# What is the point of these UK road markings?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-these-uk-road-markings/436661>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 7, 2008, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-these-uk-road-markings/436661 "2008-02-07T10:44:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-these-uk-road-markings/436661/41 "2008-02-08T14:49:50Z")

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Carriageway? Roadway?

What’s the difference?

Do you still have carriages? (Got any pictures? No, besides that fancy one of the Queenie’s!)

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**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-these-uk-road-markings/436661/42 "2008-02-08T14:58:57Z")

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Carriageway = roadway. So divided highway = dual carriageway, and two-lane road = single carriageway. The terms have a legal meaning, as the speed limits are different: 70 on a dual carriageway and 60 on a single. And these change from one to the other when the road changes, with no signs required.

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**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-these-uk-road-markings/436661/43 "2008-02-08T15:09:50Z")

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Carriageway is only used in common language to refer to parts of the road where there are two or more lanes of traffic in each direction. They’re not always motorways, which so the speed limit on them varies.

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**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-these-uk-road-markings/436661/44 "2008-02-08T21:19:51Z")

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London’s main roads often display inexplicable widenings and narrowings again, legacy of various plans, e.g. the Inner London Motorway Box, which have been promulgated and abandoned over the years as political and social engineering fashions turned

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