Roadworks and traffic calming

By the end of this topic you can

• You can recognise orange roadworks signs and know what they mean.
• You can obey Stop/Go boards and temporary traffic lights.
• You can keep to a temporary speed limit through roadworks.
• You can merge safely where a lane is closed.
• You can drive smoothly over ramps and through chicanes, build-outs and pinch points.

What you need to know and understand

• Roadworks signs are orange with a black border. Ordinary warning signs are yellow.
• At a Stop board you must stop. Go only when the board shows Go or Téigh.
• A Stop/Go board held by a person has the same legal force as one worked mechanically.
• Councils can set a special speed limit at roadworks, which can be as low as 20 km/h.
• A roadworks speed limit on a red-ringed sign is a legal limit, and speeding there carries penalty points.
• Do not park at roadworks.
• Traffic calming includes ramps, speed cushions, chicanes, pinch points, build-outs and gateways.

Getting through roadworks safely

1. Slow down as soon as you see the first orange sign.
2. Read the signs and plates: lane closures, detours, queues likely, loose chippings or a temporary limit.
3. Get into the open lane early where a lane is closed, and merge in turn without forcing your way in.
4. Leave a bigger gap, because queues build up quickly and chippings can be thrown up.
5. Watch for workers on foot, vehicles pulling out of site entrances and pedestrians diverted onto the road.
6. Obey Stop/Go boards and temporary lights, and wait at the stop line even if nobody seems to be coming.

Traffic calming features and how to drive them

• Gateway at the entrance to a town or village: be at the new, lower speed by the time you pass it.
• Ramp, speed table or speed cushion: slow down before it and drive over gently. Do not swerve to avoid cushions.
• Chicane: alternating kerb build-outs that create an S-shaped path. Slow down and steer smoothly.
• Build-out or pinch point: the road narrows. Follow any priority sign and give way to oncoming traffic if told to.
• Traffic island: keep left of it and do not overtake cyclists alongside it.
• Mini-roundabout: treat it as a roundabout and give way to traffic coming from your right.

Why patience pays

Delays at roadworks are frustrating, but speeding up after a long wait or squeezing past a queue puts workers and other road users at risk. In housing estates and town centres, traffic calming is usually there because children, older people and cyclists use the street. Treat the feature as a reminder of who may be around, not an obstacle to beat.

Common mistakes

• Keeping your normal speed past the first orange sign. Slow down early.
• Ignoring a temporary speed limit because no one is working. The limit still applies while it is signed.
• Going through on a Stop board because the road ahead looks clear. Wait for Go.
• Braking hard on top of a ramp. Slow down before you reach it.
• Racing oncoming traffic to a pinch point. Follow the priority signs and be prepared to wait.

Test yourself: Roadworks and traffic calming

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Roadworks Signs and Traffic Calming in Ireland