Right of way past parked cars?

Tilt

moneyspendexpert wrote: »

what if the parked vehicles you are passing are already half mounted on a pavement and cause you to drive into the opposing lane ??

I see many cars parked on a footpath/pavement, is this ok ??

What difference would that make if they are still obstructing your side of the road?

victor2

alastairq wrote: »

The clue is, if using the other half of the road, 'give way' to oncoming traffic.

The fact is the bigger, older, more battered your vehicle is, the more you have right of way.

NBLondon

Strider590 wrote: »

With parked cars, it's like any other obstruction in the road, the side that's not obstructed has priority.

For example:

Surely the OP was referring to cases where there isn't a clear roadsign to show priority 'cause the obstruction isn't permanent.

The one that really niggles me is when the obstruction is a bus picking up/letting off. Near me there's a bus stop at a point where there is one lane in the same direction the bus travels and two the other way (the second is a right turn filter). The ignorant gits see an extra lane and use it to pass the bus without realising (or caring) there is oncoming traffic.

Strider590

NBLondon wrote: »

Surely the OP was referring to cases where there isn't a clear roadsign to show priority 'cause the obstruction isn't permanent.

The one that really niggles me is when the obstruction is a bus picking up/letting off. Near me there's a bus stop at a point where there is one lane in the same direction the bus travels and two the other way (the second is a right turn filter). The ignorant gits see an extra lane and use it to pass the bus without realising (or caring) there is oncoming traffic.

Regardless of the road sign, it's common sense that if a driver has to cross onto the oncoming carriageway, then they must give way to oncoming traffic.
Anyone who thinks otherwise, is just another ignorant "my way code" pr1ck.


Highway Code - Section 163

"give way to oncoming vehicles before passing parked vehicles or other obstructions on your side of the road"

Tilt

Strider590 wrote: »

Regardless of the road sign, it's common sense that if a driver has to cross onto the oncoming carriageway, then they must give way to oncoming traffic.
Anyone who thinks otherwise, is just another ignorant "my way code" pr1ck.


Highway Code - Section 163

"give way to oncoming vehicles before passing parked vehicles or other obstructions on your side of the road"

Yeah but the issue is that if you have a line of parked cars on 'your' side of the road and you begin to pass them when initially there is no oncoming traffic, what happens when oncoming traffic proceeds through the 'obstruction' putting you on a collision course?

A previous poster reckoned "his brother" ended up colliding with an oncoming vehicle in such circumstances and was found to be liable as the obstruction was his side. I say there is more to it than that.

Strider590

Tilt wrote: »

A previous poster reckoned "his brother" ended up colliding with an oncoming vehicle in such circumstances and was found to be liable as the obstruction was his side. I say there is more to it than that.

It'd be hard to prove what happened in that case, insurance took the easy option.

DaveF327

SteveJW wrote: »

Had this on a single track road a few years ago, insurers asked me why I thought the other driver was to blame
Quote
"I saw the car coming the other way, appreciated the hazard and brought my car to a controlled stop. Evidently your client did not appreciate the hazard and failed to bring his vehicle to a controlled stop." They paid out.

In my opinion despite who has the right of way, if you perceive a hazard you should take the appropriate action, including coming to a stop if necessary

This post nails the point home perfectly. We can split hairs over "right of way", "priority", "their side" and "my side" until the cows come home, but the overwhelming common sense rule is nicely spelled out by rules 144 and 147 of the highway code.

alastairq

moneyspendexpert wrote: »

what if the parked vehicles you are passing are already half mounted on a pavement and cause you to drive into the opposing lane ??

I see many cars parked on a footpath/pavement, is this ok ??

Not quite what I was referring to....?
I refer to driving one's vehicle onto a footpath/pavement, to 'make room' to pass others....

However, regarding parking on pavements/footpaths?

Unless local authority regulations specifically permit such parking, then again, there is an offence....the sanctity of one's door mirrors is irrelevant if a parent with a child & pushchair have no room to get past.

Yet, we blithely place the sanctity of our motorcars before the safe passage of a pedestrian...

1886

I drive for a living and every so often we each have to go on an assessment drive with an advanced driving instructor. One of them told me that nobody has right of way when there's parked cars on a road, he also said that it's not enforceable by law if you don't give way to your right at a roundabout..

The way I drive is that if I'm going down a street and there's a parked car on my side of the road and a car coming then I stop unless I have time to get out and back in. If there's a car parked on the other side of the road I expect the other car to stop, my ADI said that you should never expect the other vehicle to stop even if the vehicle is on their side, you don't have right of way..

clear as mud

moneyspendexpert

Tilt wrote: »

What difference would that make if they are still obstructing your side of the road?

the cars would have to be driven onto the pavement and are illegally parked on the pavement causing an obstruction to other road users.