back road |
(often pl.) a country road or local road that avoids traffic as well as high speed travel. |
back up |
of traffic, to become so slow that vehicles form long lines behind each other with little space between each vehicle. [2/8 definitions] |
blinker |
a flashing light, esp. one used on a vehicle to indicate the direction of a turn, or one used as a traffic signal. [1/2 definitions] |
blockade |
the barring or shutting off of traffic in and out of an area, such as a seaport or city, by hostile military forces. [1/3 definitions] |
bumper-to-bumper |
of automobile traffic, closely packed and usu. slow-moving. |
control tower |
a tower at an airport from which air traffic is directed by radio. |
crawl |
to move very slowly or with frequent stops, as a vehicle in heavy traffic. [1/7 definitions] |
crossing guard |
a school official, police officer, or volunteer who directs traffic and helps children to cross the streets around a school. |
dual carriageway |
(chiefly British) a highway divided by a strip of land, with two lanes on either side used by traffic moving in opposite directions; divided highway. |
elevated railway |
a railway that is elevated on a framework, permitting ground traffic to circulate beneath it. |
exit ramp |
a short roadway that angles or curves off from a major highway, allowing cars to exit the highway without stopping or slowing traffic. |
expressway |
a divided highway that has limited access and is designed to enable traffic to move rapidly. |
gatekeeper |
a person who supervises the passage of traffic through a gate. |
green light |
the green-colored light that signifies that oncoming traffic has the right of way. [1/2 definitions] |
gridlock |
a traffic jam in which congestion in a grid of streets blocks movement in all directions. [1/2 definitions] |
interchange |
a highway juncture in which different road levels are used to permit vehicles to move from one road to another without disturbing the flow of traffic. [1/5 definitions] |
limited jurisdiction |
the authority of a court to hear and decide only certain types of cases, such as those regarding bankruptcy, traffic violations, or family disputes. |
live load |
any variable weight added to the intrinsic weight of a structure, such as people in a building or moving traffic on a bridge. (Cf. dead load.) |
mall |
an area, either open or enclosed, reserved for pedestrian traffic and containing shops, restaurants, and the like; shopping center. [1/4 definitions] |
median |
a strip of land that divides two opposing lanes of traffic on a highway. [1/6 definitions] |
multilane |
having more than one lane of traffic going in each direction, as a highway. |