Friday, February 22, 2008

Highway code what highway code?

Well it seems the letter regarding Gilgal that caught my attention here has attracted a response; sadly an inaccurate one.

However, strictly speaking, the traffic moving from Minster Road into Gilgal should always take precedence. The reason is that at the end of Vale Road there are clear give way' markings on the road.
This bald statement actually gave me pause for thought, was Mr Tromans correct? I mean I've only been driving over this area a minimum of twice a day, five days a week, for the last ten years; was there really a set of give way markings at the connection between Vale Road and Gilgal I'd been missing? I therefore resolved to carefully check the next time I travelled that way.

There are two sets of road markings as you approach this area, running alongside the divider are a set of diagonal white stripes which as per Rule 130 of the Highway Code are there to separate traffic lanes or to protect traffic turning right; and would be unnecessary if a Give Way system was in place. The second set of road markings are the standard lane markings the rules for which are covered by the high way code here.

[Update - Mr Tromans has answered my comment and graciously retracted his statement]

So first we get a story that seems to imply that the Dial-a-ride bus has (or needs) some special dispensation to pick-up/drop-off passengers on a set of double yellow lines when according to the Highway Code PDF file
Waiting restrictions indicated by yellow lines apply to the carriageway, pavement and verge. You may stop to load or unload (unless there are also loading restrictions as described below) or while passengers board or alight.
Notice the lack of any of the provisos about the driver leaving or if the vehicle is causing an obstruction, which Mr Hart seems to believe exists.

So as well as that we then get a letter stating that something exists that clearly doesn't... so does the Shuttle perform any type of, you know, journalistic fact checking of what they print at all in terms of letters or quotes?

For any Shuttle writers here's a helping hand for checking the Gilgal story.

In other news the wonderful parking cameras in place in parts of London may be spreading to other parts of the country. In an interview a detractor of the scheme mentioned someone getting a fine for stopping in a box junction; which he had done in order to avoid running over the two people who'd run out in front of him both of whom were clearly visible in the evidence photo. If you want to laugh (or cry) read Rule 174 of the Highway Code.

I expect at any time to be pulled over by the police while driving through the town for not having my headlights on (Rule 113)

I suggest that all drivers refresh their memories as to the Rules in the Highway Code (or at least the bits I've linked to) that way you'll be one up on all the people supposedly enforcing them; because they clearly haven't bothered.

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