Special Road - Motorways As Special Roads

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 drivers (except learners of Large Goods Vehicles (LGV)), agricultural vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, horseriders, invalid carriages, motorcycles 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 cars. There are different speed limits for coaches 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 mph (113 km/h) sign.