In transport engineering nomenclature, a counterflow lane or contraflow lane is a lane in which traffic flows in the opposite direction of the surrounding lanes.

Contraflow lets traffic move against the usual flow to ease congestion or speed up evacuations. Here’s how it works and where you’re likely to encounter it.

Dec 12, 2025 · A contraflow traffic system involves temporarily reversing the normal direction of travel in one or more lanes of a roadway to manage traffic flow around an obstruction or during periods of …

This section provided a brief technical overview of contraflow deployment strategies, including lane reversal configurations, design of contraflow termini, and other contraflow management and …

A contraflow is a situation in which vehicles travelling on a main road in one direction have to use lanes that are normally used by traffic travelling in the opposite direction, because the road is being repaired.

Mar 5, 2026 · The contraflow system is a vital traffic management technique designed to keep traffic moving during roadworks, accidents, or other disruptions. Without it, roads could become congested, …

In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about contraflow systems—what they are, where you’ll find them, how to handle them safely, and what to expect in the theory test.

Definition Contraflow is a form of reversible traffic operation in which one or more travel lanes of a divided highway are used for the movement of traffic in the opposing direction 1 [1].

Design contraflow transit lanes as two-way streets, with special consideration for alerting pedestrians to transit potentially coming from an unexpected direction. Good signalization is key to reducing conflicts.

Jan 8, 2024 · When people hear "contraflow," they might envision a complex setup where buses navigate perilously against the primary flow of cars, akin to salmons swimming upstream. The …