Lane

::For people named Lane and other uses of the word, please see Lane (disambiguation).

Types of lanes

• A through lane or traffic lane is the default type of lane for through traffic. At intersections, these may be indicated by arrows on the pavement pointing straight ahead.
• A carriageway is a series of lanes (or part of a road) whicj vehiles travel.
• A fire lane is the area next to a curb, which is reserved for firefighting equipment in the event of a fire. Parking in these areas, usually marked by red lines, often warrants a parking ticket.
• A loading lane is an area next to a curb, which is reserved for loading and unloading passengers. It may be marked by a "LOADING ONLY" sign or a yellow or white curb.
• A passing lane is often provided on steep mountain grades, in order to allow smaller vehicles to pass larger, slower ones. This is sometimes called a climbing lane if on the uphill side. Passing lanes may also be provided on long stretches of other roadway. On two-lane roads, passing in the lane of oncoming traffic is sometimes allowed given a long enough straightaway, if the broken line is on the normal side of travel.
• A collector lane of a road is used for slower moving traffic and has more access to exits/off ramps.
• An express lane of a road is used for faster moving traffic and has less access to exits/off ramps.
• 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.
• An auxiliary lane along a highway or motorway connects slip roads, with the entrance ramp or acceleration lane from one interchange leading to the exit ramp or deceleration lane of the next.
• The emergency lane of a road (also known as the breakdown lane or shoulder) is reserved for breakdowns, and for emergency vehicles. Often, especially in rural areas, these lanes deliberately have ruts cut in them, in order to warn drivers that they are leaving the roadway. This feature is especially important in the circumstance that a driver falls asleep at the wheel.
• An HOV lane or carpool lane is reserved for carpooling. It may be marked with a diamond icon every few hundred feet (hence the nickname "diamond lane"), or separated from other lanes by double broken white lines, a continuous pair of double yellow lines, or just a single broken white line.
• An HOT lane is reserved for drivers without passengers, who pay a toll for the privilege.
• A turn lane is set aside for slowing down and making a turn, so as not to disrupt traffic. At a full intersection with a traffic light, turn lanes are used more to hold traffic until the light changes.
• A bike lane is a half-lane reserved for bicycling. This may be indicated by a bicycle icon, the word "BIKE" (or its local equivalent), or both.
• A bus lane is reserved for buses, especially if there is an overhead catenary for electric buses. In some countries, bus lanes may also be used by taxis, bicycles and motorbikes.
• A reversible lane is one which uses overhead lights, signs, poles or barriers to indicate the current direction of travel it is to be used for. Typically, it is used at rush hour to accommodate extra traffic, and at other times as a center turn lane. In between, there is approximately one hour where no traffic is allowed. While the idea is very simple, the term suicide lane became a common slang description for this design, because many people did not pay attention to their driving or the lights. Because of their history of numerous accidents and collisions, reversible lanes are rarely used now. However, there are some functional examples on the river bridges just east of downtown Los Angeles which use lights only and nothing else to indicate the direction of traffic for each lane. Some places, like Hawaii, call these lanes contraflow lanes and enforce them with plastic poles which are manually rearranged by work crews before and after rush hour.