![Montague Expressway](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Montague_Expressway.jpg)
In
road transport
Road transport or road transportation is a type of transport using roads. Transport on roads can be roughly grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people. In many countries licensing requirements and safety regulations e ...
, a lane is part of a
roadway
A carriageway (British English) or roadway (North American English) consists of a width of road on which a vehicle is not restricted by any physical barriers or separation to move laterally. A carriageway generally consists of a number of tra ...
that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (
highways
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...
) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each direction, separated by
lane markings
In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each ...
. On multilane roadways and busier two-lane roads, lanes are designated with
road surface marking
Road surface marking is any kind of device or material that is used on a road surface in order to convey official information; they are commonly placed with road marking machines (also referred to as road marking equipment or pavement marking eq ...
s. Major highways often have two multi-lane roadways separated by a
median
In statistics and probability theory, the median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as "the middle" value. The basic fe ...
.
Some roads and bridges that carry very low volumes of traffic are less than wide, and are only a single lane wide. Vehicles travelling in opposite directions must slow or stop to pass each other. In rural areas, these are often called
country lane
A country lane is a narrow road in the countryside.
In North America and Australia, the term "lane" also may refer to rear access roads which act as a secondary vehicular network in cities and towns. Some towns and cities in the United Kingdom, ...
s. In urban areas,
alley
An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in the older parts of towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane ...
s are often only one lane wide. Urban and suburban one lane roads are often designated for
one-way traffic
One-way traffic (or uni-directional traffic) is traffic that moves in a single direction. A one-way street is a street either facilitating only one-way traffic, or designed to direct vehicles to move in one direction. One-way streets typical ...
.
History
For much of human history, roads did not need lane markings because most people walked or rode horses at relatively slow speeds. However, when automobiles, trucks, and buses came into widespread use during the first two decades of the 20th century,
head-on collision
A head-on collision is a traffic collision where the front ends of two vehicles such as cars, trains, ships or planes hit each other when travelling in opposite directions, as opposed to a side collision or rear-end collision.
Rail transport ...
s became more common.
The history of lane markings is connected to early mass automobile construction in Detroit. In 1906, the first Road Commission of
Wayne County, Michigan
Wayne County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2020, the United States Census placed its population at 1,793,561, making it the 19th-most populous county in the United States. The county seat is Detroit. The coun ...
was formed in an effort to make roads safer. (Henry Ford served on the board in the first year.) In 1909, the commission ordered the construction of the first concrete road (Woodard Avenue in Detroit), and conceived the centerline for highways in 1911. Hence, then chairman of the Road Commission,
Edward N. Hines, is widely credited as the inventor of lane markings.
The introduction of lane markings as a common standard is connected to
June McCarroll
June McCarroll (June 30, 1867 – March 30, 1954) is credited by the California Department of Transportation with the idea of delineating highways with a painted line to separate lanes of highway traffic, although this claim is disputed by the F ...
, a physician in
Indio Indio may refer to:
Places
* Indio, Bovey Tracey, an historic estate in Devon, England
* Indio, California, a city in Riverside County, California, United States
People with the name
* Indio (musician), Canadian musician Gordon Peterson
* Índio ...
, California. She began experimenting with painting lines on roads in 1917 after being run off a highway by a truck driver. After years of lobbying by Dr. McCarroll and her allies, the state of California officially adopted a policy of painting lines on its highways in November 1924. A portion of
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
near Indio has been named the Dr. June McCarroll Memorial Freeway in her honor.
![German Autobahn 1936 1939](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/German_Autobahn_1936_1939.jpg)
The first lane markings in Europe were painted at an accident hotspot in the small town of
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, known locally as Sutton ( ), is a town and civil parish in the City of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south ...
near
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, England, in 1921. The success of this experiment made its way to other hotspots and led to standardization of white paint lane markings throughout Great Britain.
The first use in Germany was in Berlin in 1925, where white paint marked both lanes and road edges. When the standard for the new
autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...
network was conceived in the 1930s, it mandated the usage of black paint for the center line for each carriageway. Black is more visible on the bright surface of concrete.
By 1939, lane markings had become so popular that they were officially standardized throughout the United States. The concept of lane markings spread throughout the world and became standard for most roads. Originally, lines were drawn manually with ordinary paint which faded quickly. After World War II, the first machines for line markings were invented. Plastic strips became standard in the 1950s. This gradually led to the placement of plastic lane markings on all major roads.
Types
![Einfädelspur-in-Fahrbahnmitte](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Einf%C3%A4delspur-in-Fahrbahnmitte.jpg)
*
![A38(M) Aston Expressway](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/A38%28M%29_Aston_Expressway.jpg)
A traffic lane or travel lane is a lane for the movement of vehicles travelling from one destination to another, not including
shoulders
The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone) as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder mak ...
.
* A through lane or thru lane is a traffic lane for through traffic (traffic continuing on a road or highway). At intersections, these may be indicated by arrows on the pavement pointing straight ahead.
* An express lane of a road is used for faster moving traffic and has less access to exits/off ramps. In other areas, an express lane may refer to a HOV lane (see below).
* A
reversible lane
A reversible lane (British English: tidal flow) is a lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions. Typically, it is meant to improve traffic flow during rush hours, by having overhead traffic lights and li ...
(
contraflow lane
In transport engineering nomenclature, a counterflow lane or contraflow lane is a lane in which traffic flows in the opposite direction of the surrounding lanes.
Contraflow lanes are often used for bicycles or bus rapid transit on what are ot ...
) is a lane where the direction of traffic can be changed to match the peak flow. They are used to accommodate periods of high traffic flow, especially
rush hour
A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: on ...
where the flow is predominantly in one direction, on roads that cannot be easily widened such as over bridges. One or more lanes are removed from the opposing flow and added to the peak flow – this technique is known as tidal flow.
* An auxiliary lane is a lane other than a through lane, used to separate entering, exiting or turning traffic from the through traffic.
:* An acceleration lane or merge lane allows traffic entering a highway to accelerate to the speed of through traffic before merging with it.
:* A deceleration lane is a lane adjacent to the primary road or street used to improve traffic safety by allowing drivers to pull out of the through lane and decelerate safely before turning off a surface street or exiting a highway or motorway.
:*A turn lane is set aside for slowing down and making a turn, so as not to disrupt traffic. By removing turning traffic from the through lanes, motorist safety is improved and delay is removed, but crossing distances for pedestrians are lengthened, increasing their exposure to collisions.
:* A
two-way center turn lane is a lane in the center of a roadway to allow drivers travelling in either direction to pause before turning across oncoming traffic (a left turn in right-driving countries, or a right turn in left-driving countries) while waiting for a gap in traffic.
:* A
passing lane
A passing lane (North American English) or overtaking lane (English outside of North America) is a lane on a multi-lane highway or motorway closest to the median of the road (the central reservation). In some countries, lanes are described as bei ...
is sometimes provided on busy two-lane roads to allow drivers to pass slower vehicles without having to cross the center line and risking a
head-on collision
A head-on collision is a traffic collision where the front ends of two vehicles such as cars, trains, ships or planes hit each other when travelling in opposite directions, as opposed to a side collision or rear-end collision.
Rail transport ...
.
:*A crawler lane, truck lane, or climbing lane is often provided on steep hill or mountain
grades
Grade most commonly refers to:
* Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance
* Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage
* Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope
Grade or grading may also r ...
, in order to allow smaller vehicles to pass larger, slower ones. The lane is marked only on the uphill stretch and usually a short distance afterward (for regaining speed).
:* An operational lane or auxiliary lane is an extra lane on the entire length of highway between interchanges, giving drivers more time to merge in or out. The lane is created when an entrance ramp meets the highway, and drops out (with an "exit only" sign) to become the ramp at the next exit.
:* A transfer lane of a road is used to move from express lanes to collector lanes, or vice versa; it is somewhat similar to an auxiliary lane.
:* A collector lane of a road is used for slower moving traffic and has more access to exits/off ramps.
* Dedicated lanes are traffic lanes set aside for particular types of vehicles.
:* A
high occupancy vehicle
A high-occupancy vehicle lane (also known as an HOV lane, carpool lane, diamond lane, 2+ lane, and transit lane or T2 or T3 lanes) is a restricted traffic lane reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers, i ...
, 2+ lane or carpool lane is reserved for
carpool
Carpooling (also car-sharing, ride-sharing and lift-sharing) is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car, and prevents the need for others to have to drive to a location themselves.
By having more people usi ...
ing. In the UK, such lanes are not extremely common, although they do exist in many places—they are usually marked "2+ LANE", referring to the fact that cars with two or more occupants may drive in the lane. In the US, they may be marked with a diamond icon every few hundred feet (hence the nickname "
diamond lane
In the United States and Canada, a diamond lane is a special lane on a street or highway that is reserved for specific types of traffic. These lanes are usually marked with white diamonds or lozenges, and hence their name. Diamond lanes are g ...
"), or separated from other lanes by double broken white lines, a continuous pair of double yellow lines, or just a single broken white line.
:* A
high-occupancy toll lane
A high-occupancy toll lane (or HOT lane) is a type of traffic lane or roadway that is available to high-occupancy vehicles and other exempt vehicles without charge; other vehicles are required to pay a variable fee that is adjusted in response ...
is a combination of an HOV lane and
toll collection technology that allows drivers without passengers to use the HOV lane by paying a premium price for the privilege
:* A
designated bicycle lane is a portion of the roadway or shoulder designated for the exclusive or preferential use of bicyclists. This designation is indicated by special word or symbol markings on the pavement and "BIKE LANE" signs.
:* A
motorcycle lane
Motorcycle lane is a term used for the special lane on a roadway that is designated for small vehicles such as motorcycles, scooters, bicycles and trishaw. It's usually situated between the other lanes, marked by 2 parallel yellow lines. Due to t ...
is provided at certain roads and highways such as the
Federal Highway Federal Highways and Federal Routes can be found in:
*Australia: Federal Highway
*Brazil: Brazilian Federal Highway and Brazilian Highway System
*Germany: ''Bundesstraßen''
*Malaysia: Federal Highway and Malaysian Federal Roads System
*Mexic ...
in Malaysia to segregate the motorcycle traffic from the main roadways to reduce motorcycle-related accidents. The motorcycle lane may form a part of the hard shoulder, or may be one or more completely separated lanes.
:* A
bus lane
A bus lane or bus-only lane is a lane restricted to buses, often on certain days and times, and generally used to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion. The related term busway describes a roadway ...
is reserved for buses providing public transportation on a fixed route, sometimes with overhead
catenary
In physics and geometry, a catenary (, ) is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends in a uniform gravitational field.
The catenary curve has a U-like shape, superficia ...
for
trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...
es. In some countries, such as in the UK when signposted, bus lanes may also be used by some other traffic, such as taxis, bicycles and motorbikes.
:* A tram lane is a lane reserved for the use of buses, trams and taxicabs. It is usually encountered in cities with curbside tram network, such as
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
.
:* A truckway is a dedicated lane for longer length trucks; for instance, the
Florida Turnpike
Florida's Turnpike, designated as unsigned State Road 91 (SR 91), is a toll road in the U.S. state of Florida, maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). Spanning approximately along a northwest–southeast axis, the turnpike is in two ...
allows 96-foot long double trailer combinations, in contrast to normal Florida highways' 53-foot limit. Compare to crawler lane above. Since the major cost of trucking is the fixed cost of the same trailer with its driver the cost per ton of operating with truckway size and weight allowances is 35 to 40 percent below the cost of operations on the non-truckways.
*In some areas, the lane adjacent to the curb is reserved for non-moving vehicles.
:* A parking lane is reserved for parallel parking of vehicles.
:* A
fire lane
A fire lane is a pavement reserved for fire and rescue services.
Dedicated fire lanes primarily appear in urban areas where traffic jams may slow their passage, thus causing an unfavorable delay in responding to distress calls.
Other fire lanes, ...
is the area next to a
curb
A curb (North American English), or kerb (Commonwealth English except Canada; see spelling differences), is the edge where a raised sidewalk or road median/central reservation meets a street or other roadway.
History
Although curbs have ...
, which is reserved for firefighting equipment, ambulances, or other emergency vehicles. Parking in these areas, often marked by red lines, usually warrants a parking ticket.
:* A loading lane (loading zone in the United States) is an area next to a curb, which is reserved for loading and unloading passengers or freight. It may be marked by a sign ("LOADING ONLY" or "LOADING ZONE") or by a yellow or white-painted curb.
:* A
hard shoulder
A shoulder, hard shoulder (British) or breakdown lane, is an emergency stopping lane by the verge of a road or motorway, on the right side in countries which drive on the right, and on the left side in countries which drive on the left. Many wid ...
is sometimes called an emergency lane or a breakdown lane, when it is reserved for vehicle breakdowns, and for
emergency vehicle
An emergency vehicle is a vehicle used by emergency services. Emergency vehicles typically have specialized emergency lighting and vehicle equipment that allow emergency services to reach calls for service in a timely manner, transport equipment ...
s. On some congested roads, the shoulder is used as a vehicle lane during peak travel hours.
* By law or custom, outside (British usage of the word) lanes are often reserved for faster traffic, and inside lanes are used by slower traffic.
:* An overtaking lane is the lane furthest from the shoulder of a multi-lane carriageway/roadway (sometimes called the fast lane, although this is deprecated by the authorities), i.e. the leftmost lane where traffic drives on the right, or the rightmost lane where traffic drives in the left.
:* The slow lane is the lane nearest to the shoulder of a multi-lane carriageway/roadway, i.e. the farthest from the overtaking lane.
: These usages lead to the phrases ''life in the slow lane'' and ''life in the fast lane'', used to describe relaxed or busy lifestyles, respectively and used as the titles of various books and songs.
Lane width
![Grundmaße_Verkehrsraum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Grundma%C3%9Fe_Verkehrsraum.svg)
The widths of vehicle lanes typically vary from . Lane widths are commonly narrower on low volume roads and wider on higher volume roads. The lane width depends on the assumed maximum vehicle width, with an additional space to allow for lateral motion of the vehicle.
In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, the maximum truck width had been in the
Code of Federal Regulations
In the law of the United States, the ''Code of Federal Regulations'' (''CFR'') is the codification of the general and permanent regulations promulgated by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government of the United States. ...
of 1956, which exactly matched then standard
shipping container
A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated boxes. In the context of ...
width. The maximum truck width was increased in 1976 to to harmonize with the slightly larger metric world standard width. The same applies to standards in Europe, which increased the allowable width of road vehicles to a current maximum of for most trucks, and for refrigerator trucks. These widths do not include side mirrors, but only the vehicle body. The minimum extra space had been and it is currently assumed to be at least on each side. The international standard allows roads with less traffic to add a second or third lower width lane in the same direction for cars – those that have been built exclude trucks from these narrower lanes; however lower width lanes are not a recommended design principle for new roads, as it could be dangerous if traffic becomes heavier in future.
In the United States, the
Interstate Highway standards
Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in the publication ''A Policy on Design Standards: Interstate System''. For a certain highway to ...
for the
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
use a standard lane width, while narrower lanes are used on lower classification roads. In Europe, laws and road widths vary by country; the minimum widths of lanes are generally between . The federal
Bundesstraße
''Bundesstraße'' (German for "federal highway"), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.
Germany
Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km.
German ''Bundesstraßen'' ...
interurban network in Germany defines a minimum of for each lane for the smallest two lane roads, with an additional on the outer sides and shoulders being at least on each side. A modern
Autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...
divided highway with two lanes per direction has lanes wide with an additional clearance of on each side; with three lanes per direction this becomes for the rightmost lane and for the other lanes. Urban access roads and roads in low-density areas may have lanes as narrow as in width per lane, occasionally with shoulders roughly wide.
Extra lane width in horizontal curves
Depending on speed, road curvature and vehicle properties, heavy goods vehicle (HGV) combinations are prone to "high speed outside offtracking". This means that the rearmost axle of the trailer does not follow the lateral path of the truck tractor unit, but may travel significantly—up to 1–3 meters (3–10 ft)—away from the curve center. Hence, narrow lanes on sharp curves have to be designed slightly wider than on straight roads. This effect is much greater on slippery snow-covered roads than on bare asphalt or cement concrete, calling for even larger lane widening.
Effects of lane width
In urban settings both narrow (less than 2.8 m (9.2 ft)) and wide (over 3.1~3.2 m (10.2-10.5 ft)) lanes increase crash risks.
Wider lanes (over 3.3~3.4m (10.8-11.2 ft)) are associated with 33% higher impact speeds, as well as higher crash rates. Carrying capacity is also maximal at a width of , both for motor traffic and for bicycles. Pedestrian volume declines as lanes widen, and intersections with narrower lanes provide the highest capacity for bicycles.
As lane width decreases, traffic speed diminishes.
Narrow lanes cost less to build and maintain. They lessen the time needed to walk across, and reduce stormwater
runoff
Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to:
* RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program
* Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed
* Runoff or run-off, a stock market ...
. Pedestrian volume declines as lanes widen, and intersections with narrower lanes provide the highest capacity for bicycles.
Lane markings
![Interstate_5_in_the_Central_Valley](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Interstate_5_in_the_Central_Valley.jpg)
Painted lane markings, which designate a single line of vehicles for movement within traffic, vary widely from country to country. In the United States, Canada, Mexico, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Norway, yellow lines separate traffic going in opposite directions and white separates lanes of traffic traveling in the same direction; but that is not the case in many European countries.
Lane markings are mostly lines painted on the road by a
road marking machine
Road surface marking is any kind of device or material that is used on a road surface in order to convey official information; they are commonly placed with road marking machines (also referred to as road marking equipment or pavement marking eq ...
, which can adjust the marking widths according to the lane type.
Lane numbering
Traffic reports in California often refer to accidents being "in the number X lane." The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) assigns the numbers from left to right. The far left passing lane is the number 1 lane. The number of the slow lane (closest to freeway onramps/offramps) depends on the total number of lanes, and could be anywhere from 2 to 8.
However in the UK, "lane 1" is the "slow lane" (left-hand lane).
Capacity
Lane capacity varies widely due to conditions such as neighboring lanes, lane width, elements next to the road, number of driveways, presence of parking, speed limits, number of heavy vehicles and so on – the range can be as low as 1000 passenger cars / hour to as high as 4800 passenger cars / hour but mostly falls between 1500 and 2400 passenger cars / hour.
See also
*
Country lane
A country lane is a narrow road in the countryside.
In North America and Australia, the term "lane" also may refer to rear access roads which act as a secondary vehicular network in cities and towns. Some towns and cities in the United Kingdom, ...
*
Green lane (road)
A green lane is a type of road in the United Kingdom, usually an unmetalled rural route.
England and Wales
In particular, a green lane is unmetalled, and may be so infrequently used that there is no wearing of the surface, allowing vegetation ...
*
Lane departure warning system
In road-transport terminology, a lane departure warning system (LDWS) is a mechanism designed to warn the driver when the vehicle begins to move out of its lane (unless a turn signal is on in that direction) on freeways and arterial roads. These ...
*
Lane splitting
Lane splitting is riding a bicycle or motorcycle between lanes or rows of slow moving or stopped traffic moving in the same direction. It is sometimes called whitelining, or stripe-riding. This allows riders to save time, bypassing traffic cong ...
*
Left- and right-hand traffic
*
Road surface
A road surface (British English), or pavement (American English), is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. In the past, gravel road surfaces, hoggin, cobbles ...
*
Road surface marking
Road surface marking is any kind of device or material that is used on a road surface in order to convey official information; they are commonly placed with road marking machines (also referred to as road marking equipment or pavement marking eq ...
*
Road marking machine
Road surface marking is any kind of device or material that is used on a road surface in order to convey official information; they are commonly placed with road marking machines (also referred to as road marking equipment or pavement marking eq ...
*
Shoulder (road)
A shoulder, hard shoulder (British) or breakdown lane, is an emergency stopping lane by the verge of a road or motorway, on the right side in countries which drive on the right, and on the left side in countries which drive on the left. Many wid ...
References
{{Road
Road infrastructure