Gore (road)

A gore (modern British English: nose)[1] refers to a triangular piece of land. Etymologically it is derived from gār, meaning spear.[2]

The two diverging white lines at front mark the theoretical gore of this highway exit, while the physical gore is the grass area that starts immediately after it

Highway exit gore in Gdańsk, Poland, marked with transverse lines, with the physical gore after it

Gores on highways are categorized as two types: the theoretical gore and the physical gore. The physical gore is the unpaved area created between the highway mainline and a ramp that merges into or diverges from the mainline.

The theoretical gore is the marked area of pavement resulting from the convergence or divergence of the edge lines of the mainline and ramp. Theoretical gores are commonly marked with transverse lines or chevrons (much as ghost islands) at both entrance and exit ramps. These help drivers entering the highway to estimate how much time they have to match the speed of through traffic, and warn drivers improperly exiting the highway right down the middle of a gore that they are about to run out of road. Gores at exit ramps occasionally feature impact attenuators, especially when there is something solid at the other end of the gore.

Boundary disputes between neighbours also typically involve a gore, as borders that meet without dispute at one point but do not meet at another point will describe a triangular wedge of land whose ownership is in question. This is true of neighbouring states and countries as much as it is true of land owners, for instance the Ilemi Triangle (area of dispute between Kenya and Sudan) and the southern boundary of Labrador (area of dispute between Newfoundland and Quebec).