can i contest a box junction violation due to poor visibility?

londonTiger

I was driving towards the blackwall tunnel during rush hour. Traffic was hecticv and moving at a snails pace. You had to keep a very short gap between you and the car in front otherwise other drivers will try and cut in front of you.

It was dark and the box junction is dirty and not very bright. More like browny-orangy colour. I got trapped in the box junction as the traffic suddently stopped in front of me.

Do I have reasonable grounds to appeal a box junction penality? I don't know if I''ve been caught yeet. If I have the paperwork is probably being processed through the system and I'll receive something in the post soon.

But being such a high profile location I suspect this vbox junction will be monitored.

Splott

No you don't have reasonable grounds to appeal. You should be travelling at a speed that it is safe to do so in reduced visibility. "Having to keep a very short gap between you and the vehicle in front so people don't cut in" is an admission by you that you were driving dangerously by not leaving a sufficient safe stopping distance.

DaveF327

Also, drivers don't just stop "suddenly". As you admitted that the traffic was "hectic" and "moving at snails pace", you should reasonably expect traffic to stop at any time. The requirement of any yellow box is that you wait to check the exit is clear by at least one car length before you enter the junction. Even if the box isn't very visible, this should be your procedure at every junction. You shouldn't block junctions in the first place, then councils wouldn't need to paint boxes.

vaio

Very true, but the only junction where you are likely to get prosecuted is where the council have painted a box and, tied in with that, is a requirement that the painting meets a certain standard.

If it doesn't then the OP has a valid defence

Sgt_Pepper_2

Splott wrote: »

No you don't have reasonable grounds to appeal. You should be travelling at a speed that it is safe to do so in reduced visibility. "Having to keep a very short gap between you and the vehicle in front so people don't cut in" is an admission by you that you were driving dangerously by not leaving a sufficient safe stopping distance.

Shut up, he wasn't driving dangerously.

thor

Sgt_Pepper wrote: »

Shut up, he wasn't driving dangerously.

That's a bit rude BUT I do agree that from the description, the op was not driving dangerously. Not leaving enough space for another car to cut in is usually a sign of an unsafe driver but in this case the car was moving at a snail's pace so we just need to know what speed that is. 5mph, 1mph, 0.1mph?
If it was really crawling along then the car could be stopped in inches and don't forget the car in front will not stop instantaneously either as it will move a distance before coming to a stop.

plane_boy2000

Sgt_Pepper wrote: »

Shut up, he wasn't driving dangerously.

Even though he wasn't anticipating the traffic flow a few cars ahead?

Sgt_Pepper_2

plane_boy2000 wrote: »

Even though he wasn't anticipating the traffic flow a few cars ahead?

Far from being dangerous tho.

londonTiger

yeah should post the london disclaimar. The traffic was so slow that it was probably quicker to walk through there. Unfortunately that's how you have to drive when there's such bad traffic Otherwise someone is going to sneak through a gap and poke their front corner in because their lane is moving 0.1mph slower than yours.

Sgt_Pepper_2

londonTiger wrote: »

yeah should post the london disclaimar. The traffic was so slow that it was probably quicker to walk through there. Unfortunately that's how you have to drive when there's such bad traffic Otherwise someone is going to sneak through a gap and poke their front corner in because their lane is moving 0.1mph slower than yours.

And, what if they do?

dacouch

It's not the end of the road if someone pulls into the gap in front of you