Nottingham is one of a small number of English cities with its own tram network, and if your lessons take you through the city centre, Beeston or up towards Hucknall, you’ll almost certainly cross Nottingham Express Transit (NET) tracks along the way. Tram rails bring a handful of hazards and rules that simply don’t come up in most other UK towns, and they’re worth knowing before test day rather than working out on the spot.
Why the Rails Themselves Are a Hazard
Under Rule 306 of the Highway Code, all road users are told to take extra care when driving or riding close to or across tram tracks, particularly where the rails are wet, on bends, at junctions, or wherever the tracks are crossed at a shallow angle. Cyclists and motorcyclists are named specifically, and the Code’s advice is blunt: it’s safest to cross tracks directly at right angles, and other road users should expect cyclists and motorcyclists to need extra space to do this safely. The reason is mechanical rather than mysterious – the narrow gap that runs alongside each rail, needed so the tram’s wheels run true, is just wide enough to trap a bicycle or motorcycle tyre if it meets the rail at the wrong angle, especially when the metal is wet.
- Cross tram tracks as close to a right angle as you reasonably can, even if it means a slight change of course
- Slow down further where rails look wet, greasy, or have recently had rain on them
- On two wheels, avoid braking or leaning hard while your tyres are actually on the rail
- Don’t assume a diagonal crossing is fine just because it would be comfortable for a car
Give Way, and Never Block the Tram
You must not enter a road or lane reserved for trams, and the Highway Code also asks you to always give way to trams rather than trying to race or overtake them. Stopping on the tracks themselves is against the rules too – you must not park where it would get in the way of a tram – and Nottingham Express Transit’s own safety guidance spells out why: a tram can’t steer around an obstacle the way a car can. Where a tram stops without a proper platform, you must not drive between the tram and the kerb while passengers are getting on or off. And when a tram signals to pull away from a stop, you’re expected to give it priority unless it’s genuinely unsafe to do so, partly because trams often carry standing passengers who could be hurt by a sudden stop.
Level Crossings and Tram-Only Streets
NET’s own advice on level crossings is straightforward: always obey the signals and barriers, and never try to beat them, since some crossings can activate for trams, trains, or both. In the city centre, you’ll also find short sections of street reserved for trams only and marked with signs, sometimes called tram gates. According to Nottingham City Council, driving into one of these triggers a penalty charge notice as soon as you cross the sign line, so it’s worth learning to spot the signs yourself rather than following the vehicle in front. The stretches around the city centre, and towards Beeston and Chilwell, are commonly reported by local instructors as worth a bit of extra practice, simply because the mix of tracks, pedestrians and buses takes a lesson or two to get used to.
None of this needs to be intimidating. It’s a short, specific set of rules rather than a long list of dangers, and your instructor will point out the tracks and crossings you’re likely to meet on your usual routes around the areas we cover. Once you’ve crossed the rails a few times at the right angle and got into the habit of giving way, it becomes just another part of reading the road.