From
Wikipedia, at this
link...
Lane width
Assumed widths and heights in road design (in meters)
The widths of vehicle lanes typically vary from 2.7 to 4.6 m (9 to 15 ft). Lane widths are commonly narrower on low volume roads and wider on higher volume roads. The lane width depends on the assumed maximum vehicle width, with an additional space to allow for lateral motion of the vehicle
In the
United States, the maximum truck width had been 8 ft (
2.4 m) in the
Code of Federal Regulations of 1956, which exactly matched then standard
shipping container width. The maximum truck width was increased in 1976 to 102 in (
2.59 m) to harmonize with the slightly larger metric
2.6 m (102.4 in) world standard width. The same applies to standards in Europe, which increased the allowable width of road vehicles to a current maximum of
2.55 m (100.4 in) for most trucks, and
2.6 m (102.4 in) for refrigerator trucks. T
hese widths do not include side mirrors, but only the vehicle body. The
minimum extra space had been 0.20 m (7.9 in) and it is currently assumed to be a
t least 0.25 m (9.8 in) on each side. The international standard allows roads with less traffic to add a second or third lower width lane in the same direction for cars
1.75 m (69 in) – those that have been built exclude trucks from these narrower lanes; however lower width lanes are not a recommended design principle for new roads, as it could be dangerous if traffic becomes heavier in future.
In the United States, the
Interstate Highway standards for the
Interstate Highway System use a 12 ft (
3.7 m) standard lane width, while narrower lanes are used on lower classification roads. In Europe, laws and road widths vary by country; the
minimum widths of lanes are generally between 2.5 to 3.25 m (8.2 to 10.7 ft). The federal
Bundesstraße interurban network in Germany defines a minimum of
3.5 m (140 in) for each lane for the smallest two lane roads, with an a
dditional 0.25 m (9.8 in) on the outer sides and
shoulders being at least 1.5 m (59 in) on each side. A modern
Autobahn divided highway with two lanes per direction has lanes
3.75 m (12.3 ft) wide with an
additional clearance of 0.50 m (20 in) on each side; with three lanes per direction this becomes
3.75 m (12.3 ft) for the rightmost lane and 3.5 m (11 ft) for the other lanes. Urban access roads and roads in
low-density areas may have lanes as narrow as 2.50 m (8.2 ft) in width per lane,
occasionally with shoulders roughly 1 m (39 in) wide.
From
link.
Heavy Truck C
A commercial vehicle having a weight, when unloaded, of three (3) tonnes or more or, when loaded, of five (5) tonnes or more, and includes a school bus longer than eight (8) metres and a road building machine, but does not include a passenger vehicle, an ambulance or any vehicle of a police or fire department.
The most common regulation we implement on (predominantly) local residential streets is "No Heavy Trucks". This regulation applies at all times. On some higher capacity roads with predominantly residential properties we will implement a "No Heavy Trucks, 7:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M." regulation. This time-specific regulation is intended to prevent heavy trucks from travelling on the road in the evening and overnight hours when the noise created by these vehicles is disturbing to residents.
Both forms of this regulation come with a necessary exemption that stipulates the prohibition does not apply to any vehicle actually engaged in making a delivery or a collection from a premises which cannot be reached except by way of a road or portion of road where heavy trucks are prohibited, but they may only travel on that road to the extent that is unavoidable in getting to/from that premises. If this exemption was not in place residents or businesses on that street could not legally receive deliveries or servicing (garbage pick-up as an example).
The intent of the heavy truck prohibition is to prevent heavy trucks from using the street as a cut-through route to avoid traffic congestion on major arterial roads, not to prevent or inconvenience heavy trucks with a legitimate reason from being on the street or in the neighbourhood.
Large vehicles
In some circumstances where a public thoroughfare is too narrow to safely accommodate vehicles of a larger size, we will implement a "No Vehicles Over 2.0 metres In Width" regulation. In most circumstances this regulation is applied in public lanes/alleys where the width is about 3 metres in width and larger vehicles could potentially cause damage to adjacent buildings/properties.
Weight restrictions generally do not apply on any of our public roads. However, a restriction to vehicles less than 5 tonnes is in effect on some roads/bridges along park roads.
Delivery vehicles
The only other regulation directly impacting on trucking/delivery activity is the "No Standing" regulation. No standing regulations are specifically intended to prohibit vehicle from stopping to deliver or pick-up merchandise. No vehicle, regardless of size, making a delivery or pick-up of merchandise may legally stop to do so in an area identified as a "No Standing" zone during the times/days of the week the regulation is in effect.
A vehicle may only stop in these areas to pick-up or drop-off a passenger. Many of the arterial streets in the downtown core of Toronto have a standing prohibition in effect between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Monday to Friday to enhance transit operations through the city core.
From
link.
If a truck has a maximum width of 2.6m, why have traffic lanes in residential streets (those posted with the NO HEAVY TRUCKS signs) of 3.0m? Isn't 2.5 m sufficient? Wouldn't that also
force drivers to slow down? Why do we have residential streets that would support heavy tracker trailers, which shouldn't be on those streets (except for deliveries or collections) on a regular basis.
We already allow vehicles to be over the centre line in some circumstances, where the street is narrow.
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