Areas of white diagonal stripes: HC r.130

alinwales

Lum wrote: »

Aha, right turn lanes would explain it. If it's a hatched area that then turns into a right turn lane. Imagine you are overtaking someone, and as you enter the right turn lane, they also pull into the right turn lane and hit you... it's your fault as you "should not" be using the hatched area.

Without the hatched area, the person you are overtaking would have had to wait until you were past and either miss their turn, or drive even slower, or just sit in the right hand line 2 miles before the turning to ensure they can actually get into the damn lane, thus preventing anyone from overtaking.

It means you have to think very carefully before overtaking near a turning, and stops outside lane hogging.

The dual bit starts after a right turn filter and not before, but yes I would agree about pulling out too soon. The next right turn filter (for garage) is after the dual ends and also after a r filter from teh opposite direction (garden centre).
And I'm not sure what map I may have linked to as the dual bit is only ~400yards - just enough to get around slow moving traffic.

Lum

Strider590 wrote: »

Section 59 was essentially designed to stop kids riding around on dirt bikes and quadbikes, causing a nuisance in your local neighbourhood. Breaching it can result in the vehicle being crushed.

Sounds a lot like the anti-terror laws being used against innocent photographers.

Section 59 is a terrible law that gives the police the power to give out arbitrary punishments (at the very least, recovery and storage fees) based purely on hearsay and without the option of any form of judicial process.

I'm surprised there aren't more people up in arms about it.

Oh wait, it's mostly used against young people with questionable taste in car aesthetics, so that makes it ok.

alastairq

There is NO law that states you cannot overtake with oncoming traffic (the law could never exist), so if the road is easily wide enough, why not?

The catch-all in this respect is DWC&A...and DD.


Your idea of 'easily wide enough' may not be someone else's?

The onus is entirely on the overtaking driver to only overtake...if it is safe to do so'.

If a driver entirely within their own half of the carriageway [defined by the centre line, as an example].. has to move over to accommodate an oncoming overtaking vehicle..then they have 'had to take action'....which means the overtaking vehicle has effectively, failed to 'give way'......

Drivers often forget it isn't necessarily what they do...or intended to do, that matters.

Rather, what they are perceived to be doing.....especially by that oncoming driver?

On Garrowby hill, A166 for example, I often witness car drivers frantically trying to overtake slow-moving lorries, by squeezing between the lorry and oncoming traffic..and I have many times witnessed oncoming rivers being forced onto the grass verge by these antics.

The carriageway is wide...in parts, but not in others.

However, the Highway Authorities have declined to introduce another [overtaking] lane, leaving the entire road as a single carriageway.

If the lorry driver adopts an extreme left road position [to 'allow' cars to overtake, they may find themselves being forced to a standstill when the carriageway narrows down again, by those overtaking vehicles.

Something no half decent lorry driver ever wants to do, for the simple reason they may not be able to re-start their heavy weight again on that gradient. [Meaning, they would have to reverse to the bottom of the hill, to re-start .

At one time, steep hills on major routes would be signed and boarded.......signs such as 'stop here and engage low gear until next sign?']


Has anyone noticed how the HC has actually changed in this regard [hatched road markings] in recent years?

There used to be three separate types of marking listed in the section the OP quoted....

The marking that consisted of a hatched marking surrounded by a SOLID white line has been deleted......because there never was an official regulation governing it...so essentially it was unenforceable.

How it got there in the first place I don't know....possibly an ultimate case of urban myth?

almillar

Taking in mind the warnings above about right turn lanes etc, I'm happy to drive in the diagonally painted area to overtake as in your example. As you've said, traffic from the other direction cannot do this since they have the solid white line.
Just one thing I would point out is that if this area of road isn't used often it may be full of dust and debris.

alastairq

traffic from the other direction cannot do this since they have the solid white line.

erm.....yes they can!

Don't be misled by simplistic answers.

129
Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.
[Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD regs 10 & 26]

I've hilited the proviso's....for other's reference.

Also, based upon my worktime observations, there are an awful lot of folk out there who either have no intention of complying with road markings....or do not understand what they mean.

By all means do as you have posted, but be aware you do not have exclusive usage of the hatched area...



Another forgotten issue regarding the use of a hatched area of road marking, is that usually they are placed to aid with conflicting traffic separation.

Thus, they are not normally used by the vast majority of passing traffic.

Therefore they will contain large quantities of grit, and other debris normally cleaned and cleared by passing traffic.

Without regard for the moment, to what such grit and debris may do to other road users, consider for a moment what it may do to one's own car?

And how grit under the tyres will affect acceleration, braking and steering?

These all need to be borne in mind by a driver using such areas.

As I said, it's too easy to be simplistic about driving, and conditions.