Driver Confused by Speed Limit Signs on Chelyabinsk Highway
This is not a classic speed limit sign: there«s a catch that not everyone knows about
A driver was fined for speeding on the Chelyabinsk–Yekaterinburg highway, even though he was driving at 88 km/h. The violation was recorded by a speed camera between the turns to Kasli and Bagaryak. At these intersections, several years ago, the traffic pattern was changed, traffic lights were installed, but initially there were no speed limit signs. The camera was set to 50 km/h, and the motorist didn«t immediately understand why, report our colleagues at 74.ru.
Oleg says he tried to drive according to the rules, and the camera recorded a speed of 88 km/h on a highway with a limit of 90 km/h. But everything turned out to be not so simple
“Perhaps I missed the speed limit sign before the turn to Kasli, but in any case, the speed limit is in effect until the intersection,” ponders driver Oleg. “It seems illogical: the speed limit applies right after the traffic light, when you«ve already passed the accident-prone section? I know this road well, I follow the speed limit, and in many years of traveling, I»ve never had a fine from this section. Moreover, right before the trip, I updated the maps in «Yandex Navigator» and the database of speed cameras on my dashcam.”
The «Zone with Maximum Speed Limit» sign is in effect until the canceling sign
The Traffic Police«s Center for Automated Fixed Penalties (TsAFAP GIBDD) explained that this section of the Chelyabinsk–Yekaterinburg highway is accident-prone, so the road owner installed a »Speed Limit Zone« sign with a limit of 50 km/h. The speed cameras are set precisely to this value.
This is what the canceling sign looks like
What is sign 5.31
But we are accustomed to the fact that a speed limit is in effect until an intersection, and if there are no new signs after it, the default limit becomes 90 km/h (for country roads), right?
In general, yes, but in this case, we«re talking about different signs. Motorists are well acquainted with the prohibitory signs 3.24 »Maximum Speed Limit,« which are in effect either until the canceling signs 3.25 or 3.31, or until an intersection, or until the end or beginning of a populated area.
But here we«re talking about the visually similar special regulation sign 5.31 »Zone with Maximum Speed Limit,« which extends until the canceling sign 5.32. Its effect is not interrupted by intersections or entries into populated areas. Such signs are needed to limit speed not only on a road section but on an entire area, for example, on passages within an industrial zone. Upon seeing them, a motorist must observe the speed limit until the canceling sign. In this case, the speed limit zone stretches for more than a kilometer, which seems not very intuitive.
“I continue to hold the opinion that this is a trap for drivers, with little to do with road safety,” Oleg believes. “If the traffic light for those on the highway is green, then 90 km/h is a quite safe speed when driving on a straight multi-lane road with a dividing barrier. If the light for those on the highway is red, then there are no obstacles for exiting from the adjacent road: for them, it«s green. Even a conscientious driver, which I dare include myself among, after passing two regulated intersections, will assume that the effect of the »50« sign has already ended.”
Nevertheless, such signs are used – and this needs to be kept in mind.
Previously, we reported that on one of Yekaterinburg«s main roads, the permitted speed was sharply reduced.
