There are lots of road signs and designations that you need to be aware of when you’re learning to drive. Some of these might be completely unfamiliar to you. One example of that is the urban clearway. Urban clearways signs need to be understood if you’re learning how to drive, and you can find all of the information you require below, so read on now.
Where are urban clearways found?
As the name suggests, urban clearways are most commonly found in urban areas. They might be in busy central urban locations where local authorities don’t want parked vehicles holding up traffic and stopping other vehicles from getting by. You will notice the urban clearway sign telling you you are now on a clearway.
When you enter one of these urban clearways, your vehicle is not allowed to stop on the road or at the side of the road either. Vehicles have to keep moving and not park up at all.
Period of operation
Urban clearway signs will usually have days and times printed on them to give you details of when the no stopping rule is enforceable. This period of operation might be during the entire working day, but it’s more commonly limited to busy times during rush hour.
So, the sign might tell you that you can’t stop between 8 am and 9.30 am, as well as between 4 pm and 6 pm. That’s just an example and it will vary from place to place. It will also give you the days when those periods of operation apply, such as Monday to Friday.
Exceptions
There are some exceptions to the rule in most circumstances. For example, even though you can’t park up and stop for a long time, it is true that you can stop briefly to pick someone up or to quickly drop off a passenger.
However, it’s important to be careful that you’re not parked up waiting for someone for too long because you don’t want to get a ticket for doing so.
Related road markings
There aren’t any road markings associated with urban clearways, and this is something that can confuse a lot of people.
However, just because there are no road markings, that doesn’t mean the rules don’t apply to you and other drivers. It simply means that you need to look at the signs and pay attention to what they’re telling you. These signs are repeated along the road, so there are no excuses for missing them.
End signs
When the urban clearway ends, there will be a sign that displays the word ‘End’, making it clear to all road users that cars can now pull over and stop, as long as the road markings on that stretch of the road allow them to.
Once the urban clearways end sign is reached, the rules that applied before it no longer apply. These are clearly displayed and can’t be missed.
It’s important to know about and understand urban clearways if you want to get your license and become a safe and careful driver. It might seem like a small thing, but it’s the knowledge that will help you when you’re behind the wheel.
