TunnelChina
8. Tunnel
A tunnel is a covered passage that carries a road through or beneath an obstacle such as a hill, mountain, building, waterway or another transport route. Road tunnels may contain one or more traffic lanes and can carry traffic in one or both directions.
Driving in a tunnel requires particular attention because visibility, available escape routes and space for avoiding hazards are limited. Drivers should follow the applicable lighting, speed, lane and following-distance rules and pay attention to emergency exits, traffic signals and variable-message signs.
Wikimedia.org • Vmenkov • CC BY-SA
What should I check before entering a tunnel in China?
Read the tunnel’s entry, lane and speed controls. National implementing Regulations prohibit reversing in tunnels and voluntary roadside stopping in a tunnel or within 50 m of it; a traffic-required stop is different.
🔗 xzfg.moj.gov.cn • Mainland China — Regulations 49–50 and 63(2); actual entry controls
🔗 jtgl.beijing.gov.cn • Beijing Traffic Police — full Road Traffic Safety Law, 2021 amended text
🔗 samr.gov.cn • SAMR — full implementing Regulations, 2017 amended text
Does a tunnel sign in China set a universal speed limit?
No single speed can be read from the tunnel pictogram. Apply the road’s relevant limit and any permanent or electronic speed restriction, and drive more slowly when visibility, queues or another hazard require it.
🔗 xzfg.moj.gov.cn • Mainland China — Regulations 49–50 and 63(2); actual entry controls
🔗 jtgl.beijing.gov.cn • Beijing Traffic Police — full Road Traffic Safety Law, 2021 amended text
🔗 samr.gov.cn • SAMR — full implementing Regulations, 2017 amended text
Warning for a tunnel.
English • Traffic sign 警24 • Tunnel. Drive carefully and observe tunnel signals, speed limits and access rules.
中文 • 警24 • 隧道。 前方有隧道,应谨慎驾驶并遵守隧道内的信号、限速和通行规定。
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Openstd.samr.gov.cn • 国家标准全文公开 • GB 5768.2-2022(含第1号修改单)
🔗 Upload.wikimedia.org • 标准原文镜像 • PDF第87页
SVG source: Standardization Administration of the People's Republic of China • Public domain • Original revision 2022-02-25. Wikimedia original unmodified.
Artwork verified against Openstd.samr.gov.cn • official published diagram 警24.
Is every tunnel in China open to pedestrians and cyclists?
No. Check the road category and access signs before entering. A motorway tunnel, a vehicle-restricted tunnel and a purpose-built walking or cycling underpass have different access arrangements. Emergency evacuation routes do not establish ordinary public access.
🔗 xzfg.moj.gov.cn • Mainland China — Regulations 49–50 and 63(2); actual entry controls
🔗 jtgl.beijing.gov.cn • Beijing Traffic Police — full Road Traffic Safety Law, 2021 amended text
🔗 samr.gov.cn • SAMR — full implementing Regulations, 2017 amended text

Traffic rules
China