[OSM-talk] Motorways and Motorway_link

[Lester Caine]

Richard Bullock wrote:
>> I stand corrected on the two direction sections BUT the examples you give 
>> ARE
>> motorway_links rather than motorway. Most of the links like this that I
>> frequent have now been divided with a barrier. And a word of warning the
>> 'Maximum speed' for a single carriageway road in the UK is 60 MPH. This
>> applies to these links up to the 'start of motorway' sign which may not be
>> actually at the end of the link - I've seen traffic cops with speed guns 
>> on a
>> couple of roads that merge into the motorway ;)
>>
> But motorway_link has usually been used to tag sliproads. These aren't 
> sliproads - it's the mainline of the motorway.
> http://pathetic.org.uk/current/a601m/photos/images/Dsc00055_jpg.jpg
> 
> The start of motorway sign is at the end of the link where it meets the 
> B-road in the case of the A601(M) - and the end nearest the Walton Summit 
> Industrial Estate in the other example.
> 
No argument with that. Except that These roads LINK the minor roads with the 
Main route of the motorway. They do not FORM the main route of the motorway 
since you still have to merge with the main traffic flow on the through route.

 > The 60mph limit for cars on single carriageways do not apply to "special
 > roads" - which is the legal term for motorways (and one or two other bits of
 > road like the A55 at Conwy - where you'll notice there are "70"mph signs
 > rather than the national speed limit sign). Instead, the "Motorways Traffic
 > (Speed Limit) Regulations 1974" apply to all motorways - defining the limit
 > to be 70mph for cars - regardless of whether it is single or dual
 > carriageway.

My comment about the speed limit was that the 60 applies ( or even less if a 
local limit applies on the approaching roads! ) UP TO the start of motorway 
sign and some of these link roads that is simply not at the 'start' of the 
road. At some point, if correct speed indication is to be provided for route 
planning, then the position of the actual start point is as important as 
placing a change of speed limit at the correct point?

-- 
Lester Caine - G8HFL
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