Ensrettet

Ensrettet is a Scandinavian term used as an adjective in Danish and Norwegian to mean unidirectional or directed toward a single direction. In traffic and road design, the word describes streets or traffic flows where vehicles are allowed to travel in only one direction. The concept is commonly seen in urban planning, signage, and road regulations, where ensrettet streets require specific traffic rules to maintain flow and safety.

Etymologically, ensrettet is formed from the prefix en- meaning one, combined with rettet, the past participle of rette meaning to direct or direct toward. The formulation reflects a single, fixed direction.

In practice, ensrettet traffic is associated with one-way streets, one-way sections of roads, or lanes designated for traffic moving in a single direction. Signs, road markings, and municipal regulations define the extent and duration of such directions, and drivers are expected to follow the indicated orientation. The term is used in official documents, planning reports, and everyday discourse about road networks.

Beyond transportation, ensrettet can be used more broadly to describe anything aimed or directed toward a single purpose, target, or direction. However, in everyday usage, the traffic sense is the most common and widely understood meaning.

See also: one-way street, traffic sign, urban planning.