When a driver hits the road in his car, faces all kinds of situations. There are cases in which circulation can be more complicated and others in which it is simpler. What the DGT is trying to do is make the lives of drivers easier and proposes new ways to organize traffic safely. That's why we see that there are more and more braided rails, which are a solution to exchange circulation between tracks in a limited space. Let's talk about what they are like and the new sign that indicates them.
What are braided rails?
According to the DGT, braided rails are those that serve to unify the acceleration and deceleration lane functions. For this reason, they usually mark the entrance or exit from one road to another, which is why they are normally found on highways and highways. The peculiarity is that they are born due to a lack of space, when there is no physical possibility of building an acceleration lane and a deceleration lane. For this reason, braided rails They do not exceed 1,500 meters and cars often cross each other with the risk that this entails.
Sign P-35 to indicate twisted rails
Just a few months ago, the DGT released a series of signals that it considered necessary for these times. The signal P-35 It was one of them and it serves precisely to warn that there are twisted lanes. It tells the driver that they must be attentive and that is why its triangular shape with a red border. The interior is very visual and represents two vehicles that have to intertwine their trajectories as will happen in reality a few meters ahead. It is important to pay attention and adjust the speed to perform the movement.
How to circulate on braided lanes
Traffic on braided lanes depends largely on the driver's intention and the direction it has to follow. Let's approach it in the following way.
- Transition from the main track to the braided rail: When the intention of the driver who is on the main road is to join a twisted lane, he has to observe if vehicles are coming. Those traveling in said lane have priority, so said driver has to signal the maneuver and try to join in progressively and with sufficient safety distance, while he adapts and reduces his speed.
- Transition from the braided rail to the main track: In the event that the driver wants to move from a braided lane to the main road, it will act as an incorporation. This translates into signaling the maneuver and gaining speed so as not to hinder those traveling on said road. These vehicles have priority, so you must give way, although they must also facilitate merging as far as possible.
- When there are two vehicles that are going to exchange their path: The most complex situation that occurs on many occasions is when two cars are circulating and want to exchange their paths. That means that the one on the main track wants to go to the braided track and vice versa. Logic has to prevail there, since the law indicates that both must give way to each other. The ideal is for the vehicle on the main road to slow down and join the braided lane, while that vehicle gains speed and joins the main road later.