Proposal to regulate design speed of roads
The Ministry of Transport proposes regulations on design speed of roads to implement the provisions in Clause 1, Article 26 of the Road Law.
The Ministry of Transport is drafting a Circular regulating the speed and safe distance of motor vehicles and specialized motorbikes participating in road traffic.
The Ministry of Transport said that Circular No. 31/2019/TT-BGTVT dated August 29, 2019 of the Minister of Transport (regulating speed and safe distance of motor vehicles and specialized motorbikes participating in road traffic), was issued to guide the detailed implementation of the 2008 Road Traffic Law.
To date, the 2008 Road Traffic Law has been replaced by the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety No. 36/2024/QH15 and the Road Law No. 35/2024/QH15, which will take effect from January 1, 2025. Therefore, it is necessary to issue a Circular regulating the speed and safety distance of motor vehicles and specialized motorbikes participating in road traffic (replacing Circular No. 31/2019/TT-BGTVT dated August 29, 2019 of the Minister of Transport) to promptly guide the implementation of the two Laws when they take effect on January 1, 2025.
According to the Ministry of Transport, basically, the content and layout of the draft Circular do not change much compared to Circular No. 31/2019/TT-BGTVT; the draft proposes to update the basis for promulgation and amend some contents to comply with new regulations in 02 Laws replacing the 2008 Road Traffic Law, and at the same time proposes to add some contents to implement the regulations in Clause 1, Article 26 of the Road Law on the design speed of roads.
Design speed of road
According to the draft, the design speed of expressways is divided into 3 levels as follows:
- Level 120 has a design speed of 120 km/h;
- Level 100 has a design speed of 100 km/h;
- Level 80 has a design speed of 80 km/h; for locations with particularly difficult terrain and controlled defense and security factors, a design speed of 60 km/h is allowed.
The draft clearly states that on expressways, there may be sections applying different grades, but these sections must be at least 15 km long and the design speed of two consecutive sections must not differ by more than 20 km/h. In cases where expressways apply a design speed level that is one level higher (20 km/h), there must be a transitional section of at least 02 km in length with an intermediate design speed level.
Road design speed
According to the draft, the design speed of motorways (not expressways) is determined according to the design road level and depends on the terrain type as follows:
Design speed of urban roads and rural roads
The draft clearly states that the design speed of automobile roads within urban areas is determined according to the National Technical Regulations on technical infrastructure works of traffic works issued by competent authorities.
The design speed of rural roads is determined according to the Rural Traffic Criteria approved by competent authorities.
Article 26, Clause 1 of the Road Law states: The design speed of a road is the speed value used to calculate the technical indicators of the road. The design speed of a road is determined during the investment phase of construction, upgrading, and road improvement to ensure safe vehicle movement.