OK, this is a really stupid question, but…
When people speak of 6- (or 4- or 8- or whatever) lane roads, is that the total number of lanes going both ways? Or is it the number of lanes each way?
They’re referring to the total number of lanes, so a 6-lane highway has 3 lanes going each way.
IME people generally count the total number of lanes going both ways, but I personally find it silly, because if one side of the road has 2 lanes, it’s a good bet the other side does too.
Some roads that go into the middle of cities have movable barriers to accomodate rush hour traffic. So in the morning you might have four lanes going and and two going out, and vice-versa in the evening.