There are 3 main classes of road network in the UK: motorways, A-roads and B-roads, with different speed limits to match each one.

Motorways

Motorways are the fastest roads in the UK, and run between the major cities of London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle. The oldest motorway in the UK is the M1, which runs from London to the north of England. The motorway speed limit is a maximum of 70 miles per hour (mph) or about 100 Kilometers per hour, with 2 to 5 lanes in each direction.

UK motorways have the best facilities of all the road networks, with many service stations that provide food, petrol, shops and, in most cases, hotels. The police patrol the motorway in both marked and unmarked cars and there are emergency telephones about every 500 meters, to call for help if you breakdown.

A-roads/B-roads

 A-roads and B-roads are smaller and therefore have lower speed limits. The national speed limit normally operates on these roads, which is 30 mph in urban areas and 60 mph on the open road. It is important when driving along these roads to be aware of the changes in the speed limit that occur regularly. These are displayed by signs at the side of the road and it is your duty to inform yourself about the appearance of these signs before you start driving in the UK. The UK has speed cameras in fixed locations along roads that can catch you speeding even when you think that there is no-one else around and the penalties can be very severe, especially if it is considered that you are endangering human life.

Road Rules

Getting caught speeding will result in you being fined and having at least 3 penalty points put on your license, depending how fast you were going. Once you have 9 penalty points you will automatically lose your license for at least one year. If you come from a country where driving fast is not taken too seriously, be aware that the British police see speeding as a very serious offence, and will treat you as a criminal if they catch you doing it.

Another thing that you will quickly realize is that people drive on the “wrong side” of the road!! The UK is famous for all of its cars having the steering wheel on the opposite side of the car and for driving on the LEFT not the right. This might take a while to get accustomed to and you should consider saying the word “LEFT”, “LEFT”, “LEFT” out loud, especially when you are approaching a round-a-bout!

The UK also has some of the busiest roads in Europe. Be aware that the M1, M6, M4, M42 and M25 get very busy during ‘rush hour’, which is between 7am and 9am in the mornings and between 4pm and 7pm in the evenings. Try and avoid driving in busy areas during these times, especially if you are new to driving on the left hand side.

Finally, if you are out on the road you might want to think about getting breakdown assistance, especially if you do not know the country well. There are some well renowned and reliable services available and it is essential that you have insurance before you set off.


By John Jeremiah Hillman

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USEFUL WORDS 

A road = an primary road in the UK (e.g. A38 to Bristol)
B road = a secondary road in the UK (e.g. B1224 to York)
trunk road = an important main road usually linking cities across a country
motorway = a wide road where traffic can travel fast for long distances between cities
toll road = a road which you have to pay to travel on
lane = a section of road divided by white lines to keep lines of traffic separate
dual carriageway = a road with two lanes of traffic travelling in each direction
hard shoulder = a strip of ground with a hard surface beside a major road where vehicles can stop in an emergency
speed limit = the highest speed at which you can legally drive on a particular road
miles per hour = the unit of speed used in the UK
congestion charge = an amount of money that you have to pay to drive your car into some city centres
road sign = a sign near a road giving information or instructions to drivers
junction = a place where two or more roads meet
contraflow = a system that is used when one half of a large road is closed for repairs, and the traffic going in both directions has to use the other half

ROAD IDIOMS 

Who knows where we’ll be in a couple of years down the road? (in a couple of year’s time)
Our reps spend about six months on the road every year (travelling)
If the stock market crashes, we’re all in serious trouble! (loses value suddenly)
I’m afraid we’ll have to put a brake on our spending for a while (slow down/spend less)
Life in the fast lane doesn’t suit everyone (very busy)
At last!  They’ve given us the green light.  Now we can go ahead! (said yes)
You can decide from now on.  I’m taking a backseat (taking less responsibility)
I’m not sure I know exactly what you’re driving at (what you’re trying to say)
Let’s get to the point!  For the past hour we’ve been going round in circles (talking but not finding a solution)
I think my career is at a crossroads.  I feel like a change of direction (an important point)