Minimum road widths in England

[Advancedrider]

I'm interested to know the minimum road width of a single carriageway designed for two vehicles to pass safely, rural road in Northamptonshire. It's Oakley road between Rushton Hall and Corby. It passes a Mick George site incidentally. I read somewhere that it does depend on regular expected traffic, a bus route for instance, and that this affects the minimum width the road designers/engineers should use. ?????

[nowster]

At a guess a practical limit would be somewhere around 6' 6" or 2m, but I don't think there is a legal minimum for an unclassified road.

This is in Wales: https://goo.gl/maps/1CCj29Lye2P2
Even Google's car couldn't negotiate it. (There's a fiercely tight bend on the far side.)

[Conekicker]

For two way traffic 5.5m, tight though that is. Below that you'd be looking at passing places, or more likely muddy verges, field accesses and driveways to partially pull on to for two vehicles to pass each other. But as nowster says, there's no legal minimum.

This one amuses me, given the bodged nature of the sign:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.66144 ... 6656?hl=en

[Advancedrider]

Please see my amended comment at the top, its two lanes not one !

[Vierwielen]

According to European (not just EU) agreements, the maximum width for normal motor vehicles is 2.6 metres. My understanding is that wider vehicles can be run subject to local regulations and if the road cannot accomodate vehiles of this width, then it must be appropriately signposted. By the same token, the bridges etc must have a clearance of 4.5 metres unless signposted to the contrary.

[Debaser]

See the diagram at the bottom of page 79 (Figure 7.1) of the attached document, which shows various carriageway widths and the types of vehicle which may pass at each width.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... treets.pdf

[JohnnyMo]

What is the width of "narrow lines" on motorways during roadworks ?
I don't think I would like to face oncoming traffic on a pair of "narrow lanes". Especially if the speed limit was above 30.

[A303Chris]

Manual for Streets, the national guidance for new roads with vehicle speeds below 37mph (60kph) details various widths on page 79.

4.1 metres is the minimum width for a car to pass a car.
4.8 metres is the minimum width for a car to pass a rigid vehicle.
5.5 metres is the minimum for a rigid vehicle to pass a rigid vehicle.

Although proceeding paragraph 6.5.7 on page 72 states a minimum width for a bus route is 6 metres and this is usually the minimum width if articulated lorries are expected.

However roads with vehicle speeds greater than 37 mph the minimum is 6 metres and recommended is 7.3 metres.

[A303Chris]

Manual for Streets, the national guidance for new roads with vehicle speeds below 37mph (60kph) details various widths on page 79.

4.1 metres is the minimum width for a car to pass a car.
4.8 metres is the minimum width for a car to pass a rigid vehicle.
5.5 metres is the minimum for a rigid vehicle to pass a rigid vehicle.

Although proceeding paragraph 6.5.7 on page 72 states a minimum width for a bus route is 6 metres and this is usually the minimum width if articulated lorries are expected.

However roads with vehicle speeds greater than 37 mph the minimum is 6 metres and recommended is 7.3 metres as per the DMRB

[KeithW]

What is the width of "narrow lines" on motorways during roadworks ?
I don't think I would like to face oncoming traffic on a pair of "narrow lanes". Especially if the speed limit was above 30.

Contraflow on motorways are rare these days, in fact I havent seen one for years.

There was a thread about this in 2014 - I believe the consensus was 2m (6ft 6")
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33448

On unclassified roads all bets are off, I encountered these 2 on holiday this year
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.87073 ... 6656?hl=en

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.64149 ... 6656?hl=en

[yen_powell]

Old Enclosure maps used to say that any newly set out carriageway should be 60 feet wide. Sounds a lot until you realise that this would usually be unsurfaced so you'd need a bit of room if it got rutted or boggy and you had to deviate round the worse bits, or you were going to drive herd animals along it.

[Vierwielen]

What is the width of "narrow lines" on motorways during roadworks ?
I don't think I would like to face oncoming traffic on a pair of "narrow lanes". Especially if the speed limit was above 30.

Uni-directional lanes in motorway roadworks often have a 2m/6'6" width limit. How many 4x4 drivers realise that their vehicle is over 2m wide? Also, if the vehicle is 1.99m wide (6'6.3"), is the law being contravened?

[orudge]

Contraflow on motorways are rare these days, in fact I havent seen one for years.

They've been a regular feature on the M90 for the past few years while the concrete surface has been progressively resurfaced. The central section of M90 of course features no hard shoulders, so a contraflow is the only practical option.

[Micro The Maniac]

Contraflow on motorways are rare these days, in fact I havent seen one for years.

I offer the M5 at the Oldbury Viaduct as a current example

[JohnnyMo]

What is the width of "narrow lines" on motorways during roadworks ?
I don't think I would like to face oncoming traffic on a pair of "narrow lanes". Especially if the speed limit was above 30.

Contraflow on motorways are rare these days, in fact I havent seen one for years.

There was a thread about this in 2014 - I believe the consensus was 2m (6ft 6")
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33448

I wasn't thinking about contraflows but a narrow S2 (4m wide)

[Berk]

Of course, on a rural narrow S2 (or S1.5), a more sensible approach is to pull back to the nearest widening or passing place to allow wide vehicles to pass.

Many years of touring holidays in the Lake District have taught me that’s the right thing to do. So it’s dismaying to see some drivers ‘stand their ground’ and try and inch forwards and past other vehicles like they would on any other suburban street.

I’m thinking on roads like the B5286 - perfectly sufficient for cars, not so much for buses, coaches, and the occasional tipper/truck/bin lorry.

[Helvellyn]

Old Enclosure maps used to say that any newly set out carriageway should be 60 feet wide. Sounds a lot until you realise that this would usually be unsurfaced so you'd need a bit of room if it got rutted or boggy and you had to deviate round the worse bits, or you were going to drive herd animals along it.

So that's why some roads have ridiculously wide verges?

[Ruperts Trooper]

What is the width of "narrow lines" on motorways during roadworks ?
I don't think I would like to face oncoming traffic on a pair of "narrow lanes". Especially if the speed limit was above 30.

Uni-directional lanes in motorway roadworks often have a 2m/6'6" width limit. How many 4x4 drivers realise that their vehicle is over 2m wide? Also, if the vehicle is 1.99m wide (6'6.3"), is the law being contravened?

Vehicle width is measured over the body width, not the mirror width - some brands of 4x4 quote the wrong measure, using the mirror width - very few cars/SUVs are over 2.0m body width.

[Ruperts Trooper]

Old Enclosure maps used to say that any newly set out carriageway should be 60 feet wide. Sounds a lot until you realise that this would usually be unsurfaced so you'd need a bit of room if it got rutted or boggy and you had to deviate round the worse bits, or you were going to drive herd animals along it.

So that's why some roads have ridiculously wide verges?

They're "drove roads" - used to walk animals and poultry to market, in some cases over long distances.

[M19]

I'm interested to know the minimum road width of a single carriageway designed for two vehicles to pass safely, rural road in Northamptonshire. It's Oakley road between Rushton Hall and Corby. It passes a Mick George site incidentally. I read somewhere that it does depend on regular expected traffic, a bus route for instance, and that this affects the minimum width the road designers/engineers should use. ?????

I tried this road once to travel from Rothwell to Corby, but I found it to be covered in mud and riddled with potholes, so I avoid.