carriageway

Thân thiện

A car travels along the carriageway of a wide motorway.

Definition

Noun: 1. The part of a road or highway that carries vehicular traffic in one direction: A carriageway is one of the separate roadways on a divided highway or motorway, designed for traffic moving in a single direction. It typically consists of multiple lanes. 2. The paved surface of a road intended for vehicles: In a broader sense, it can refer to the entire roadway surface on which vehicles travel, especially in contexts where it is not divided.

Usage and Examples

• Referring to one side of a divided highway:
  • The accident blocked two lanes of the northbound carriageway.
  • After the junction, the road becomes a dual carriageway.
• Referring to the roadway surface (more common in British English):
  • Cyclists should keep to the left of the carriageway.

Advanced Usage

• Dual carriageway: A road with a central reservation (median) separating two carriageways for traffic moving in opposite directions. This is a specific compound term.
  • The old road was upgraded to a dual carriageway to improve safety and traffic flow.
• Single carriageway: A road where traffic in both directions shares the same paved surface without a central divider.
  • The route includes long stretches of winding single carriageway.

Variants and Related Words

• Roadway: A more general synonym for the part of a road used by vehicles.
• Lane: A subdivision of a carriageway for a single line of vehicles.
• Motorway (UK) / Freeway (US): A type of high-speed road that always has separate carriageways.
• Central reservation (UK) / Median (US): The barrier or strip of land separating two carriageways.

Synonyms

• Roadway
• Highway (in some contexts)
• Pavement (in engineering contexts, not for pedestrian use)

Notes on Meaning

The primary and most specific meaning of "carriageway" is one side of a divided highway. Its secondary meaning as the general vehicular part of any road is chiefly used in British English. The word itself does not imply a specific number of lanes; this is indicated by terms like "single" or "dual" carriageway.

Học thuật

Noun

1. one of the two sides of a motorway where traffic travels in one direction only usually in two or three lanes