MUTCD R3-9e · Regulatory signs
A reversible lane, whose direction of travel changes by time of day
What it means
A reversible lane, whose direction of travel changes by time of day
What to do about it
Reversible Lane Control signs govern a lane whose direction of travel changes during the day. Read them before you commit to the lane. (MUTCD R3-9e, Section 2B.34.)
Practice this on the real test format
Signs are the part of the DMV written test people fail on, because reading them is a skill rather than a fact to memorize. Aprobify drills all 1034 of them, and tells you why each answer is what it is.
Get the appSign designations follow the MUTCD and the California MUTCD published by Caltrans; meanings are checked against the California Driver's Handbook (DL 600, rev. 6/2025). Edited by Fernando Aguilera. Aprobify is not affiliated with the California DMV.
Signs in the same family
These sit next to it in the regulatory signs series — the ones most easily mixed up with it.
- R3-9a Overhead sign for the shared centre lane used by traffic in both directions to make left turns. It is not a travel lane or a passing lane
- R3-9b The center lane is shared by both directions for making left turns only
- R3-9cP Plaque marking where the two-way left-turn lane begins
- R3-9dP Plaque marking where the two-way left-turn lane ends
- R3-9f Post-mounted version of the reversible lane control sign
- R3-9g The point ahead where a reversible lane changes direction
