SG Singapore Driver
Knowledge base speed 4 min read

Speed limits on Singapore roads

Default 50 km/h unless a sign or schedule says otherwise, plus the current school-zone, silver-zone, and Friendly Streets limits in the Restriction of Speed on Roads Notification.

speed-limit school-zone silver-zone Friendly Streets

Primary source: https://onemotoring.lta.gov.sg/content/onemotoring/home/driving/road_safety_and_vehicle_rules/driving-rules.html

The speed limit is the maximum speed motor vehicles are allowed to travel on that road. LTA’s OneMotoring driving-rules page states: unless otherwise stated, the speed limit of all roads in Singapore is 50 km/h (LTA OneMotoring, Driving Rules and Information).

The same default is in the Road Traffic (Restriction of Speed on Roads) Notification: except as otherwise provided for school zones, silver zones, and listed roads, the speed of all motor vehicles on a road must not exceed 50 kilometres per hour in any other case (SSO, Restriction of Speed on Roads Notification para 2(1)).

Always follow the posted sign when it differs from the default.

School zones

A school zone is any part of a road that is near a school and lies between a traffic sign indicating the beginning of a school zone and a traffic sign indicating the end of a school zone (SSO, Restriction of Speed on Roads Notification para 2(4); LTA OneMotoring, Driving Rules and Information).

From 1 January 2026, the speed of all motor vehicles in a school zone must not exceed 40 kilometres per hour if the traffic sign in diagram 12A of the Traffic Signs Rules is used to indicate the beginning of the school zone (SSO, Restriction of Speed on Roads Notification para 2(2), S 691/2025 wef 01/01/2026).

OneMotoring states the policy in plain language: from 1 January 2026, lower speed limits for Enhanced School Zones apply throughout the day instead of specific periods such as school arrival and dismissal times. Always adhere to posted speed limits when driving through school zones (LTA OneMotoring, Driving Rules and Information).

Silver zones

Silver Zones are areas with enhanced road safety measures for senior pedestrians. OneMotoring states that the speed limit in a Silver Zone will be lowered where feasible, to either 30 km/h or 40 km/h in the speed-limit sign attached (LTA OneMotoring, Driving Rules and Information).

The Notification makes the posted sign legally specific:

  • 30 kilometres per hour if diagram 12C(a) or 12C(b) of the Traffic Signs Rules indicates the beginning of the silver zone.
  • 40 kilometres per hour if diagram 12B(a) or 12B(b) indicates the beginning of the silver zone.

(SSO, Restriction of Speed on Roads Notification para 2(3))

A silver zone is the part of a road between the beginning and end silver-zone signs (SSO, Restriction of Speed on Roads Notification para 2(4)).

Friendly Streets

The speed of all motor vehicles in a zone demarcated as “Friendly Streets” by the specified beginning and end traffic signs must not exceed 40 kilometres per hour (SSO, Restriction of Speed on Roads Notification para 2(3A)).

Emergency vehicles

OneMotoring states that emergency vehicles such as fire engines, ambulances, and Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force vehicles are allowed to exceed the speed limit while on official duty (LTA OneMotoring, Driving Rules and Information).

The Notification does not apply to specified fire engines, authorised ambulances attending a medical emergency, or government vehicles used by SPF or SCDF for their functions, if compliance would hinder that use (SSO, Restriction of Speed on Roads Notification para 3).

Coverage debt

  • Named roads and expressway figures in the First to Sixth Schedules of the Notification are not listed here.
  • Extra demerit points for listed offences inside a school zone, silver zone, or Friendly Streets are in a separate vault article.

Sources