Three lane roads

[TripleS]

Are there examples of this where the marked area is the same width as the lanes either side?

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ll=51.370012,-2.71431&spn=0.000107,0.084543&t=m&z=14&layer=c&cbll=51.370166,-2.714018&panoid=weJgGvUbNv6M9P8i5ydhyg&cbp=12,37.92,,0,-12.52

It always feels deliciously naughty overtaking here.

Yes, I can see the attraction, but:

a) hatched areas can be a repository for debris that might yield a puncture, e.g. Pat Langley's alarming incident.
b) the hatch markings might not be just paint, but can have appreciable concrete thickness, like rumble strips.

[jlsmith]

Please may I ask what is the legal position concerning overtaking on these types of hatchings which are not bounded by a solid line? Can you overtake legally, and if so, what would likely happen if you do it in plain view of the BiB?

Thanks,

[martine]

Please may I ask what is the legal position concerning overtaking on these types of hatchings which are not bounded by a solid line? Can you overtake legally, and if so, what would likely happen if you do it in plain view of the BiB?

Thanks,

If a hatched area is bounded by a dotted line then you are allowed to enter it, if safe. Therefore the police would have no problem - providing it's safe.

Did I mention safety?

[sussex2]

[code][/code]

Please may I ask what is the legal position concerning overtaking on these types of hatchings which are not bounded by a solid line? Can you overtake legally, and if so, what would likely happen if you do it in plain view of the BiB?

Thanks,

Here is your answer and yes you may enter them and overtake if needs be with the usual safety constraints:

https://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_d ... 192269.pdf

[jlsmith]

Very helpful, many thanks.

[MGF]

I think it is a good idea not to enter any section of road surface unless it is safe to do so regardless of road markings.



ROG recalls being stopped by Police for overtaking on hatched markings.

[sussex2]

I think it is a good idea not to enter any section of road surface unless it is safe to do so regardless of road markings.



ROG recalls being stopped by Police for overtaking on hatched markings.

Being stopped and the police having full knowledge of the rules and regs are two different worlds
However people are so ignorant of the procedures that they will rarely use these spaces; thus they are prone to road debris as has already been mentioned.

[martine]

Being stopped and the police having full knowledge of the rules and regs are two different worlds

Might be an interesting conversation - trying not to sound cocky.

[superplum]

Here is your answer and yes you may enter them and overtake if needs be with the usual safety constraints:

https://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_d ... 192269.pdf

Your defence should be HC Rule 130, not the Road Markings Manual.

[jlsmith]

Your defence should be HC Rule 130, not the Road Markings Manual.

I have looked this up (not ingrained in my memory, unfortunately) and I see that it suggests it must be considered 'necessary'. Would an otherwise safe overtake be deemed 'necessary'?

Thanks,

[fungus]

I think it is a good idea not to enter any section of road surface unless it is safe to do so regardless of road markings.



ROG recalls being stopped by Police for overtaking on hatched markings.

Being stopped and the police having full knowledge of the rules and regs are two different worlds
However people are so ignorant of the procedures that they will rarely use these spaces; thus they are prone to road debris as has already been mentioned.

IMHO, I think highways authorities use hatched markings to disuade drivers from overtaking where the road would not be elligable for solid white lines, in the knowledge that the majority of the driving public haven't the foggiest idea of the laws governing them.

[Gareth]

I see that it suggests it must be considered 'necessary'. Would an otherwise safe overtake be deemed 'necessary'?

If your intention is to overtake then, yes, it is necessary to use part of the road.

[MGF]

That isn't the same as whayxa Court may find is necessary. If you use the hatchings to pass traffic in situstions that most people would not you are at risk of unwelcome attention. Previous driving can also be relevant to deciding whether or not your driving further up the road is careless.

[sussex2]

Being stopped and the police having full knowledge of the rules and regs are two different worlds

Might be an interesting conversation - trying not to sound cocky.

The average plod does not have an encyclopaedic knowledge of motoring law. The average member of the public's knowledge is largely based on myth and legend.
I witness the latter on many an evening in my local watering hole. The most popular being the 'two pints and it's ok to drive' one.
There are legions of others

[TR4ffic]

I see that it suggests it must be considered 'necessary'. Would an otherwise safe overtake be deemed 'necessary'?

If your intention is to overtake then, yes, it is necessary to use part of the road.

Well, it could be argued that it is not ‘necessary’…

There was a discussion in another thread (can’t remember if it was on here or the other forum) regarding S/DWLs and whether bikers could cross a S/DWL to pass a queue of traffic – on the approach to TLs, for instance. The gist was, IIRC, some bikers said that they could because it was ‘necessary’ to cross the line in order to pass the queue; others disagreed and said that it wasn’t ‘necessary’, the bikers could and should wait in the queue…

Now we effectively have the same issue with hatched areas and the interpretation of ‘necessary’.

Whilst I accept that this hatched area is not bounded by a SWL would it not be reasonable to apply the same restrictions/exceptions to entering a hatched area as those applied to crossing S/DWLs when considering ‘necessary’..? – A vehicle travelling below x mph, a stationery/parked vehicle, etc. So, it depends on what you are passing/overtaking but I don’t necessarily agree that it is ‘necessary’ to enter a hatched area just because you don’t want to wait behind a vehicle that is travelling at a lower speed than you want to.