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

almillar

so what are people supposed to do? when you're driving 10mph. You should all stop at the beginning of the junction until the entire junction is clear and you can see at least 1 car length empty on the other side before you proceed??

You got it! That's exactly what you're meant to do, no matter what speed. Don't enter, unless you can see that you can exit! Box junctions in London work exactly the same as the rest of the country.

vaio

almillar wrote: »

You got it! That's exactly what you're meant to do, no matter what speed. Don't enter, unless you can see that you can exit! Box junctions in London work exactly the same as the rest of the country.

Yep that's pretty much it, there is the exception that you can stop in the box if you are turning right and oncoming traffic prevents the turn but even that only applies if your exit is clear

londonTiger

almillar wrote: »

You got it! That's exactly what you're meant to do, no matter what speed. Don't enter, unless you can see that you can exit! Box junctions in London work exactly the same as the rest of the country.

that's stupid. you'll slow up traffic ridiculously. I enter the box while there are cars already in it, the cars are moving on the other side as well as in the junction. It's not a problem at all. 99.9% of the time I end up on the other side. The only time I got caught out I did not get a ticket. So go figure.

Nobody crosses like the way you're describing. Otherwise ever single car crossing the junction will stop before proceeding even if cars on the other side are travelling at 30mph!

fart

londonTiger wrote: »

that's stupid. you'll slow up traffic ridiculously. I enter the box while there are cars already in it, the cars are moving on the other side as well as in the junction. It's not a problem at all. 99.9% of the time I end up on the other side. The only time I got caught out I did not get a ticket. So go figure.

Nobody crosses like the way you're describing. Otherwise ever single car crossing the junction will stop before proceeding even if cars on the other side are travelling at 30mph!

Then you don't understand the purpose of a box junction.

The purpose is to stop traffic from stopping in that area. The only way to ensure no traffic stops in that area is to wait until the exit (ie, the other side of the junction) is clear before entering it.

If you've been caught and get a fine then it's your own fault really. You should have known the road rules, doing what you've done on a test is an instant fail. How did you obtain a licence without knowing these basics?

londonTiger

you dont have to literally see no cars in the junction and a space for at least one car on the other side before you proceed to cross.

You can judge from the movement of traffic on the other side and make a sensible judgement that by the time you cross there will be more than enough space for you to drive to.

martmonk

vaio wrote: »

Yep that's pretty much it, there is the exception that you can stop in the box if you are turning right and oncoming traffic prevents the turn but even that only applies if your exit is clear

That, I did not know.

fart

londonTiger wrote: »

you dont have to literally see no cars in the junction and a space for at least one car on the other side before you proceed to cross.

This depends. On a driving test you would be failed for stopping in the box whether you 'thought' you'd make it to the other side or not. If the traffic is sufficiently slow-moving enough to present the possibility that you may be forced to stop in the junction then yes, you do have to literally see no cars in the junction and a space on the other side before you enter it.

Originally Posted by londonTiger
You can judge from the movement of traffic on the other side and make a sensible judgement that by the time you cross there will be more than enough space for you to drive to.

Some people may be able to, but you obviously can't.

almillar

that's stupid.

That's what's in the Highway Code, what can I say?! You passed your test didn't you? Did you not read that bit?

I understand what you mean about stopping and starting, it feels awkward if/when you have to do it. Can I suggest smoothing out your driving at junctions - drive slower, leave a bigger gap (approx the size of a box junction!) so that you can see whether the way is clear or not BEFORE you have to stop. I understand that you could risk people jumping in if there are 2 lanes, but that's better than getting a ticket...

you dont have to literally see no cars in the junction and a space for at least one car on the other side before you proceed to cross.
You can judge from the movement of traffic on the other side and make a sensible judgement that by the time you cross there will be more than enough space for you to drive to.

YES! You literally do! If you think you can judge from the movement of traffic that a gap is going to be there, great, that's more advanced, but this would be a failsafe option.

JimmyTheWig

fart wrote: »

On a driving test you would be failed for stopping in the box whether you 'thought' you'd make it to the other side or not.

But would you be penalised on a driving test for entering the junction when the exit wasn't clear if the traffic _did_ keep moving and you didn't stop in the box?

Crabman

londonTiger wrote: »

you dont have to literally see no cars in the junction and a space for at least one car on the other side before you proceed to cross.

You can judge from the movement of traffic on the other side and make a sensible judgement that by the time you cross there will be more than enough space for you to drive to.

What do you do if the vehicle at the exit stops moving earlier than you anticipated? Perhaps to let a pedestrian cross, or because another vehicle has cut in?

As others have said, only enter a yellow box when the exit is clear. Scroll down to 174.