Regulatory signs
Maximum speed
What it means
The posted figure is the highest speed allowed, in km/h, when conditions are ideal — not a speed you should always drive at. Where nothing is posted, the limit is 50 km/h in an urban area, 80 km/h on a road outside an urban area and 100 km/h on a provincial highway outside an urban area.
White with black or red; a red circle with a slash means prohibited, a green circle means permitted.
Summarised from the Alberta Driver’s Guide. Read the original: Traffic control ↗
How to recognise it
A white upright rectangle with the word MAXIMUM above a large black number, the limit in kilometres per hour.
Where you will see it
Along every road type, and wherever the limit changes, such as on entering a town.
What to do when you see it
- 1.Never go faster than the posted number.
- 2.Drive slower when conditions are not ideal: any speed that is unsafe for the conditions is illegal.
- 3.Where no limit is posted: 50 km/h in an urban area, 80 km/h on a road outside an urban area, 100 km/h on a provincial highway outside an urban area, and 80 km/h on a provincial highway inside a city's corporate limit.
On the knowledge test
The posted figure is the maximum under ideal conditions, not a target. Expect questions on the default limits, and remember that municipalities may set different limits by bylaw.
Practice questions for this sign