or if the driver actually left the vehicle without need and thus switched to parking, which is directly prohibited by sign 3.35 within its zone of effect.
Clause 1.10 (term “Stop”)
Stop — cessation of movement of a vehicle for up to 5 minutes or more, if necessary for the boarding (alighting) of passengers or loading (unloading) of cargo, fulfilling the requirements of these Rules (yielding the right of way, complying with the requirements of a traffic controller, traffic light signals, etc.).
Application to the question: according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, boarding a passenger is considered a “stop” (even if it lasts more than 5 minutes, when it is specifically necessary for boarding/alighting passengers).
Clause 1.10 (term “Parking”)
Parking — cessation of movement of a vehicle for more than 5 minutes for reasons not related to the need to fulfill the requirements of these Rules, boarding (alighting) passengers, or loading (unloading) cargo.
Application to the question: “parking” differs from “stop” in that it is the cessation of movement for more than 5 minutes for reasons not related to boarding/alighting passengers (or loading/unloading).
Clause 33.3 — 33 “Road signs”, 3 “Prohibitory signs”, sign 3.35 “Parking prohibited”
Sign 3.35 “Parking prohibited” prohibits parking for all vehicles.
The area of effect of the sign is from the place of installation to the nearest intersection beyond it, and in populated areas where there are no intersections — to the end of the populated area. The effect of the sign is not interrupted at places where roads adjoin from adjacent territories and at intersections (junctions) with field, forest, and other unpaved roads, before which no priority signs are installed. The sign applies only to the side of the road on which it is installed.
Application to the question: sign 3.35 prohibits specifically “parking”, but does not prohibit a “stop” necessary for boarding a passenger.
Clause 33.7 — 33 “Road signs”, 7 “Plates to road signs”, plate 7.2.2 “Area of effect”
Plate 7.2.2 “Area of effect” indicates the area of effect of prohibitory signs 3.34, 3.35 “Parking prohibited”, 3.36, 3.37, as well as the length of one or several consecutive stopping bays. The plate is placed directly under the signs with which it is used.
Application to the question: the plate specifies the extent (length) of the “parking” prohibition under sign 3.35, but does not turn this prohibition into a prohibition on “stopping”.
Thus, the correct answer is “Allowed.”, considering that according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, boarding a passenger is a “stop”, and sign 3.35 prohibits only “parking”, not “stopping”.
In the depicted situation, sign 3.35 "Parking is prohibited" is installed together with plate 7.2.2, which specifies the length of this restriction. That is, in the indicated section of the road, parking of vehicles is prohibited within the marked zone.
It is important to distinguish between the concepts of "stop" and "parking" according to the Traffic Rules. A stop is the cessation of movement for up to 5 minutes or longer if necessary, in particular, for the boarding or alighting of passengers. Parking is the cessation of movement for more than 5 minutes for reasons not related to the boarding/alighting of passengers or loading/unloading.
Boarding a passenger is precisely a reason that, by definition, refers to a stop and not to parking. And sign 3.35 prohibits only parking, but does not prohibit stopping. Therefore, it is allowed to briefly stop for passenger boarding in the area of this sign, provided you do not leave the car standing unnecessarily and do not transition to parking.
Thus, the correct answer is "Allowed," since sign 3.35 restricts only parking, and passenger boarding is a stop, which this sign does not prohibit.