Crawler lane
An extra lane on a long uphill gradient, so slow heavy vehicles do not hold up everything behind them.
On a steep, sustained climb a loaded lorry can lose a lot of speed. A crawler lane is an additional nearside lane on that gradient which gives those vehicles somewhere to be while faster traffic passes on the right. It is the opposite of a buffer lane: a crawler lane exists to be used, not to be kept empty.
If you are driving something that slows on hills, use it. If you are not, treat it as an ordinary lane — it is not a hard shoulder and it is not reserved, but it will have slow vehicles in it, so joining it at speed near the top of a climb needs care.
They are signed in advance, which matters for lorry and bus drivers in particular: knowing a crawler lane is coming is what lets you plan the climb rather than find yourself boxed in on the right with a queue behind you.
10 practice questions on this
Each one shows the answer, and our note on why every other option is not it.
Car
Lorry & Bus (LGV/PCV)
- You're driving on a motorway and you see this sign. What does it mean? Vehicle weights and dimensions
- You're driving along a motorway and see this sign. What does it mean? The road
- What's a crawler lane for? The road
- What does this motorway sign mean? The road
- When should you use a crawler lane? The road
- You're driving a bus. Where should you be aware of the risk of grounding? The road