The word lane has two meanings:

1. a portion of a paved roadway which is intended for a single line of vehicles and is marked by white or yellow lines. This article only elaborates on this meaning.
2. a narrow road, usually lacking a shoulder or a median. The word is typically applied to roads in the countryside, but can also be applied to urban streets, like Drury Lane in London. Large cities in the U.S. states of Nevada and Texas tend to apply the term to many arterial roads. Also see alley.

In contrast to lane-less countries such as India, most countries with a significant number of motor vehicles mark lanes on their paved roads. Drivers are usually required to stay within a lane as much as reasonably possible. In many countries, a prolonged inability to stay in one's lane is considered to be a symptom of driving under the influence and may lead to a citation or arrest for a moving violation. This page is related to transport; you may be looking for the 2002 Bollywood movie Road. ... White is the color of things that reflect light of all parts of the visible spectrum equally and are not dull (see grey). ... Yellow is any color of light that stimulates both the red and green cone cells of the retina, but not the blue cone cells. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A hard shoulder or simply shoulder is a reserved area alongside the verge of a road or motorway. ... The second proper album of Beth Orton, Central Reservation helped Orton build on the success of her debut Trailer Park. ... Rue Saint-Jacques, a street in Montreal, 1910 A street is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. ... Drury Lane is a street in the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. ... full of cockneys. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries â€¢ Politics Portal      A state of the United States is any one of the fifty subnational entities referred to... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... An arterial road is a high-capacity road which is just below a highway level of service. ... An Alley in Melbourne A gate to an alley in Annapolis, Maryland An alley or alleyway is a narrow, pedestrian lane found in urban areas which usually run between or behind buildings. ... It has been suggested that Drunk driving (United States) be merged into this article or section. ... A summons is a legal document issued by a court (a judicial summons) or by an administrative agency of government (an administrative summons) for various purposes. ... The Chicago Police Department arrests a man An arrest is the action of the police, or person acting under the law, to take a person into custody so that they may be forthcoming to answer for the commission of a crime. ... A moving violation is any violation of the law, committed by the driver of a vehicle, while it is in motion. ...

Types of lanes

• A traffic lane or travel lane is a lane for the movement of vehicles traveling from one destination to another, not including shoulders and auxiliary lanes.

• A through lane or thru lane is a traffic 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) in which vehicles travel.

• A fire lane is the area next to a curb, 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 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.

• A merge lane is a lane or onramp used to merge two flows of traffic into one, with the merge lane being the lane that disappears at the end of the merging area. Merge lane lengths depend mainly on the speed differential of the two merging flows, as the slower flow has to use the lane to accelerate.

• 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 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 and/or symbol markings on the pavement and "BIKE LANE" signs.

• A bus lane is reserved for buses providing public transportation on a fixed route, sometimes with overhead catenary for trolleybuses. In some countries, bus lanes may also be used by some other traffic, such as taxis, bicycles and motorbikes.

• A reversible lane, 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 ignored 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 that are manually rearranged by work crews before and after rush hour.

• A truck lane typically separates from high-speed traffic and other mixed-flow traffic and allows for the exclusive use of trucks. These lanes are designed to optimize pavement performance, minimize pavement fatigue, and improve highway safety.

A curb or kerb is the edge where a raised sidewalk, road median, or road shoulder meets an unraised street or other roadway. ... Firefighter with an axe A firefighter, sometimes still called a fireman though women have increasingly joined firefighting units, is a person who is trained and equipped to put out fires, rescue people and in some areas provide emergency medical services. ... This page discusses common devices known as tools, for other meanings see Tool (disambiguation) Modern hammer A tool is, among other things, a device that provides a mechanical or mental advantage in accomplishing a task. ... An ambulance is an emergency vehicle designated for the transport of anyone who due to disease or injury is in need of medical treatment and/or monitoring throughout transportation. ... Underground parking garage at the University of Minnesota. ... Red may be any of a number of similar colors at the lowest frequencies of light discernible by the human eye. ... Ticket (unseperated) of the Kurkino in Berchtesgaden CeBIT Home 1998 student day ticket with barcode Ticket can mean one of several things: // Permission A ticket is a voucher to indicate that one has paid for admission to a theatre, movie theater, amusement park, zoo, museum, concert, or other attraction, or... Diagram showing lanes and road layout, with Irish road markings. ... A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ... A grade (or gradient) is the pitch of a slope, and is often expressed as a percent tangent, or rise over run. It is used to express the steepness of slope on a hill, roof, or road, where zero indicates level (with respect to gravity) and increasing numbers correlate to... The Trikke is a Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) This article is about the means of transport. ... A hill in Hungary with a hillside vintage garden For the landform that extends less than 600 metres above the surrounding terrain and that is smaller than a mountain, see the mountain article. ... High-capacity freeway interchange in Los Angeles, California. ... A differential can mean one of several things: Differential (mathematics) Differential (mechanics) Differential signaling is used to carry high speed digital signals. ... Category: ... Motorway symbol in UK, France and Ireland. ... In the field of road transport, a road junction is a place where two or more roads either meet or cross. ... An inclined plane is a plane surface set at an angle, other than a right angle, against a horizontal surface. ... An interchange is a location where two things meet, usually perform some kind of exchange, and possibly go on their ways again. ... ... A hard shoulder or simply shoulder is a reserved area alongside the verge of a road or motorway. ... Breakdown may refer to: Electrical breakdown Chemical breakdown Biological decomposition Nervous breakdown Societal breakdown A breakdown is a statement explaining the details of something such as a bill or cost of a plan A script breakdown for a play, film, or comic book Breakdown (album), by Melissa Etheridge. ... An emergency vehicle is any vehicle that responds to an emergency. ... Rural area in Dalarna, Sweden Qichun, a rural town in Hubei province, China Rural areas (also referred to as the country, countryside) are sparsely settled places away from the influence of large cities. ... Sleep is the state of natural rest observed in most mammals, birds, fish, as well as invertebrates such as the fruitfly Drosophila. ... A permanent, separated high-occupancy vehicle lane on I-91 in Connecticut A high occupancy vehicle (or HOV) is any vehicle with a driver and one or more (or sometimes two or more, or three or more) passengers. ... Carpooling (also known as ride-sharing, lift-sharing and car sharing), is shared use of a car, in particular for commuting to work, often by people who each have a car but travel together to save costs and in the interest of other socio-environmental benefits mentioned below. ... Highway A high-occupancy toll (HOT) is a toll enacted on single-occupant vehicles who wish to use lanes or entire roads that are designated for the use of high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs, also known as carpools). ... The word toll has several meanings. ... A privilege—etymologically private law or law relating to a specific individual—is an honour, or permissive activity granted by another person or a government. ... The word turn can mean: Look up turn in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The term intersection can mean: a road junction, where two roads intersect each other, such as a roundabout intersection; in mathematics, the set in which two or more other sets intersect each other; see intersection (set theory); a movie; see Intersection (movie). ... A stoplight in Mexico City. ... Nighttime traffic captured by a camera over several seconds. ... This article or section should include material from Cycle path debate Segregated cycle facilities may consist of a separate road, track, path or lane that is designated for use by cyclists and from which motorised traffic is generally excluded. ... This mountain bicycle features oversized tires, a sturdy frame, front shock absorbers, and handlebars oriented perpendicular to the bikes axis Bicycle may also refer to Bicycle Playing Cards. ... Bus Only Road Sign in Taiwan (This sign was also for bus lanes, now with a separate sign) Bus Lane Sign in Taiwan A bus (only) lane is a lane on a road restricted to buses, and possibly high occupancy vehicles, bicycles, emergency vehicles or taxicabs. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A taxi serving as a bus Public transport comprises all transport systems in which the passengers do not travel in their own vehicles. ... In mathematics, the catenary is the shape of a hanging flexible chain or cable when supported at its ends and acted upon by a uniform gravitational force (its own weight). ... Å koda 14 Tr trolleybus in Vilnius A trolleybus (also known as electric bus, trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tram or simply trolley) is a bus powered by two overhead electric wires, from which it draws electricity using two trolley poles. ... Taxicab, short forms taxi or cab, is a type of public transport for a single passenger, or small group of passengers, typically for a non-shared ride. ... This article is becoming very long. ... A motorcycle (or motorbike) is a two-wheeled vehicle powered by an engine. ... The Lions Gate Bridge from the south end in Stanley Park, Vancouver. ... Prism splitting light Light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that is visible to the eye (visible light) or, in a technical or scientific context, electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength [citation needed]. The elementary particle that defines light is the photon. ... Rush hour at Tokyo Station, Yamanote Line A rush hour is a part of the day with busy traffic and hence traffic congestion on the roads and crowded public transport; normally the two periods in a day when people are travelling to or from work or school. ... The hour (symbol: h) is a unit of time. ... Historically, a suicide lane has referred to a lane in the center of a highway meant for passing in both directions. ... Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ... A railing accidentally collapses at a college football game, spilling fans onto the sidelines An accident is something going wrong unexpectedly. ... In physics, collision means the action of bodies striking or coming together (touching). ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Contraflow lane reversal is a program designed for quick emergency evacuation of an area. ...

Lane markings

Main article: Road surface marking

A typical rural American freeway (Interstate 5 in the Central Valley of California). Notice the yellow line on the left, the dashed white line in the middle, and the solid white line on the right. There is also a "rumble strip" on the shoulder which is not easy to see here.

Painted lane markings vary widely from country to country. In the United States, yellow lines separate traffic going opposite directions and white separates lanes of traffic traveling the same direction, but this is not the case in many European countries. Road surface marking is any kind of device or material that is used on a road surface to convey official information. ... A typical stretch of Interstate 5 in the Central Valley of California. ... A typical stretch of Interstate 5 in the Central Valley of California. ... A freeway is a type of highway that is designed for safer high-speed operation of motor vehicles through the elimination of at-grade intersections. ... Interstate 5 (abbreviated I-5) is the westernmost interstate highway in the continental United States. ... The California Central Valley The California Central Valley dominates the central portion of the state of California. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

Medians or central reservations

Besides a painted line, lanes of traffic moving in opposing directions can also be separated by any of the following:

• grass strip or ditch
• a central turning lane that allows vehicles to turn into driveways or streets on the opposite side of the road without stopping traffic
• a wide paved area with special paint markings indicating that it should never be crossed
• metal guard rail (or guide rail) affixed to metal or wooden posts
• cable barriers
• concrete barriers, such as Jersey barriers

Such separations between opposing traffic are referred to as a median in American English and as a central reservation in British English. A Jersey barrier was originally developed to divide multiple lanes on a highway by the state of New Jersey in the United States. ... English language spread in the United States. ... The second proper album of Beth Orton, Central Reservation helped Orton build on the success of her debut Trailer Park. ... Diagram showing the geographical locations of selected languages and dialects of the British Isles. ...

History

For much of human history, roads did not need lane markings because most people walked or rode horses at relatively slow speeds. Another reason for not using lane markings is that they are expensive to maintain.

However, when automobiles, trucks, and buses came into widespread use during the first two decades of the 20th century, it became common for drivers to get into head-on collisions, or to literally run each other off the road. Standard wrong-way sign package used on all freeway off-ramps in California (and since copied by other states such as Georgia and Virginia). ...

Without the visual feedback provided by lane markings, novice drivers in the early days often erred in favor of keeping closer to the middle of the road, rather than risk going off-road into ditches or trees^{[citation needed]}. Unfortunately, this practice often left inadequate room for opposing traffic to go by.

There are two people who have been credited with the invention of lane markings. In 1911, Edward Hines, the chairman of the Road Commission of Wayne County, Michigan was trying to figure out how to make the roads safer. He supposedly came up with the idea of painting stripes to separate lanes of traffic after riding behind a milk truck that leaked milk onto the center of the road, leaving a stripe. Wayne County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. ...

Meanwhile in California, June McCarroll, a physician based in Indio, started experimenting with painting lines on roads in 1917 after she was personally run off a highway by an inexperienced truck driver. In November 1924, after years of lobbying by Dr. McCarroll and her allies, California officially adopted a policy of painting lines on its highways. A portion of Interstate 10 near Indio has been named the Dr. June McCarroll Memorial Freeway in her honor. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... June McCarroll was a nurse (later a doctor) with the Southern Pacific Railroad in the early 20th Century who is credited with the simple but revolutionary idea of delineating busy highways with a painted line separating lanes of traffic, a safety standard now in use all over the world. ... The Doctor by Samuel Luke Fildes This article is about the term physician, a type of doctor; for other uses of the word doctor see Doctor (disambiguation). ... Indio, California, is a U.S. city located in the Coachella Valley of Southern Californias desert region. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Interstate 10 (abbreviated I-10) is the southernmost east-west, coast-to-coast interstate highway in the United States. ...

By 1939, lane markings had become so popular that they were officially standardized throughout the United States, and they were soon copied by countries all over the world. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

See also

• Lane departure warning system.
• Road surface marking