Which side is the slow lane and which is the fast lane on the highway?
1 Answers
Depending on the number of lanes, from left to right, they are sequentially designated as the overtaking lane, fast lane, and slow lane (travel lane). Overtaking lane: Located in the innermost (leftmost) lane of the highway. An overtaking lane is only set when the road meets the standards for a bidirectional six-lane highway. The overtaking lane is provided for vehicles that are overtaking or traveling at the required speed. However, some drivers occupy the overtaking lane for extended periods, forcing vehicles that need to overtake to do so from the relatively slower travel lane. This increases the speed difference between the overtaking vehicle and the vehicle being overtaken, raising the risk of accidents. Fast lane: In a two-lane same-direction configuration, the left lane is the fast lane, and the right lane is the slow lane. For three or more same-direction lanes, the leftmost lane is the fast lane, the middle lane is the travel lane, and the rightmost lane is the slow lane. The middle lane may also serve as a fast or slow lane, while the far right may only have a travel lane without a slow lane, or there may be no fast lane at all. Travel lanes and slow lanes can be designed separately, but fast lanes cannot be designed alone—meaning that in same-direction lanes, the presence of a fast lane implies the existence of a travel lane or slow lane. Slow lane (travel lane): A travel lane consists of lanes, which are sections designed for single-file vehicle traffic. Travel lanes include only driving lanes and overtaking lanes, excluding special-purpose lanes like steep slope lanes or speed change lanes. Due to their different functions, these are not counted as part of the travel lane. Therefore, in China, the width of a travel lane is calculated by multiplying the number of lanes by the lane width.