- Single track road
A single track road or one lane road is a
road that permits two way travel but is not wide enough to allow oncomingvehicle s to pass. This kind of road is common in rural areas across theUnited Kingdom . To accommodate two-way traffic, single track roads are generally provided with passing places (Scotland) or pullouts or turnouts (United States), or simply wide spots in the road, all of which may be scarcely longer than a typical vehicle using the road. The distance between points where passing is possible varies considerably, depending on the terrain and the volume of traffic on the road.ingle track roads in Scotland
The term is widely used in
Scotland , particularly the Highlands, to describe such roads. Passing places are generally marked with a diamond shaped white sign with the words 'passing place' upon it. New signs tend to be square rather than diamond shaped, as diamond signs are reserved for instructions to tram drivers in cities. On some roads, especially inArgyll and Bute , passing places may be marked with black and white striped posts. Signs remind drivers of slower vehicles to pull over into a passing place to let following vehicles pass, and most drivers oblige.Many A class and B class roads in the Highlands are still single track, although some sections are being widened for the sake of faster travel. Work is due to begin later
this year to upgrade the only remaining single-tracktrunk road , the A830 betweenArisaig and Loch nan Uamh. [http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/defaultpage1221cde0.aspx?pageID=180&rlID=72]ingle track roads in mountains
In remote
backcountry areas around the world, particularly in mountains, many roads are single track and unmarked. These include in theUnited States many forest service and logging roads. InPeru , the second of two overland transportation routes betweenCuzco andMadre de Dios Region , a 300km heavy truck route, is a single track road of gravel and dirt.Tactics
If lines of sight are long, and both drivers are familiar with the road, vehicles heading towards each other can adjust their speed so as to arrive at a wide spot at the same time and pass slowly, avoiding the need for either vehicle to stop.
When two vehicles meet head on, generally the drivers confer to decide in which direction lies the closest wide spot, and together they travel there, the lead vehicle necessarily in reverse gear.
In Scotland, it is customary for drivers to acknowledge each other with a wave, or flash of headlights at night. In the United States, it is customary to move the right hand to the top of the steering wheel, palm down, and raise 4 fingers.Fact|date=October 2008
See also
*
Trail
*Single track (rail)
*Sunken lane
*Reversible lane External links
* [http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usfeatures/singletrack/index.html Undiscovered Scotland article on driving single track roads] .
* [http://www.tireeimages.com/collections53.html Single Track Roads on the Isle of Tiree] .
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