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Road hierarchy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hierarchy in road traffic
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A hierarchy of roads, comparing speed to access

Theroad hierarchy organizesroads according to their functions and capacities. While sources differ on the exact nomenclature, the basichierarchy comprisesfreeways,arterials,collectors, and local roads. Generally, the functional hierarchy can more or less correspond to the hierarchy of roads by their owner or administrator.

The related concept ofaccess management aims to provide access toland development, while ensuring traffic flows freely and safely on surrounding roads.

General classification

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Controlled-access highway

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Bundesautobahn 9 near by Garching bei Muenchen, Germany

At the top of the hierarchy in terms of traffic flow and speed arecontrolled-access highways; their defining characteristic is thecontrol of access to and from the road, meaning that the road cannot be directly accessed from properties or other roads, but only from specific connector roads. This indirection, in conjunction with high speed limits and multiple lanes, allows these roads to support fast traffic flow with high volume, in both urban and rural areas. They are at the bottom of the hierarchy in terms of access to property, allowing access to almost nothing besides other roads andrest areas.

They are also known asfreeways in the U.S., South Africa, and parts of Australia; asmotorways in the U.K., New Zealand, and parts of Australia; and asexpressways in numerous countries.

Controlled-access highways do not have traffic signals nor at-grade crossings with other roads (intersections), railways, or pedestrian paths. When a road's path would intersect a controlled-access highway, aflyover (US:overpass orunderpass) will vertically separate the two roads, preventing the need for an intersection. Pedestrianfootbridges and tunnels are also grade-separated. The opposing directions of travel are separated by acentral reservation (UK) ormedian strip (US) generally a few meters to a few dozen meters wide, which may consist of a traffic barrier or a natural barrier like grass. This separation makes controlled-access highways a subset of dual carriageways (UK) or divided highways (US). Generally, these roads prohibit pedestrians and vehicles not powered by a motor (e.g.,bicycles). Parking is also generally prohibited.

Highway systems

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Autostrada A1 runs throughItaly linking some of thelargest cities of the country:Milan,Bologna,Florence,Rome andNaples

In many countries, the controlled-access highways form an expansive system that generally connect distant cities within the country to each other, but there are often more highways that only have local courses designed to improve connections in a smaller region, such as within a metropolitan area. Controlled-access highways are often given numbers to form a national highway system, such as theBundesautobahn in Germany or theInterstate Highway System in the United States, but note that a national highway system may also consist of other numbered highways that are not implemented as controlled-access highways. Some countries may have more than one national highway system of a lower rank, such as theU.S. Highways (not to be confused with the Interstate system), only portions of which run on controlled-access highways. Conversely, there may also be controlled-access highways not part of a numbered system. Highways are usually given icons featuring the number of the highway calledhighway shields or route markers. In addition to the national highway system, there may be provincial-level or state-level (US) highway systems of a lower rank, which need not consist mainly of controlled-access highways.

Slip roads (UK) or ramps (US) are special connector roads that allow traffic access to and from a controlled-access highway. Their length is normally on the order of several hundred meters in order to allow vehicles a sufficient distance to safely change speed while transferring from one road to the other road. The course of a ramp is often curved as needed in order to connect the two roads without sharp turns, which require vehicles to slow down considerably to traverse them safely. In many cases, a ramp may be subject to grade separation and use a flyover. In the US, where the standard term for a flyover isoverpass (orunderpass, when the road with level altitude is the higher road), the wordflyover, which is less common, is reserved for those that carry ramps. Entrance ramps (or on-ramps) allowingress traffic to enter the highway, and exit ramps (or off-ramps) allowegress traffic to exit the highway.

Ramps may be described by their orientation. Adirectional ramp curves toward the desired direction of travel, asemi-directional ramp exits on the side of the road opposite to the desired direction of travel, then curves back toward the desired direction, and anon-directional ramp curves away from the desired direction of travel (such as the looping ramps in acloverleaf interchange).

The full set of ramps that connect a controlled-access highway to another road is called agrade-separated junction (UK) orinterchange (US). The interchange is classified as asystem interchange if traffic remains in the highway system, traveling from one controlled-access highway to another, or aservice interchange if the interchange serves a local area by allowing travel between a controlled-access highway and a road without access control. The controlled-access highway is called themainline, and the uncontrolled road is called thecrossroad. More complex interchanges involving many roads may have characteristics of both types of interchanges as required.

The number of directions one can travel toward or away from the interchange on all of the roads involved is the number of "legs". When two roads meet, there are four paths to and from the interchange, and so the interchange hasfour legs, but if one of the roads terminates at the interchange, it will only havethree legs. Interchanges with more legs require joining elements from four- and three-legged interchanges in order to permit travel from any one direction to any other direction. If all possible connections exist, it is acomplete interchange providingcomplete access; if not, it is anincomplete interchange providingincomplete access.

Limited-access road

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Dual carriageway nearLa Rochelle, France

Alimited-access road, often called a limited-access highway (US), divided highway (US), or dual carriageway (UK), and in some situations anexpressway, is similar to a controlled-access highway in that it conforms to many or most of the standards that controlled-access highways follow, but does allow some uncontrolled access to local roads. They can be viewed as a middle ground between controlled-access highways and arterial roads. The degree of isolation from local traffic varies between countries and regions, as does a precise definition of the term itself.

Controlled-access highways can also be viewed as a subset of limited-access highways that has stricter requirements.

Arterial road

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Arterial road withbike lane inPalo Alto, California

Anarterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a road without controlled access that can carry a large volume of local traffic at a generally high speed, being below controlled-access highways in the hierarchy. Because their primary function is to connect collector roads (below) to controlled-access highways, some are considered limited-access roads.

Intersections of arterial roads are almost always at-grade, and use traffic signals to coordinate traffic that would otherwise intersect, but traffic signals are often omitted when minor collector roads intersect, usually placing a stop sign at the collector road to prevent the traffic on the arterial road from being impeded.

Arterial roads almost always have multiple lanes to allow for high capacity. They do not allow for access to residential properties under most circumstances.

Collector road

[edit]
Typical collector road inPort Moody, British Columbia, Canada

Acollector road, also known as a distributor road, is a road that allows high access to properties and has a low to moderate capacity and a generally low speed limit. They are below arterial roads in terms of speed and capacity, but higher in terms of access, as they can allow access to residential properties.

Collector roads can vary widely in appearance. Some urban collectors are wide boulevards entering communities or connecting sections. Others are residential streets, which are typically wider than local roads, although few are wider than four lanes. Small-scalecommercial areas can be found on collector roads in residential areas. Key community functions such asschools,churches, andrecreational facilities can often be found on collector roads.

A collector road usually consists of a mixture ofsignaledintersections,roundabouts,traffic circles, orstop signs, often in the form offour-way stops. Two-way stops are generally used at intersections with local streets that favour traffic movement on the collector. In North America, a collector road normally has traffic lights at intersections with arterial roads, whereas roundabouts and two-way stops are more commonly used in Europe.

Speed limits are typically 20‑35 mph (30‑60 km/h) on collector roads in built-up areas, depending on the degree of development and frequency of local access, intersections, andpedestrians, as well as the surrounding area (the speed tends to be lowest inschool zones).Traffic calming is occasionally used in older areas on collector roads as well.

Local road

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The High Street inHawick, Scotland

A local road, also called astreet, is a road in a built environment that has all kinds of properties beside it which can be accessed from the road or a parking lot connected to the road. Different types of local roads include residential streets, avenues, and alleys. They have the lowest speed limits and capacities in the hierarchy, but have the highest access to property.

Local roads have at-grade intersections and have similar specifications to collector roads. Local roads may be unpaved in some cases. A common feature of local roads is driveways, which connect the road to a residential property.

United States and Canada

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Vehicle miles traveled in USA
VMT RuralVMT Urban
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found onPhabricator and onMediaWiki.org.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found onPhabricator and onMediaWiki.org.
Source RITA DOT[1]

Freeways

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At the top of the hierarchy are limited access roads:Freeways or on- and off-ramps. These allow the freeway to operate with less friction at an even higher speed and with higher flow. Often freeways are included in the next category, arterials.

Arterials

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Arterials are major through roads that are expected to carry large volumes of traffic. Arterials are often divided into major and minor arterials, and rural and urban arterials.

In some places there are large divided roads with few or no driveways that cannot be called freeways because they have occasional at-grade intersections withtraffic lights that stop traffic (expressways inCalifornia,dual carriageways inBritain) or they are just too short (superarterials inNevada). Such roads are usually classified as arterials.

Frontage roads are often used to reduce the conflict between the high-speed nature of an arterial and property access concerns.

Collectors

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Collectors (not to be confused withcollector lanes, which reduceweaving on freeways), collect traffic from local roads, and distribute it to arterials. Traffic using a collector is usually going to or coming from somewhere nearby.

Local roads

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At the bottom of the hierarchy are localstreets androads. These roads have the lowest speed limit, and carry low volumes of traffic. In some areas, these roads may be unpaved.

Europe

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Most of Europe has a legal system based on European and international treaties which define at European/international level three types of road: motorways, express roads, and other roads. This vision comes from the 20th century and is limited to traffic code and legal issues. Each nation has its own Hierarchy of roads, although there is also a European road numbering at European level, for European roads.

Most of Europe has adoptedMotorways (Autoroutes/Autobahnen/Autopistas/Autostrade), usually similar to those in France and the UK. The idea was originally developed in Germany, where all motorways are toll-free, and has spread widely. All major through routes in theEU and neighbouring countries have aEuropean E-Road number in addition, or in the case of some countries' motorways, instead of a national number. In the UK, Albania, Iceland, Andorra and Cyprus these numbers are not displayed (although in Cyprus, signposted E roads indicate miscellaneous roads).

Otherwise, most other European countries have some form of differentiating between national routes, regional and inter-regional roads and other local routes.

Comparison of symbols and names

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This section shouldspecify the language of its non-English content, using{{langx}},{{transliteration}} for transliterated languages, and{{IPA}} for phonetic transcriptions, with an appropriateISO 639 code. Wikipedia'smultilingual support templates may also be used.See why.(March 2025)

Here there is a table comparing the symbols and generic names of the various route types in Europe. Not shown are theexpressways and municipal-level routes, as these categories seldom have specific signage. Some countries have two categories of secondary routes, in which case they are shown here in hierarchical order.

AustriaBelgiumCzech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandItaly, San Marino, and Vatican CityLatviaLithuaniaLuxembourgMoldovaNetherlandsNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSerbiaSlovakiaSloveniaSpain and AndorraSwedenSwitzerland and LiechtensteinTurkeyUkraineUnited Kingdom
E-road (subcategory ofhighways)[2]
Controlled-access highway
Autobahn

Autosnelweg / Autoroute

Dálnice
[3]
Motorvej

Kiirtee

Valtatie

Autoroute

Autobahn

Αυτοκινητόδρομος

Autópálya
[4]
Mótarbhealach / Motorway

Autostrada
[4]
Magistralinis kelias

Autobunn
[4]
Rijksweg

Riksvei

Autostrada

Auto-estrada

Autostradă

Магистральная

Autoput

Diaľnica

Avtocesta

Autovía
[3]
Autobahn / Autoroute / Autostrada

Otoyol

Автошлях

Motorway
Primary route
Bundesstraße

Nationale Weg / Route nationale

Silnice

Primærrute

Põhimaantee

Kantatie

Route nationale

Bundesstraße

Εθνική Οδός

Főút

Vegur

Bóthar náisiúnta / National road

Strada statale

Autoceļš

Krašto kelias

Nationalstrooss

Drumul național

Provinciale weg

Droga krajowa
N 1
Estrada nacional

Drum Național

Региональная

Državni put

Cesta I. triedy

Glavna cesta

Carretera nacional

Riksväg

Hauptstraße / Route principale / Strada principale / Via principala

Devlet Yolu

Автошлях

A road
Secondary route
Landesstraße

Sekundærrute

Tugimaantee


Kõrvalmaantee

Seututie


Yhdystiet

Route départementale
L 1
Landesstraße

K 1
Kreisstraße

Bóthar réigiúnach / Regional road


Bóthar áitiúil / Local road

Strada regionale


Strada provinciale

Autoceļš
1001
Rajoninias kelias

Drum național

Fylkesvei

Droga wojewódzka
R 1
Estrada regional

Drum

Județean


Cesta II. triedy

Regionalna cesta
[5]
Autovía/Carretera

Länsväg

Kantonsstraße / Route cantonale / Strada cantonale

İl yolu

Автошлях

B road
AustriaBelgiumCzech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandItaly, San Marino, and Vatican CityLatviaLithuaniaLuxembourgMoldovaNetherlandsNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSerbiaSlovakiaSloveniaSpain and AndorraSwedenSwitzerland and LiechtensteinTurkeyUkraineUnited Kingdom

United Kingdom

[edit]

Motorway

[edit]

Motorways, similar to freeways, these high-speed roads are designated with an M prefix or (M) suffix. e.g. M1, A1(M). The speed limit is generally 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) and there is ahard shoulder, an often slightly narrower lane next to lane 1, which is usually only to be used in cases of an emergency. Emergency telephones are located every mile along the route so motorists with broken-down vehicles can contact the authorities, although this is increasingly being done usingmobile phones. Signs are blue with white text for both destinations and motorway numbers. In general, junctions are given numbers which are displayed prominently, sometimes with a letter suffix, in a small black box on all the signs for any given junction. Junctions are generally signed one mile before they exit, with three or four further signs as the junction is reached, although on busy urban stretches this first warning can reduce to about ⅓mile. Cyclists, pedestrians, mopeds, very slow vehicles and certain other traffic are banned.

Primary A-road

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Green on maps and signs. A main recommended route these can be single track as in North West Sutherland or more usually single carriageway ordual carriageway. The primary road network is fully connected, meaning you can reach any part from any other without leaving the network. Some of the major dual carriageway primary routes have numbered junctions orhard shoulders in the style of theContinental semi-motorways. Many Primary Routes are largely or wholly subject toclearway restrictions, and in major cities they may be classed asred routes. Emergency telephones, if present at all, are usually infrequent - there may be some additional telephones operated by the UK's two main motoring organisations, theRAC and theAA, but these are becoming rarer.

Non-primary A-road

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Often exists where the route is important but there is a nearby primary route (A or motorway) which duplicates this road's function. Shown as red on maps, and has white signage with black lettering. Some non-Primary A-class roads are partially subject to clearway restrictions.

B road

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Regional in nature and used to connect areas of lesser importance. Usually shown as brown or yellow on maps and have the same white signs as non-Primary A-Class routes. If the route is primary, like the B6261, then it will be shown the same as a Primary A-Class route.

C road

[edit]

C roads are used as local authority designations for routes within their area for administrative purposes. These routes are not shown onsmall-scale road maps, but have occasionally been known to appear on road signs.

Unclassified

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Unclassified roads are local roads with no defined destination. Local destinations may, however, be signed along them.

France

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In France, one hierarchy of road is based on theowner who manages the road.Independently of that, roads can have various specificities such as speed or crossings.

Autoroutes

[edit]

Along with the rest of Europe, France has Motorways orAutoroutes similar to the British network. Unlike in the UK, the network is mostly accessible on payment of a toll, which is usually distance-dependent; there are generally more Toll (péage) Motorways in the South of France. However, sections passing through or close to major towns and cities are usually free. As in the UK, destinations reached via a motorway are shown with white text on a blue background. Junctions are usually numbered, the numbers being shown on signs in a small oval in the corner of the sign.

Route Nationale

[edit]

Before the construction of Autoroutes, theRoutes Nationales were the highest classification of road. They are denoted by a route number beginning N, or occasionally, RN. Going back to a Napoleonic road classification system, these are main roads comparable with British Primary Routes. They are maintained directly by the state and are usually the shortest route between major centres. Many N-Class roads are dual carriageway for some or all of their length, with a few also being given the designation of semi-motorway, where junctions are grade-separated and there is a central reservation with crash barrier. The hard shoulder, orbande d'arrêt d'urgence, is often narrower than on full motorways and there are fewer emergency telephones.

Routes Départementales

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France (including overseas territory) is split into 100departments, the second-highest tier of local government, similar to a UK county or US state. The departments have responsibility for all roads beginning with a letter D, or occasionally RD. These roads vary in quality, from newly built localdual carriageways and downgradedRoutes Nationales to winding roads that are barely wide enough for traffic to pass. Generally, they are quieter than the Routes Nationales, and of a reasonable standard.

Routes Communales

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In general, each settlement in France is aCommune - akin to a British Civil Parish. This most local level of government is responsible for maintaining all the local roads, which are numbered with a letter C prefix. Except in major towns and cities, where their numbers are usually not marked on signs, they are usually single-track and may be in a state of poor repair due to the large number of roads covered by populations as small as 10.

Hungary

[edit]

Hungarian road categories are as follows:

  • Gyorsforgalmi út (controlled-access highway):
    • Autópálya (motorway): at least 2+2 travel lanes and 1+1 emergency lane, central reservation, no at-grade intersections, speed limit: 130 km/h
    • Autóút (expressway): 1+1 or more travel lanes, optionally emergency lanes and central reservation, some at-grade intersections(only if 1+1 lanes), speed limit: 110 km/h
  • Főút (arterial road or main road) (with one digit in their name, e.g.: 6-os út)
  • Megyei út (county road) (with two digits, e.g.: 16-os út)
  • Helyi út (local road) (with three or more digits)

etc.

Italy

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Main article:Roads in Italy

Autostrade

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TheAutostrada dei Laghi ("Lakes Motorway"; now parts of theAutostrada A8 and theAutostrada A9), the firstmotorway built in the world.[6][7]
Autostrada A20 runs through the island ofSicily linkingPalermo toMessina
Autostrada A22 runs throughPo Valley andAlps linkingModena toBrenner Pass, amountain pass which forms theborder betweenItaly andAustria

Italy was the first country in the world to buildmotorways, the so-calledautostrade, reserved for fast traffic and for motor vehicles only.[6][7] TheAutostrada dei Laghi ("Lakes Motorway"), the first built in the world, connectingMilan toLake Como andLake Maggiore, and now parts of theAutostrada A8 and theAutostrada A9, was devised byPiero Puricelli and was inaugurated in 1924.[7]

Other motorways (orautostrade) built beforeWorld War II inItaly wereNaples-Pompeii,Florence-Pisa,Padua-Venice,Milan-Turin, Milan-Bergamo-Brescia andRome-Ostia. The total length of theItalian motorway system is about 7,016 km (4,360 mi), as of 30 July 2022.[8] To these data are added 13 motorwayspur routes, which extend for 355 km (221 mi).[9] The density is 22.4 km (13.9 mi) of motorway for every 1,000 square kilometres (390 sq mi) of Italian territory.[10]

In particular, 1,870.2 km (1,162.1 mi) of the Italian motorway network have three lanes per carriageway, 129 km (80 mi) have four lanes per carriageway, 1.8 km (1.1 mi) have five lanes per carriageway, while the remaining part is two lanes per carriageway.[11] The density is 22.4 km (13.9 mi) of motorway for every 1,000 km2 (390 sq mi) of Italian territory.[12]

Italian motorways (orautostrade) are mostly managed by concessionaire companies. From 1 October 2012 the granting body is theMinistry of Infrastructure and Transport and no longerAnas[13] and the majority (5,773.4 km (3,587.4 mi) in 2009[14]) are subject totoll payments. On Italian motorways, thetoll applies to almost all motorways not managed byAnas. The collection of motorway tolls, from a tariff point of view, is managed mainly in two ways: either through the "closed motorway system" (km travelled) or through the "open motorway system" (flat-rate toll).[15]

Italy's motorways (orautostrade) have a standard speed limit of 130 km/h (80 mph) for cars. Limits for other vehicles (or when visibility is poor due to weather) are lower. Legal provisions allow operators to set the limit to 150 km/h (95 mph) on their concessions on a voluntary basis if there are three lanes in each direction and a workingSICVE, or Safety Tutor, which is a speed-camera system that measures the average speed over a given distance.

In order for a road to be classified as anautostrada, various geometric and construction conditions must be satisfied and these, although very similar in basis (for example the width of the travel lanes must be 3.75 m (12.3 ft)) are not constant: there are different technical-legal regulations for motorways built in urban or extra-urban areas.[16]

Autostrade are mostly managed by concessionaire companies. In North and Central Italy, the Autostrade mainly consists oftollways managed byAutostrade per l'Italia, a holding company controlled byCassa Depositi e Prestiti.[17][18] Other operators include ASTM, ATP, andAutostrade Lombarde in the north-west;Autostrada del Brennero,A4 Holding,Concessioni Autostradali Venete [it], andAutovie Venete [it] in the north-east;Strada dei Parchi [it], SALT, SAT, and Autocisa in the center; and CAS in the south.

Extra-urban roads

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The stretch fromGrosseto toLivorno of theStrada statale 1 Via Aurelia in Italy is classified asstrada extraurbana principale.

In Italy, adual carriageway is often calledsuperstrada (meaningexpressway), but this name is unofficial. Italian Highway Code (Codice della strada) divides dual carriageways into three different classifications:[19]

  • strada extraurbana principale (meaningmain highway) ortype-B road: a road with separate carriageways, at least two lanes for each direction, paved shoulder on the right and no cross-traffic. This type of road is quite similar to anautostrada ortype-A road (Italian official name formotorways orfreeways), but its building standards are lower. Access limitations and drive behaviour on type-B roads are the same as the motorways (no pedestrians, bicycles and other slow vehicles), as well as the signage (except for the background color, that is blue instead of green). Speed limits on type-B roads are up to 110 km/h (70 mph). Type-B roads are always toll-free.
  • strada extraurbana secondaria (meaningsecondary road) ortype-C road. This category contains all the roads in non-urban context that are neitherautostrada (type A) norstrada extraurbana principale (type B). This means that a dual carriageway that may not be classified as type-B road, since it does not meet such quality standards, belongs to this category. For type-C roads, there are neither special signage nor access restrictions, unless a specific sign is placed. The speed limit is 90 km/h (55 mph), on both single and dual carriageways.

Urban roads

[edit]
Via Cristoforo Colombo atPorta Ardeatina inRome, classified asstrada urbana di scorrimento.

These are the roads present within inhabited centers. Urban roads are of three types:[19]

  • strada urbana di scorrimento (meaningurban expressway) ortype-D road: a road in urban context, with separate carriageways, and at least two lanes for each direction. At-level junctions with smaller roads, regulated by traffic lights, are allowed as well asroundabouts. Unless a prohibition sign is placed, there are not access restrictions. Speed limits on this type of road are up to 70 km/h (45 mph).
  • strada urbana di quartiere (meaningurban neighborhood road) ortype E road: single carriageway road with at least two lanes, paved shoulders and sidewalks; for parking there are areas equipped with a special maneuvering lane, outside the roadway;
    • strada urbana ciclabile (meaningurban cycle road) ortype E-bis road: urban road with a single carriageway, with paved shoulders and sidewalks, with a speed limit of no more than 30 km/h, defined by specific vertical and horizontal signs, with priority for bicycles.
  • strada locale (meaninglocal road) ortype F road: urban or extra-urban road not belonging to the other types of roads;
    • strada vicinale: is a privately owned road of local interest located outside the town centre. In Italy the local road is a de facto communication route built to access a series of plots of land, or generally to connect to a road.
    • itinerario ciclopedonale (meaningcycle/pedestrian itinerary) ortype F-bis road: local, urban, extra-urban or local road, mainly intended for pedestrian and cycle travel, and characterized by intrinsic safety to protect vulnerable road users.

Czech Republic and Slovakia

[edit]

The road hierarchy in theCzech Republic andSlovakia originates from the Czechoslovak 1961 road act, although both countries have made changes since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.

Motorways

[edit]

Motorways (Czech:dálnice,Slovak:diaľnica) form the trunk of the road network, and similarly to other European countries they include at least 2 lanes in each direction, as well as an emergency lane on the right and auxiliary lanes for entering and leaving the motorway in intersections. In both countries, motorways use white-on-green directional signage. The general speed limit for motorways in both countries is 130 kilometers per hour, which is implicitly decreased to 80 km/h (Czech Republic) or 90 km/h (Slovakia) in urban areas.

In both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, motorways are designated by a number prefixed by the letterD. Both countries also use red rectangular shields with the motorway number in both countries, although in Slovakia the shield includes the D prefix, while in the Czech Republic it only contains the number itself.

Slovakia, as well as the Czech Republic before 2016, also operates a complementary expressway network (Czech:rychlostní silnice,Slovak:rychlostná cesta), which consists of limited access highways that don't fully meet the motorway standards. They are designated by a number prefixed by the letterR. Slovak expressways use similar highway shields as motorways, albeit with the different prefix. The term "motor vehicle road" (Czech:silnice pro motorová vozidla,Slovak:cesta pre motorové vozidlá) has also been used variably to refer to the network, although in both countries this term is now used for a separate category of roads.

The same rules of the road as on motorways also apply on expressways, including the speed limits and the white-on-green signage, although they used to be legally distinct from proper motorways and instead considered to be a part of the regular highway network. This led the Czech Republic to discontinue the system in 2016, when most former expressways were upgraded to motorway status, while Slovakia passed an amendment in 2020 that redefined expressways as a type of motorway.

In both countries, all motorways and expressways are owned and maintained by the state and the use of most of their sections is paid via electronic vignettes or toll. Bypasses of large towns and other sections that are used for local traffic tend to be exempt from the vignette requirement.

Highways

[edit]

The highway network is divided into three classes, which are distinguished by the number of digits in the highway number. The class number can be optionally mentioned in written text alongside the road number, separated by a slash. First and second class roads in both countries use blue rectangular shields. Slovak third class roads use a white oval highway shield.

  • First class roads (Czech:silnice I. třídy,Slovak:cesta I. triedy) are designated by an up to two-digit number and are owned by the state. Road numbers 61 and above run exclusively on Slovak territory under the original Czechoslovak numbering.
  • Second class roads (Czech:silnice II. třídy,Slovak:cesta II. triedy) are designated by a three-digit number and are owned by the regions. The first digit identifies the general location of the route:
    • 1xx - south Bohemia
    • 2xx - north Bohemia
    • 3xx - east Bohemia,Vysočina
    • 4xx -Moravia andSilesia
    • 5xx - Slovakia
    • 6xx - former first class roads replaced by a motorway (Czech Republic only)
  • Third class roads (Czech:silnice III. třídy,Slovak:cesta III. triedy) are also owned by the regions. In the Czech Republic, these are designated by four to five-digit numbers, where the first three digits are the number of a nearby higher class road, padded by zeroes if less than three digits. Slovakia renumbered these roads in 2015, and now uses a four digit numbering where the first three digits identify the district that the road runs in. The road numbers are not marked on most maps and road signs in the Czech Republic, however, Slovakia started doing so after the reform.

The general speed limit on highways is 90 kilometers per hour, reduced to 50 km/h in urban areas. A section of a highway can also be signed as a road for motor vehicles (Czech:silnice pro motorová vozidla,Slovak:cesta pre motorové vozidlá), which are off-limits for other kinds of traffic. The speed limit on such roads in the Czech Republic is 90 km/h for single carriageways and 110 km/h for double carriageways, reduced to 80 km/h in urban areas.

Local roads

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Local roads (Czech:místní komunikace,Slovak:miestna cesta) are public roads that serve local traffic and are not already part of a highway or a motorway. They are owned and maintained by municipalities. Similarly to highways, they are divided into four classes according to their importance, where the first class includes the most important collector roads in cities, while the fourth class includes walk paths and bike roads that are off-limits to automobiles. The Road Act also allows for so-called "express local roads" to be built up to expressway standards to accommodate for fast motor traffic.

In the Czech Republic, a first class local road can be signed as a road for motor vehicles if there are no intersections with other roads, auxiliary lanes are used for entering and exiting the road and access to adjacent buildings is forbidden. Local roads typically use the same directional signage as highways, i.e. white-on-blue signs with local destinations in black-on-white rectangles, although full black-on-white signs are increasingly adopted, notably byPrague.

Utilitarian roads

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Utilitarian roads (Czech:účelová komunikace,Slovak:účelová komunikácia) can be owned by any subject, private as well as public. Such roads are often subject of litigations because the legal status is a bit inconsistent and unclear.

  • Publicly accessible utilitarian roads have similar traffic mode as local roads; generally, forest roads and field roads are count among "utilitarian/purpose roads". However, motor vehicles are prohibited at the forest roads by the Forest Act. The national law doesn't concern over compensations or subventions to the owner, and the duty of maintenance is questionable and not stated explicitly by the law.
  • Closed utilitarian roads tend to be located in enclosed objects or facility; outside of them, the owner needs an administrative decision to exclude or restrict the public traffic. Traffic rules applies to such communications, but the owner can permit exceptions.

History

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Until 1938, separate lands of Czechoslovakia have different laws and road systems, inherited from theAustro-Hungarian period. Just in 1938, a unified Czechoslovak road act passed. In 1935, there existed Czechoslovak state roads (not distinguished by class) and several types of non-state public roads:

  • inBohemia,silnice zemské (land roads),silnice okresní (district roads),silnice a cesty obecní (municipal roads and ways) (there was only one remained 23 km land road in Bohemia, connectingJilemnice,Vysoké nad Jizerou andRokytnice nad Jizerou)
  • inMoravia,silnice okresní (district roads) of 1st and 2nd class,silnice a cesty obecní (municipal roads and ways)
  • inCzech Silesia,silnice okresní (district roads) of 1st and 2nd class,silnice a cesty obecní (municipal roads and ways) andveřejné cesty interesentů (public ways of interesents)
  • inSlovakia andZakarpattia,zemské cesty (land roads, formerlyžupné cesty,župa roads),príjezdné cesty (access roads),vicinální cesty (vicinal roads),cesty obecné (municipal roads and ways) andcesty interesentů (ways of interesents).

Thus, in theMoravian-Silesian Land existed no land roads, in Slovakia and Zakarpattia were no district roads but existed a special class of "access roads", and in Bohemian and Moravia existed not a status of "public ways of interesents".[20]

Historically, local communications is a successor term for the formerobecní silnice (municipal roads) andobecní cesty (municipal ways). The terms "utilitarian communications" replaced the former termcesty interesentů orzájemnické cesty (ways of interesents) since 1961. However, in Bohemia and Moravia, public way on a private plot was concepted as a municipal way before the 1961 reform, and maintained by the municipality.

Příjezdní komunikace (access communications) to the railway stations were a special class of roads before 1938 in Slovakia nad Zakarpattia. Since 1938, access communications to railway stations, airports and ports should be built as municipal roads or district roads, as was the previous praxis in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. Paradoxically, the today's main access road to the main Prague airport (Václav Havel International Airport in Prague-Ruzyně) is a private property of the airport and has a status of a "utilitarian communication".

Czechoslovak act no. 147/1949 Sb. nationalized all previous státní (state), zemské (land), and okresní (district) roads and authorized the government to list other individual roads (vicinal, municipal and others) to be nationalized) or negotiate a transfer of redundant state roads to administration by municipalities. The Czechoslovak act no. 135/1961 Sb. stated a terminology and classification which is in essence continued in today's Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Poland

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Main article:Classes and categories of public roads in Poland

Polish road categories are as follows:

Portugal

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Main article:Roads in Portugal

Portugal roads' categories are as follows:

Romania

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In Romania the roads are classified as:

  • Autostrăzi (A) - Motorways
  • Drumuri naționale și europene (DN, E) - National and European roads
  • Drumuri naționale (DN) - National roads
  • Drumuri județene (DJ) - County roads
  • Drumuri comunale (DC) - Communal roads

Cyprus

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In Cyprus the roads are classified as:

  • A: Themotorways of Cyprus (Αυτοκινητόδρομος) are mainly 2 lanes on each side but some areas inNicosia andLimassol have 3 lanes on each side
  • B: The trunk-roads of Cyprus. These are mainly the old roads the motorways have replaces but not all of them are. These link towns together and also include some ring-roads. Most of these are single-carriageway 2 lane roads but a few of them are 4 lane dual-carriageway.
  • E: These are main roads which go through multiple villages and small towns and are built similarly to B roads. A few of them can also be 4 lane dual-carriageways.
  • F: The small village roads which normally only serve 1 or a few villages. These can be 2 lane roads but also a few of them are 1 lane but wide enough for 2 cars to pass
  • Unclassified: The broadest type of classifications. These can be dirt-roads leading to farms and can also be dual-carriageways. The majority of them are 1 or 2 lane roads in towns or villages.

See also

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References

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  1. ^Bureau of Transportation Statistics (n.d.)."Table 2-18: Motor Vehicle Fatalities, Vehicle-Miles, and Associated Rates by Highway Functional System".National Transportation Statistics. United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved10 August 2017.
  2. ^European motorway numbers are not signaled in theUnited Kingdom
  3. ^abHighways inDenmark,Norway andSweden either use exclusively the European motorway number or a primary route number
  4. ^abcThere are no motorways inIceland,Latvia,Moldova
  5. ^Eachautonomous community of Spain has its own abbreviation.
  6. ^abLenarduzzi, Thea (30 January 2016)."The motorway that built Italy: Piero Puricelli's masterpiece".The Independent. Retrieved12 May 2022.
  7. ^abc"The "Milano-Laghi" by Piero Puricelli, the first motorway in the world". Retrieved10 May 2022.
  8. ^"Aggiornamenti sull'evoluzione del regolamento europeo (AFIR) per la modifica della direttiva europea in materia di combustibili alternativi (DAFI)" [Updates on the evolution of the European regulation (AFIR) for the amendment of the European directive on alternative fuels (DAFI)](PDF) (in Italian). AISCAT.
  9. ^LE AUTOSTRADE
  10. ^"Le strade dell'informazione". Retrieved3 March 2024.
  11. ^"L'EVOLUZIONE DEL PEDAGGIO E DEI MECCANISMI DI ESAZIONE"(PDF) (in Italian). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 23 October 2018. Retrieved23 October 2018.
  12. ^"Le strade dell'informazione" (in Italian). Retrieved5 March 2024.
  13. ^"nas S.p.A. - Le società concessionarie". Retrieved3 March 2024.
  14. ^"Ispettorato Vigilanza Concessioni Autostradali - Attività ed obiettivi". Retrieved3 March 2024.
  15. ^Come si calcola il pedaggio - Autostrade per l'Italia S.p.AArchived 6 April 2010 at theWayback Machine
  16. ^"Norme funzionali e geometriche per la costruzione delle strade previsto dal Codice della strada" (in Italian). Archived fromthe original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved5 March 2024.
  17. ^"Benetton Family to Control Italian Toll Road Operator".The New York Times. 22 February 2003.Archived from the original on 19 October 2022.
  18. ^"Infrastructure company controlled by the Benetton famil". 18 October 2016. Retrieved5 March 2024.
  19. ^abAutomobile Club Italia."Codice della strada della Repubblica Italiana" [Italian Highway Code] (in Italian). Retrieved1 February 2010.
  20. ^Vládní návrh zákona o veřejných silnicích a veřejných cestách a o silniční a cestní policii (silniční zákon), governmental proposal of the Road Act, 1935, reasoning report

External links

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