Special road
Encyclopedia
A special road is a classification of road in the United Kingdom
. For a road to become a special road, it must have a Statutory Instrument
sanctioned under the Highways Act 1980
. A road which is not a special road is termed an all-purpose road. The vast majority of the roads in the UK are all-purpose roads.
through Parliament
allowed the UK to construct roads that were not automatically rights of way for certain types of user. All previous roads were automatically rights of way for all road users, including pedestrians, so it was not possible to build roads designated only for vehicular traffic. The Act therefore allowed the construction of motorways.
The Special Roads Act was merged in with the Highways Act 1959, and later the Highways Act 1980
, as a special road.
(except learners of Large Goods Vehicle
s (LGV)), agricultural vehicles
, pedestrian
s, cyclists, horseriders, invalid carriage
s, motorcycle
s under 50 cc and motorscooters. The special road regulations also forbid stopping (except in an emergency, waiting in a queue, or under the direction of traffic signals
or a police officer
). In England, Highways Agency
Traffic Officers can now stop traffic.
Unless there are other speed limit orders in force, a special road which is also a motorway comes under the Motorways Traffic (Speed Limit) Regulations 1974, which defines the speed limit
, currently 70 mph (113 km/h) for car
s. There are different speed limits for coach
es and LGVs, together with some other limitations, such as a restriction that HGVs may not use the third (outside) lane of a three lane carriageway. Although the legal speed limit for an LGV on a motorway is 60 mph (97 km/h); European Union legislation requires the fitting of a speed limiter to most HGVs, which restricts their maximum speed to 90 km/h (56 mph).
In Scotland, there is a requirement to sign all speed limits on motorways due to variations in the equivalent Scottish legislation. At the entrance to most Scottish motorways it is normal to see a 70 mi/h sign.
s, and several others are former motorways which have since been downgraded. In order to charge a toll on a newly built road, special road regulations are usually necessary.
In addition, a small number of non-motorway special roads are relatively newly built dual-carriageway roads, such as the A1 Dual Carriageway east of Edinburgh
and parts of the A720 Edinburgh bypass, or parts of the A55
in North Wales
. These particular roads have many of the same regulations as motorways, apart from the speed limit regulations, since that only applies to special roads which are also motorways. The usual speed limit regulations that apply to all-purpose road do not apply to special roads, so a non-motorway special road must define a speed limit as part of its Statutory Instrument.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. For a road to become a special road, it must have a Statutory Instrument
Statutory Instrument
A Statutory Instrument is the principal form in which delegated or secondary legislation is made in Great Britain.Statutory Instruments are governed by the Statutory Instruments Act 1946. They replaced Statutory Rules and Orders, made under the Rules Publication Act 1893, in 1948.Most delegated...
sanctioned under the Highways Act 1980
Highways Act 1980
The Highways Act 1980 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom dealing with the management and operation of the road network in England and Wales. It consolidated with amendments several earlier pieces of legislation. Many amendments relate only to changes of highway authority, to include...
. A road which is not a special road is termed an all-purpose road. The vast majority of the roads in the UK are all-purpose roads.
The Special Roads Act 1949
The passing of the Special Roads Act 1949Special Roads Act 1949
The Special Roads Act 1949 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that:*Authorised the construction of special roads*Allowed these roads to be restricted to specific types of vehicles...
through Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
allowed the UK to construct roads that were not automatically rights of way for certain types of user. All previous roads were automatically rights of way for all road users, including pedestrians, so it was not possible to build roads designated only for vehicular traffic. The Act therefore allowed the construction of motorways.
The Special Roads Act was merged in with the Highways Act 1959, and later the Highways Act 1980
Highways Act 1980
The Highways Act 1980 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom dealing with the management and operation of the road network in England and Wales. It consolidated with amendments several earlier pieces of legislation. Many amendments relate only to changes of highway authority, to include...
The first special road
The Special Roads Act was first used in late-1950s to designate the Preston Bypass, now largely part of the M6 motorwayM6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
, as a special road.
Motorways as special roads
All motorways and associated sliproads in the UK are special roads. The special road regulations allow motorways to prohibit certain types of road user, including learner driversL-plate
An L-plate is a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in many countries if its driver is a learner under instruction, or a motorcycle rider with provisional entitlement to ride restricted motorcycles.- Australia :In...
(except learners of Large Goods Vehicle
Large Goods Vehicle
A large goods vehicle , is the European Union term for any truck with a gross combination mass of over...
s (LGV)), agricultural vehicles
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
, pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
s, cyclists, horseriders, invalid carriage
Invalid carriage
An invalid carriage was a low cost, low maintenance vehicle, designed specifically for people with physical disabilities. The last ones were withdrawn from the road in 2003, 27 years after the end of production, though some are still in existence...
s, motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s under 50 cc and motorscooters. The special road regulations also forbid stopping (except in an emergency, waiting in a queue, or under the direction of traffic signals
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
or a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
). In England, Highways Agency
Highways Agency
The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in England. It has responsibility for managing the core road network in England...
Traffic Officers can now stop traffic.
Unless there are other speed limit orders in force, a special road which is also a motorway comes under the Motorways Traffic (Speed Limit) Regulations 1974, which defines the speed limit
Speed limit
Road speed limits are used in most countries to regulate the speed of road vehicles. Speed limits may define maximum , minimum or no speed limit and are normally indicated using a traffic sign...
, currently 70 mph (113 km/h) for car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
s. There are different speed limits for coach
Coach (vehicle)
A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...
es and LGVs, together with some other limitations, such as a restriction that HGVs may not use the third (outside) lane of a three lane carriageway. Although the legal speed limit for an LGV on a motorway is 60 mph (97 km/h); European Union legislation requires the fitting of a speed limiter to most HGVs, which restricts their maximum speed to 90 km/h (56 mph).
In Scotland, there is a requirement to sign all speed limits on motorways due to variations in the equivalent Scottish legislation. At the entrance to most Scottish motorways it is normal to see a 70 mi/h sign.
Non-motorway special roads
Although the majority of special roads in the UK are also motorways, there are a number of special roads that are not motorways. Quite a number of these are toll bridgeToll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
s, and several others are former motorways which have since been downgraded. In order to charge a toll on a newly built road, special road regulations are usually necessary.
In addition, a small number of non-motorway special roads are relatively newly built dual-carriageway roads, such as the A1 Dual Carriageway east of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and parts of the A720 Edinburgh bypass, or parts of the A55
A55 road
The A55, also known as the North Wales Expressway, is a major road in Britain. Its entire length is a dual carriageway primary route, with the exception of the point where it crosses the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait. All junctions are grade separated except for two roundabouts — one...
in North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
. These particular roads have many of the same regulations as motorways, apart from the speed limit regulations, since that only applies to special roads which are also motorways. The usual speed limit regulations that apply to all-purpose road do not apply to special roads, so a non-motorway special road must define a speed limit as part of its Statutory Instrument.