Speed Limit Law Philippines
I. Philippines Road Categories
As similar to any other countries in the world, the Philippines is made up of urban and rural areas.
The country also has different types of road and traffic types. In fact, some accessible towns or
barangays have “roads” that are not yet cemented, especially residential areas.
Similarly, some of the roads in the country are not wide enough to accommodate two or more than
two vehicles. That said, in order to set reasonable speed limits and ensure the safety of the drivers,
passengers, and bystanders, speed limit by street types has been put in place.
Here are the four categories by road specified in the Land Transportation and Traffic Code:
1. Open Country Roads
From the name itself, these are roads wherein there is no or limited foot traffic as well as not
surrounded by residential and commercial properties. They include expressways like NLEX, SLEX,
TPLEX, and SCTEX.
2. Through Streets
These streets are usually found in boulevards or areas wherein there are no or limited blind corners
and is usually clear on traffic, both vehicles and humans. This may include subdivisions and villages
wherein incoming and outgoing vehicles are closely monitored.
3. City and Municipal Streets
As self-explanatory as it may sound, these streets do not cover all the streets surrounding your
municipality or city. This is a category that covers roads wherein there is light to moderate traffic for
both humans and vehicles, as well as those that are not included in category two.
4. Crowded Streets
Yes, we do understand that as normal citizens, we consider almost all the roads in the country as
crowded. However, just to be clear, those under this category are streets within school zones,
markets, intersections, as well as those that have a lot of blind corners and stationary cars.
Now that we are clear on the different types of roads or streets in the Philippines, here is a table
of the standard speed limits as stated in Republic Act No 4136 or the so-called Land
Transportation and Traffic Code.
Speed Limit Table
Road type Max speed for cars, motorcycles
& similar vehicles (KPH)
Max speed for trucks, buses
& similar vehicles (KPH)
Open Country Road 80 50
Through Streets 40 30
City and Municipal 30 30
Crowded 20 20
