Speed limits in China

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Speed limits in China" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Expressways in Mainland China were speed limited to 120 km/h (75 mph) since the PRC's first road-related law, the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China, came into effect on 1 May 2004.

Semi-expressways and city express routes (called kuàisù gōnglù (Chinese: 快速公路) in Chinese, meaning "high speed public road") generally have lower speed limits of 100 km/h (62 mph): in some cases the speed limit may be lower.

On China National Highways (which are not expressways), a common speed limit is 80 km/h (50 mph). In some localities, speed limits may drop to 40 km/h (25 mph).^[1]

On some designated "fast through routes" in cities, speed limits are up to 80 km/h (50 mph). Otherwise, speed limits are 70 km/h (43 mph) on roads with two uninterrupted yellow lines and 60 km/h (37 mph) or 50 km/h (31 mph) otherwise. Signage in towns and on expressways is often present.

Minimum speed limits on expressways vary. A general minimum speed limit of 60 km/h (37 mph) is in force at all times (although traffic jams thwart it).

On expressways in mainland China, automobiles are generally 100-120 km/h, while buses and trucks are generally limited to 80-100 km/h. Other road conditions are the same as those of automobiles. In the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, expressways are usually 80 km/h; in the Macao Special Administrative Region, the speed limit is 80 km/h (Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge).