New England Online > Geography > Transport > Roads and Motorways
Roads and Motorways
New England has developed a complex system of roads and motorways to connect the major population centres. In almost all areas of roads policy in New England, there is a clear influence from both the United Kingdom, Germany and New Zealand. There is little trace of the Australian road schemes that existed before 2012.
Despite the good quality of roads, New England has one the lowest car ownership rates of OECD nations. Car ownership is highest amongst families who have a more pressing requirement for private transport. The average age that most New Englanders obtain a driving licence is 26.
Route Classifications
There are four levels of route classification in the National Roadways Plan. The classifications themselves are based on guidelines used in the United Kingdom and Australia. The National Roadways Plan has a stated aim to link all the major centres together by the quickest route. The plan outlines that roads are to be defined and marked according the following hierarchy:
- Motorways (M Routes)
- Trunk Roads (A Routes)
- Main Roads (B Routes)
- Secondary Roads (C Routes)
Motorways - Linking the major centres of New England together with good quality roads to an international standard, there are five motorways in New England. On both maps or the road motorways can be identified by their blue and white display signs. All motorways are dual-carriageway roads with two or three lanes in each direction and have grade separated junctions. Motorways are generally much busier than other roads and on most sections the legal speed limit is 130km/hr.
Trunk Roads - The next tier are those major arterial routes that do not qualify as motorways. Trunk roads are easily identified by their good surfaces, shoulder markings, and regular overtaking lanes, with the legal speed limit being 110km/hr. These roads act as links to and from smaller urban centres that are not serviced by motorways. In the major urban areas, trunk roads collect traffic from the city centre and distribute it to the suburbs and on to the motorways. Trunk roads are numbered A1 to A9 and they are clearly marked by green and gold route signs.
Main Roads - Significant roads which have lower traffic densities than trunk roads are known as main roads. These routes are clearly marked B10 to B99 by black and white route signs and on most maps they are marked in orange. Main roads are named according to a numbering scheme chosen from adjacent trunk road numbers. In terms of appearance, main roads are distinguishable from trunk roads by the lack of a central reservation and narrow shoulders, both of which are not required due to a lower traffic volume.
Secondary Roads - The most junior of the classified routes, secondary roads link smaller communities to each other or onto other more senior roads. Secondary road always have three digit designations, and are numbered C100 to C999. On most maps they are marked in yellow, with black and white route signs. Like main roads, route numbering is chosen from adjacent road numbers, with secondary routes numbering from main roads instead of trunk roads. Secondary roads are always sealed and have lane marking, but they often lack a defined or even sealed shoulder and have few (if any) overtaking lanes.
Additional Classifications
State Highways - The precursors to the motorway network, state highways were high volume roads that served to link the major cities of the country together. Similar in appearance and quality to trunk roads, there were five state highways in New England numbered route 1 to 5. Unlike other routes, the state highways were deliberately designed to be replaced, however it took until 2039 for the last stretch of state highway to be removed. Highways appeared very similar to trunk roads, with the only difference being a lack of constant overtaking lanes and no fenced central reservation.
Urban Roads - New England's three largest cities each have an additional classification of routes. Often ranked below trunk roads, the urban roads form a network of radial and circumferential routes throughout these centres. The urban road system was introduced in 2040 to compliment the existing system of routes which was deemed incapable of dealing with the complexities of urban motoring and navigation. The three cities all use the same system, with routes numbered 1 to 9 on a blue and white circular shield with a dotted outline.
Unclassified Roads - The vast majority of roads carry no classification at all. The various local streets and roadways that contain most of the houses and shops in New England are unclassified and therefore carry no route designation. These roads a narrower than classified roads, and are usually only one lane per direction, or in some rural areas, local roads are occasionally one lane with broad gravel shoulders. Especially narrow roads may be marked as one way and have judder bumps placed over them to slow the traffic down.
Administration & Funding
For more, see the Ministry of Transport.
The administration of New England's roads is divided between several agencies, both national and local. All roads and related administration is the responsibility of the Department of Roads, which is part of the Ministry of Transport. Under the department, all motorways and trunk roads are administered by the Roads Agency. Driver and vehicle licensing is overseen by the Motor Licensing Agency. These executive agencies are also assisted by a number of crown statutory agencies that administer parts of the road system at arms length from government.
Main, secondary and local roads are the purview of the local authorities, who may have some policy influence on the more superior roads, but do not fund or maintain them. The counties may create their own agencies to administer the roads under their control. These agencies carry out the various statutory responsibilities required for managing classified roads, while also maintaining local unclassified roads within their own independent guidelines.
Funding for all roads is entirely the purview of the Ministry of Transport. However, the ministry through it's various departments and agencies only maintains motorways and trunk roads, with local authorities being constitutionally responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of all roads, fences and signage of the lesser roadways "not specifically noted by the parliament".
Driving
For more, see Driving in New England.
The laws of driving are specified in the New England Road Code, to which all motorists must conform when driving. New England follows the convention of driving on the left, just as Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Speed limits vary around the country, but are determined by road quality and the urban density surrounding a roadway. The maximum speed limit in New England is 130km/hr, which is allowed only on sections of the five motorways.
Signage
For more, see Road Signage in New England .
Road and traffic signage in New England broadly conforms to the anglo-european standard, although influences from Australia and New Zealand are obvious. In a nutshell, may be of instructional, warning or informative in nature. Instructional signs are generally circular, warning signs are diamond and the informative signs are rectangular. Motorway informative signs use white text on a blue background, trunk roads are indicated by yellow text on a green background, whilst all others roads use black text on a white background. All signage has used metric measurements since 1971.
