Proposal to regulate the design speed of roads.
The Ministry of Transport has proposed regulations on the design speed of roads to implement the provisions of Clause 1, Article 26 of the Road Law.
The Ministry of Transport is drafting a Circular stipulating the speed and safe distance for motor vehicles and specialized vehicles participating in road traffic.
The Ministry of Transport stated that Circular No. 31/2019/TT-BGTVT dated August 29, 2019, issued by the Minister of Transport (regulating the speed and safe distance of motor vehicles and specialized vehicles participating in road traffic), was promulgated to provide detailed guidance on the implementation of the 2008 Road Traffic Law.
To date, the 2008 Road Traffic Law has been replaced by Law No. 36/2024/QH15 on Road Traffic Order and Safety and Law No. 35/2024/QH15 on Roads, both of which will take effect from January 1, 2025. Therefore, it is necessary to issue a Circular regulating the speed and safe distance of motor vehicles and specialized vehicles 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 come into effect on January 1, 2025.
According to the Ministry of Transport, the content and structure of the draft Circular are essentially unchanged compared to Circular No. 31/2019/TT-BGTVT; the draft proposes updating the basis for issuance and amending some contents to conform with the new regulations in the two Laws replacing the 2008 Road Traffic Law, and also proposes adding some contents to implement the provisions of Clause 1, Article 26 of the Road Law regarding the design speed of roads.
Road design speed
According to the draft, the design speed for expressways is divided into three 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 or where national defense and security factors are a concern, a design speed of 60 km/h may be applied.
The draft clearly states that on expressways, there may be sections with different speed classes, but these sections must be at least 15 km long, and the design speed difference between two consecutive sections must not exceed 20 km/h. If an expressway applies a design speed class exceeding one class (20 km/h), there must be a transitional section of at least 2 km with an intermediate design speed class.
Highway design speed
According to the draft, the design speed for roads (excluding expressways) is determined by the road design class and depends on the type of terrain as follows:
Design speed for urban roads and rural roads.
The draft clearly states that the design speed of roads within urban areas is determined according to the National Technical Regulations on Infrastructure Works for Transportation Projects issued by the competent authority.
The design speed for rural roads is determined according to the Rural Road Criteria approved by the competent authority.
Clause 1 of Article 26 of the Road Law clearly 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, construction, upgrading, and renovation phases of the road to ensure safe vehicle movement.