Editing Lane (section)

{{Short description|Part of a carriageway meant for a single line of vehicles}}
{{about|that part of a carriageway used by a single line of traffic}}
{{Redirect2|Lanes|3 lane road|the collection of lanes in Brighton|The Lanes|2+1 roads|2+1 road}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2016}}
[[File:Montague Expressway.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Thru lanes indicated by arrows on [[Montague Expressway|California CR G4 (Montague Expressway)]] in [[Silicon Valley]] ]]
[[File:Ambulance lane.jpg|thumb|upright|An [[ambulance]] lane in [[Warsaw]], Poland]]

In [[road transport]], a '''lane''' is part of a [[roadway]] that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lane?show=0&t=1423069147|title=Lane – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary|work=merriam-webster.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204205108/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lane?show=0&t=1423069147|archive-date=February 4, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Most public roads ([[highways]]) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each direction, separated by [[lane markings]]. On multilane roadways and busier two-lane roads, lanes are designated with [[road surface marking]]s. Major highways often have two multi-lane roadways separated by a [[central reservation|median]].

Some roads and bridges that carry very low volumes of traffic are less than {{convert|15|ft|order=flip}} wide, and are only a single lane wide. Vehicles travelling in opposite directions must slow or stop to pass each other. In rural areas, these are often called [[country lane]]s. In urban areas, [[alley]]s are often only one lane wide. Urban and suburban one lane roads are often designated for [[one-way traffic]].