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What are the meaning of the following three words in a context? (I know the meaning by themselves but I can't quite picture what they mean)

  • Oncoming lane
  • Forward lane
  • Outcoming lane

I am not really sure but the third one might be a typo.

Can someone illustrate me on the meaning of these?

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  • So what is the context? Are we talking road signs?
    – Kate Bunting
    Jun 17, 2022 at 10:17
  • The only one of the three I've heard used is the first. An "oncoming lane" is one carrying traffic coming towards you. "Forward lane" sounds intriguing. It seems to imply that there might also be a "backward lane"! "Outcoming lane" sounds as though it might be either an exit lane or a joining lane.
    – WS2
    Jun 17, 2022 at 10:55
  • The context appears to be road use. You might find the UK Highway Code useful in this case.
    – whanrott
    Jun 17, 2022 at 12:05
  • @KateBunting automobile driving.
    – KansaiRobot
    Jun 17, 2022 at 15:16
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    I don't think I've ever heard the word "outcoming", whether applied to a lane or not. I also suppose that it's a typo (perhaps a mish-mash of "outcome" and "outgoing").
    – MarcInManhattan
    Jun 17, 2022 at 15:41

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Did you make up these phrases? The only one that really makes sense is the first one, "oncoming lane."

The oncoming lane is the lane that has traffic coming toward you. On a two-lane road, you might have to move into the oncoming lane to pass a slow car that's in front of you.

I suppose a forward lane could be any lane that's in front of another lane, but I don't believe it's a commonly used term.

There is an outgoing lane of traffic that carries people away from a certain place, but I've never heard of an "outcoming lane."

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  • Obviously I did not. It is part of the code and documentation of software written by non native speakers, and I am trying to make sense of it.
    – KansaiRobot
    Oct 26, 2022 at 5:14
  • I've never heard of "outcoming" lane either, but it seem entirely possible that this refers to the merging land of an entry ramp. From the point of view of people on a freeway or interstate, people entering are "coming out of" an entrance ramp.
    – WhatRoughBeast
    Jul 29 at 20:33

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