shoulder (road)

Shoulders have multiple uses, including:

• Emergency vehicles such as ambulances, fire trucks and police cars may use the shoulder to bypass traffic congestion in some countries.
• In the event of an emergency or breakdown, a motorist can pull into the shoulder to get out of the flow of traffic and obtain a greater degree of safety.
• Active traffic management, used on busy multi-lane roads, may allow 'hard shoulder running' by general traffic at reduced speeds during periods of high traffic volumes.
• In some places a "bus bypass shoulder" may be provided which allows bus services to pass stationary traffic.
• Paved shoulders provide additional space should a motorist need to take evasive action (such as avoiding a wrong-way driver) or need to recover control of their vehicle before a run-off-road collision occurs.
• In some rural areas without sidewalks, pedestrians and cyclists may be allowed to walk or ride on the shoulders.
• On curbed roadways, shoulders move the gutter away from the travel lanes which reduces the risk of aquaplaning, and reduces splash and spray of stormwater onto pedestrians using any adjacent sidewalk.
• Paved shoulders move water away from the roadway before it can infiltrate into the road's subbase, increasing the life expectancy of the road surface.
• Shoulders help provide extra structural support of the roadway.
• In some countries, when semi-truck drivers need sleep and there are no available parking spaces at truck stops and rest areas, either because there are no such facilities nearby or because all semi-truck parking spaces are filled to capacity, drivers may pull over to the highway shoulder and sleep in their truck cabin.
• In some countries, parking in the shoulder is not prohibited by the law, and mushroom and berry pickers commonly use them on roads going through a forest.

File:N11 road south of Newtownmountkennedy.jpg, dashed yellow lines demarcate hard shoulders on non-motorways, as can be seen along this dual carriageway on the N11.]]

The shoulder is usually slightly narrower than a full traffic lane. In some cases, particularly on older rural roadways, shoulders that initially existed were hardened with gravel rather than being paved with asphalt, tarmac or concrete. In Britain, motorway shoulders are now paved, but are still known as "hard shoulders". Older, gravel shoulders have sometimes been termed soft shoulders by comparison. Because the paved surface ends at that point, they are less safe if they need to be used for emergency manoeuvres. Notably, the section of Ontario Highway 401 between Windsor and London had soft shoulders with a sharp slope which was blamed for facilitating vehicle rollovers, if drivers accidentally drifted off the paved section of the road and then overreacted after hitting the gravel. Modern practice is to build a continuous paved shoulder whenever possible.{{cite web|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-58343268/carnage-alley-ontario-highway.html|title=Apps - Access My Library - Gale|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312123153/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-58343268/carnage-alley-ontario-highway.html|archive-date=2012-03-12}}

The US Federal Highway Administration encourages the placement of a Safety Edge—a 30° compacted taper on the end of the pavement drop-off—to ensure that any driver running off the edge of the roadway is better able to maintain control while trying to steer back onto the roadway. The Safety Edge is effective on roads where the shoulder is narrow or non-existent.{{cite web | url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/edc-1/safetyedge.cfm | title = Safety Edge Introduction - Every Day Counts | access-date = 2013-01-22 | author = Federal Highway Administration | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130108134702/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/everydaycounts/technology/safetyedge/intro.cfm | archive-date = 2013-01-08 }}

To save money, the shoulder was often not paved to the same thickness as the through lanes, so if vehicles were to attempt to use it as a through lane regularly, it would rapidly deteriorate. In Britain, shoulder running can occur during roadworks, and full depth construction is now standard. In some metro areas, road authorities also allow shoulders to be used as lanes at peak periods. However, rural shoulders often collect various bits of road debris that can make driving there less safe.

Drivers will sometimes drift into the shoulder when being overtaken by passing vehicles, particularly on two-lane roads. However, it is extremely unsafe, and in most jurisdictions illegal, to abuse the shoulder by 'undertaking' passing vehicles that are nearer the centre of the road.

On older roads, the shoulder may disappear for short periods, near exits or when going across or under bridges or tunnels where the cost savings were thought to outweigh the safety benefits of the shoulder. Some roads have a narrow shoulder for significant distances. This makes it difficult for large vehicles to pull into the hard shoulder altogether.

The Jingjintang Expressway in north-eastern China is an example of this phenomenon. Its shoulder is only {{convert|2.4|m|ft|1}} wide, which is not wide enough for some automobiles—a standard lane in the U.S. and UK is {{convert|3.7|m|ft|0}}. As a result, some motorists are unable to fully exit the mainline when they need to pull over, so they end up in a position that is halfway in the rightmost lane and only partly on the shoulder. The end result is often a traffic jam and occasionally a collision.

File:Metrobus shoulder bypass in Arlington, VA.jpg

In some jurisdictions in the United States and Canada, buses are allowed to drive on the shoulder to pass traffic jams, which is called a bus-only shoulder or bus-bypass shoulder (BBS);{{cite web | title = A shoulder to drive on | publisher = Traffic Technology Today | url = http://www.traffictechnologytoday.com/opinion.php?BlogID=109 | access-date = 2013-04-01 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130121144859/http://traffictechnologytoday.com/opinion.php?BlogID=109 | archive-date = 2013-01-21 }} the term "bus-only shoulder lane" is incorrect from a technical and legal standpoint.{{cite web|url=http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/teamtransit/docs/bosupdate.pdf|title=Bus-Only Shoulders (Minnesota Department of Transportation)|website=state.mn.us|access-date=4 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410063743/http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/teamtransit/docs/bosupdate.pdf|archive-date=10 April 2008}}

In Ontario, Highway 403 had its shoulders between Hurontario Street and Erin Mills Parkway widened in 2003 so they serve a dual purpose as bus lanes and accident lanes. In the Minneapolis–Saint Paul region of Minnesota, over {{Convert|270|mi|km|abbr=out|order=flip}} of shoulder have been designated for use by buses.{{cite web|url=http://www.metrocouncil.org/Directions/transit/transit2005/shoulders.htm|title=Bus-Only Shoulders in Minneapolis-St. Paul|website=metrocouncil.org|access-date=4 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928094439/http://www.metrocouncil.org/Directions/transit/transit2005/shoulders.htm|archive-date=28 September 2007}} The Route 9 BBS in Central New Jersey which runs along two stretches of shoulders are dedicated for exclusive bus use during peak hours.{{cite press release | title = NJDOT to open Route 9 Bus shoulder lanes in Old Bridge | publisher = New Jersey Department of Transportation | date = November 29, 2006 | url = http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/press/2006/112906.shtm | access-date = 2012-03-03 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130923182349/http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/press/2006/112906.shtm | archive-date = September 23, 2013 }}{{Citation | title = Synthesis 64: Bus shoulder lanes | publisher = Transportation Research Board of the National Academies | year = 2007 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=TTkuHTXVuXkC&pg=PA8 | isbn = 9780309097673}} The bus lanes, which run for approximately {{convert|3|mi|km|order=flip}}, are the first component of a planned {{convert|20|mi|km|adj=on|order=flip}} BBS corridor.{{cite web | last = Baldwin | first = Zoe | title = New Jersey gradually clearing away obstacles to bus rapid transit | work = Mobilizing the Region | publisher = Tri-State Transportation Campaign | date = July 10, 2009 | url = http://blog.tstc.org/2009/07/10/nj-gradually-clearing-away-obstacles-to-bus-rapid-transit/ | access-date = 2014-04-04 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090713064914/http://blog.tstc.org/2009/07/10/nj-gradually-clearing-away-obstacles-to-bus-rapid-transit/ | archive-date = July 13, 2009 }} In the Chicago area, Pace buses are authorised to use the shoulder of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, Edens Expressway, and Stevenson Expressway to avoid delays from traffic congestion.{{Cite web|url=https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/05/22/pace-buses-edens-expressway-shoulder/|title=Pace Buses To Start Using Shoulders On Edens|date=2017-05-22|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-15}}

In the Seattle area, Community Transit and Sound Transit Express commuter buses are authorised to use the shoulders of Interstate 5 and Interstate 405 on small segments in Snohomish County as part of a pilot project that aims to reduce delayed bus trips.{{cite news |last=Garnick |first=Coral |date=October 3, 2015 |title=Jammed-up I-405 prompting some buses to run on the shoulder |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/some-buses-will-take-i-405-shoulders-on-jammed-up-mornings/ |newspaper=The Seattle Times |access-date=June 3, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818140322/http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/some-buses-will-take-i-405-shoulders-on-jammed-up-mornings/ |archive-date=August 18, 2016 }}

There are also some bus-bypass shoulders in the United Kingdom, on the motorways of Northern Ireland heading towards Belfast and the M90 motorway in Scotland towards Edinburgh.

File:Interstate 405 northbound shoulder bypass near Bothell, WA.jpg near Seattle, Washington, U.S.]]

File:M42 traffic management gantries - geograph.org.uk - 632192.jpg, with lowered speed limits and hard-shoulder running, as seen on the matrix Variable Message Sign (VMS) on the left.]]

In the United Kingdom, usage of the hard shoulder is known as "hard shoulder running". A pilot project on an {{convert|11|mi|km|adj=on|order=flip}} stretch of the M42 motorway, near Birmingham, began in September 2006. Active traffic management with special signage, new laybys and a controlled variable speed limit have been put in place to improve safety. This has proved very successful, with journey times decreasing by 26% northbound and 9% southbound. Drivers can also better predict their journey times as the variability decreased by 27%. The average accident rate dropped from 5.2 to 1.5 per month.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7061188.stm Extra lane' plan to be extended] BBC News It has also proved popular with motorists, 60% of whom want to see it expanded to other English motorways.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} This 'smart motorway' system has been expanded to the M6,[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-12814297 Hard shoulders opens on busy M6 by Birmingham] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630115847/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-12814297|date=2017-06-30}} BBC News M1[http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-projects/m1-junction-10-13-improvements/ Highways Agency M1 Junction 10-13 Project status] {{webarchive|url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140207102850/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-projects/m1-junction-10-13-improvements/|date=2014-02-07}} Highways Agency and M25,[http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-projects/m25-junctions-23-27-managed-motorways/ Highways Agency M25 Junction 23-37 Project status] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820092620/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-projects/m25-junctions-23-27-managed-motorways|date=2013-08-20}} Highways Agency as well as parts of the M60 and M62.{{cite web|url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/news/pressrelease.aspx?pressreleaseid=418738|title=Page not found – News - Highways England|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418221414/http://www.highways.gov.uk/news/pressrelease.aspx?pressreleaseid=418738|archive-date=2012-04-18}}

In the United States, on Interstate 93 between Exit 35 (formerly 41){{Cite web|title=Google Maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5972866,-71.1689615,3a,15y,349.05h,89.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spgimgK3Sbf6pyWtgHVvBqw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192|access-date=2021-04-13|website=Google Maps|language=en}} and Exit 43 (formerly 46){{Cite web|title=Google Maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6975591,-71.2094241,3a,15.1y,195.45h,88.4t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZxnop7fAtk61wHdZNNv9nw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192|access-date=2021-04-13|website=Google Maps|language=en}} and SR 3 between Exit 27 (formerly 12){{Cite web|title=Google Maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1117949,-70.7717212,3a,15.3y,319.07h,87.54t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1suTHC2ajTAblhh5y3F0YLIA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192|access-date=2021-04-13|website=Google Maps|language=en}} and Exit 38 (formerly 16){{Cite web|title=Google Maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1847949,-70.9265087,3a,24.1y,124.92h,91.29t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1szKEBPUxsFcpN7tK76EiDpQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192|access-date=2021-04-13|website=Google Maps|language=en}} in the Boston metro area, cars are allowed to use the shoulder as they would a normal lane during morning and evening rush hours. The same scheme is employed elsewhere, such as on Interstate 580 in California on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, and on Interstate 405 between SR 527 and I-5 in Bothell.{{cite news |last=Gutman |first=David |date=May 4, 2017 |title=New I-405 shoulder lane reduces northbound travel times — for now |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/new-i-405-shoulder-lane-has-reduced-northbound-travel-times-at-least-for-now/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=April 10, 2019}}

File:Interstate 4 Hurricane Milton evacuation ESU.jpg

Florida has developed a plan for the use of inside shoulders by moving traffic during hurricane evacuations on portions of Interstate 4 (eastbound from Tampa to Celebration), Interstate 10 (westbound from Jacksonville to Tallahassee), Interstate 75 (northbound from Naples to I-10; both directions from Naples to Ft. Lauderdale), Interstate 95 (northbound from West Palm Beach to near Jacksonville), Florida's Turnpike (northbound from Boynton Beach to Kissimmee and Winter Garden to I-75), and Florida State Road 528 (westbound through rural Orange County).{{cite AV media |date=2024-10-07 |title= Emergency Shoulder Use (ESU) Video|type=video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdI2vaZXKU4 |access-date=2024-10-19|time-caption=01:32-04:30 |publisher=Florida Department of Transportation District 5}}{{cite web|title=Emergency Shoulder Use (ESU)|url=http://fdot.gov/emergencymanagement/esu/|publisher=Florida Department of Transportation|access-date=10 September 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911025153/http://fdot.gov/emergencymanagement/esu/|archive-date=11 September 2017}}{{cite news|last1=Roustan|first1=Wayne|title=State introducing new hurricane evacuation plan this year|url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/transportation/fl-hurricane-one-way-evacuations-20170518-story.html|access-date=10 September 2017|work=Sun-Sentinel|date=26 May 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911024607/http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/transportation/fl-hurricane-one-way-evacuations-20170518-story.html|archive-date=11 September 2017}} Florida's ESU plan prohibits trucks, busses, and trailers from driving on the shoulder and limits the speed limit to 50 mph on the shoulder, which is typically only {{convert|10|ft}} wide compared to the standard {{convert|12|ft}} width of highway travel lanes and contains rumble strips. The shoulder-use plan was implemented in place of labour- and resource-intensive contraflow lane reversal, in which both sides of an interstate highway are used for one direction of traffic.

The first implementation of the plan occurred on 8–9 September 2017 before the arrival of Hurricane Irma.{{cite news|last1=Travis|first1=Scott|title=Shoulder use allowed on parts of I-75 for Hurricane Irma evacuations|url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/fl-hurricane-irma-i-75-shoulder-20170908-story.html|access-date=10 September 2017|work=Sun-Sentinel|date=8 September 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910212152/http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/fl-hurricane-irma-i-75-shoulder-20170908-story.html|archive-date=10 September 2017}}{{cite news|last1=Roustan|first1=Wayne|title=Hurricane Irma: I-4 shoulder opened to Tampa evacuees|url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/fl-reg-hurricane-irma-shoulders-open-20170909-story.html|access-date=10 September 2017|work=Sun-Sentinel|date=9 September 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910004707/http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/fl-reg-hurricane-irma-shoulders-open-20170909-story.html|archive-date=10 September 2017}}{{cite news|last1=Wright|first1=Pam|last2=Cheney|first2=Eric|title=Florida Air Travel Begins Shutdown; Shoulder Lanes Opened on I-75 as Thousands Flee Hurricane Irma|work=The Weather Channel|publisher=The Weather Company|date=8 September 2017}} Florida implemented ESU again in October 2024 prior to the arrival of Hurricane Milton, which underwent explosive intensification from a Category 1 into a Category 5 hurricane two days before its forecast landfall on the west central Gulf Coast of Florida as a major hurricane which prompted a large evacuation from the Tampa Bay and Sarasota-Bradenton areas.{{cite news |last1=Phillips |first1=Garrett |title=Emergency Shoulder Use authorized for those evacuating in Florida |url=https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/emergency-shoulder-use-authorized-for-those-evacuating-in-florida/ |access-date=8 October 2024 |work=WFLA News Channel 8 |date=7 October 2024}}{{Cite tweet |author=Florida Department of Transportation |author-link=Florida Department of Transportation |user=MyFDOT |number=1843361112542048510 |date=7 October 2024 |title=To help facilitate evacuations for #HurricaneMilton, Emergency Shoulder Use (ESU) plans are actively being put in place for Eastbound I-4 and portions of Northbound I-75. Law enforcement and signage will alert motorists on when to enter and exit the shoulder. Learn more about ESU by watching this video: http://bit.ly/3YbhTAi |access-date=8 October 2024 |link= |url-status=live |archive-url= |archive-date= }} Texas has also considered emergency shoulder use for hurricane evacuations.

Although direct rear impacts only make up 3% of motorist-on-cyclist collisions,{{citation needed|date=April 2016}} they are a more prominent collision type in arterial road type situations. When they occur in such circumstances, they are also associated with significantly increased risk of fatality. Data collated by the OECD indicates that rural locations account for 35% or more of cycling fatalities in Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Japan, the Netherlands, and Spain.Figure IV.7 Pedestrian and cyclist accidents by road type. RS7:Safety of Vulnerable Road Users, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, August 1998

The use of appropriately designed segregated space on arterial or interurban routes appears to be associated with reductions in overall risk. In Ireland, the provision of hard shoulders on interurban routes in the 1970s reportedly resulted in a 50% decrease in accidents.The bicycle, a study of efficiency usage and safety., D.F. Moore, An Foras Forbatha, Dublin 1975 It is reported that the Danes have also found that separate cycle tracks lead to a reduction in rural collisions.[http://www.vejdirektoratet.dk/publikationer.asp?page=document&objno=17291 Collection of Cycle Concepts] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927032822/http://www.vejdirektoratet.dk/publikationer.asp?page=document&objno=17291 |date=2007-09-27 }}, Danish Roads Directorate, Copenhagen, 2000

In some countries, the use of shoulders is optional for cyclists, who may choose not to use it for reasons such as: it being too narrow, inviting dangerously close passes at high speed by motorists; it having a road surface unsuitable for cycling or putting the path of the cyclist in direct conflict with the paths of other road users, such as those turning across the shoulder. Generally, the usable width of the road begins where one can ride without increased danger of falls, jolts or blowouts. A road may have a gravel shoulder, its edge may be covered with sand or trash and the pavement may be broken.{{cite web |url=http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/chapter2a.htm |title=Where to ride on the road |access-date=2014-09-04 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141004175554/http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/chapter2a.htm |archive-date=2014-10-04 }}

In a similar manner to Canada, Italy and the United States, the shoulders located on the side of Australia's highways are normally used as an emergency lane in the case of a breakdown or by emergency vehicles in the case of road congestion. However, no mandatory regulations exist to wear a high-visibility jacket when dismounting from the vehicle stopped in an emergency lane.

A recent study conducted by the National Coroners Information System (NCIS) in Australia{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncis.org.au/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120221192843/http://ncis.org.au/|url-status=dead|title= National Coroners Information System, NCIS - Home|archive-date=February 21, 2012}} has revealed 29 closed case fatalities (and at least a dozen case fatalities still under coronial investigation) that had been reported to Australian coroners where a person was "struck in an emergency lane after their vehicle had stopped" between July 2000 and November 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.ncis.org.au/web_pages/FACT-SHEET%20-%20Deaths%20in%20emergency%20lanes%20-%20final.pdf|title=Deaths in Emergency Lanes - National Coroners Information System (NCIS) Fact-Sheet, January 2011|website=ncis.org.au|access-date=4 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121055208/http://www.ncis.org.au/web_pages/FACT-SHEET%20-%20Deaths%20in%20emergency%20lanes%20-%20final.pdf|archive-date=21 November 2011}}

File:California Shoulder Line Break.jpg

The right-hand shoulder is separated by a solid white line, and the left-hand shoulder (if the road is one-way, such as part of a divided highway) is separated from the leftmost through lane by a solid yellow line. On many roads, the lines are supplemented by reflective raised pavement markers or rumble strips to provide additional visual and tactile feedback to drivers crossing the lines.

On freeways in foggy areas of California, there is an obvious break in the line of the shoulder before every exit. This is to help drivers find their exits in heavy fog (especially the dangerous tule fog).{{cite news |last1=Richards |first1=Gary |title=Roadshow: Tips for driving in fog |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2014/12/01/roadshow-tips-for-driving-in-fog/ |access-date=7 July 2020 |work=The Mercury News |publisher=Bay Area News Group |date=1 December 2014}}

File:A40 Panneaux SR2a SR2b SR2c.jpg

In France, roadway shoulders are usually {{convert|2.5|m|ft}} wide, or {{convert|3|m|ft|0}} wide when the roadway carries more than 2,000 vehicles per day. The main difference from other European countries is that the white line is dashed, typically {{convert|39|m|ft}} long with gaps {{convert|13|m|ft}} long. The design is intended to provide a guide for drivers to maintain a safe distance between vehicles. Road signs can be found along motorways, to indicate the safe distance (1 line = too close, 2 lines = safe distance). At some points (tunnel, bridge, narrow road with no shoulder, tight curve) the edge line becomes solid.

Image:M4 Heading west at J11 (start of the N6 near Kinnegad.jpg in Ireland, with an unbroken yellow line (that peels away and follows the sliproad) demarcating the hard shoulder.]]

Full-width hard shoulders are provided on most new, upgraded (from the 1980s onwards), and major national roads in the Republic of Ireland, especially on wide two-lane and dual-carriageway roads (the shoulders on most 2+1 roads are narrow however). They are defined within the official document the Rules of the Road as a part of the road that should normally only be used by cyclists and pedestrians. Their provision of on interurban routes in the 1970s reportedly resulted in a 50% decrease in accidents involving pedal cyclists.

The hard shoulder is usually demarcated by road markings in the form of a single dashed yellow line with the addition of yellow cat's eyes. On motorways, and at critical points on other routes (e.g. between junctions or interchanges, or beneath overpasses) a solid yellow line is used, denoting additional restrictions on usage of the hard shoulder. At junctions and on-ramps and off-ramps, the yellow line peels away into the turn, with a dashed white line (with green cats' eyes) denoting a lane division following the main route (i.e. in most cases the road remains the same width, and a turn lane takes the place of the hard shoulder).

In the 2000s, Bus Éireann coaches were allowed to use the hard shoulders on national roads into Dublin. However, dedicated bus lanes are now present on sections of some routes, such as the N7 Naas Road, and such use of actual hard shoulder is not universal.

The shoulders located on the sides of Italy's highways are normally used as emergency lanes in case of breakdown or by emergency vehicles in case of queues. According to the regulation in force, it is mandatory to wear a high visibility jacket when dismounting from a vehicle stopped in an emergency lane.{{cite web |url=http://it.wikisource.org/wiki/D.Lgs._30_aprile_1992%2C_n._285._Nuovo_codice_della_strada/Titolo_V#art._162._Segnalazione_di_veicolo_fermo|title=Art 162 Codice della Strada|access-date=2007-06-12 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080606082232/http://it.wikisource.org/wiki/D.Lgs._30_aprile_1992,_n._285._Nuovo_codice_della_strada/Titolo_V#art._162._Segnalazione_di_veicolo_fermo |archive-date = 2008-06-06}}

Normally one is not allowed to drive on the shoulder, but in case of traffic blockage, use of the shoulder is allowed to reach an exit if it is within 500 metres.

{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2024}}

File:A2 at Leyton Cross - geograph.org.uk - 203101.jpg at Leyton Cross, United Kingdom.]]

Full width hard shoulders are usually provided only on motorways and are usually {{convert|3.3|m|ft}} wide, but there are exceptions. Some motorways do not have hard shoulders at all (for example the A57(M) and many smart motorways where the hard shoulder has been converted into a running lane, named all lane running smart motorways) and there are a small number of dual carriageway A-roads which do possess hard shoulders (for example, parts of the A1, A2 and A27). Hard shoulders are always marked with a reflecting solid white line which is {{convert|20|cm|in}} wide and is provided with a rumble strip. A line of red cats' eyes is also used, and is placed to the side of the line.

On many modern non-motorway roads, hard strips are provided. These are usually {{convert|1|m|ft}} wide, and are bounded by thinner solid white lines, and often without a rumble strip.

• Bus lane
• Road verge
• Rumble strip
• Wide outside lane

{{reflist|30em}}

• [http://membres.lycos.fr/fmalard/panneaux/en_DDE.html Traffic Signs about Shoulders]
• [http://www.ncis.org.au/web_pages/FACT-SHEET%20-%20Deaths%20in%20emergency%20lanes%20-%20final.pdf Deaths in Emergency Lanes - National Coroners Information System (NCIS) Fact-Sheet, January 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121055208/http://www.ncis.org.au/web_pages/FACT-SHEET%20-%20Deaths%20in%20emergency%20lanes%20-%20final.pdf |date=2011-11-21 }}

{{Road types}}

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Category:Road transport

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