Narrow bridge

What it means

This sign warns that the roadway narrows ahead, usually at a bridge, culvert or underpass where the structure is older or smaller than the modern road feeding it. The narrowing may reduce lane width, remove shoulders or reduce the road to a single shared lane. The risk is not only scraping the structure; it is the meeting of two vehicles with no room to pass, and the sudden loss of the shoulder that would otherwise absorb a moment of inattention.

How it gets misread

Drivers sometimes read the sign as applying to wide vehicles only. Another misread is maintaining full speed because the narrowing looks negotiable, when the real hazard is meeting an oncoming vehicle at the pinch point with nowhere for either to go.

What to do

Reduce speed before the narrowing, centre your vehicle in the available lane and keep both hands firm on the wheel. If the bridge is single-lane, yield according to the signs or to whoever is already committed, and wait clear of the entrance rather than edging onto the structure. Watch for pedestrians and cyclists, who lose their space first when a road narrows.

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