simcor:
Nicked from a poster on pistonheads who says he emailed Highways England. And got the following response.
Just to update you all, I have had the following response from Highways England :
Hi Nigel, the red X signal closes a lane from that point until a further sign indicates otherwise. Where a red X has been used to close the left-hand side lane before an exit sliproad and no other sign before the slip-road, it would be illegal to enter the closed lane and then exit the motorway. Enforcement will only take place where there are cameras and/or the offence is observed. If the scenario above happens, we would recommend drivers continue to the next junction and exit the motorway there OR use the next junction to come back to where they were and exit from the other side to pick up their original route. This may add time to your journey, but depending on traffic volumes and distance to the next junction, this could just be a few minutes. We are reviewing how and when we use the red X around slip-roads to see how we can avoid disrupting journeys wherever possible. Hope this helps
So there you go, if they close lane one, they also close any sliproads at the same time !
^ That would be my view wherever a red X is in force.It means that lane is closed to traffic from that point including slip roads.‘But’ which logically should also include advanced warning information stating that any/all the affected exit slip roads/services are closed.
Which then leaves the question of affected entry slip roads such as traffic entering a red X zone from the services ■■?.
IMO, The law is an ■■■, HGV Drivers are easy pickings no matter what they do, The ■■■■ they have to put up with from all and sundrie, Plus all the red tape, Its not right IMO, That this should be allowed to happen, Ive said my bit because I was a long distance driver for over 60 years, When things were a bit rough in the in the 50/60s, Era But I made good money working for good hauliers in the North East, Who looked after there work force, Larry.
twostrike:
I was driving Westbound on the M4 in lane 1 and been planning on using the approaching Reading services to take a tacho break and use the toilets, I had been working at this point for around 5 to 5 and half hours. The road was very sparse of other vehicles.
Up ahead I could see a red x on the gantry above lane 1 (this gantry is located 400 yards from the services). upon seeing the red x I moved to lane 2 in good time and went under the gantry. looking even further ahead I could see there was no hazard as far as the eye could see (around a quarter of a mile at this point) so decided to use the services after all, so with around 200 yards to go I drove straight across lane 1 and into the separate slip road for Reading services (after making sure it was safe of course), I was in lane 1 for a matter of seconds before entering said slip road (the letter from the police says “time into red 0.01 seconds” whatever that means).
I have been issued with £100 fine and 3 points. It would seem that I can only appeal if I say I want to take the matter to court.
So should I ■■■■ it up buttercup or take it to court? I look forward to hearing your opinions on the matter. Thanks in advance.
Your perfectly entitled to cross the lane to exit the motorway as long as that exit is open , by your statement you went under the Gantry in lane two so unsure how it clocked you 200 yards later in lane one, you did not drive in lane one according to your version of events just crossed it to exit, I would personally on your version take it to court , if your version isnt totally factual and you did drive for in lane one for any period of time rather than just crossing it, take the fine and points
Crossing the lane is driving in the lane. You could go to court and plead mitigation but I think you would be admitting the offence.
The 0.01 second I would have thought was how long the red X had been displayed. But it seems too short to be that
Have you got your photo like this?
It’s obviously not under the gantry that they photo you, but 200 yards further on.
DAF_Daily:
You entered a lane marked with a red X. Everything else is irrelevant.
Guilty as charged
But equally obviously anyone entering the motorway from an entry slip road including from the services would be guilty too ■■
Not if they don’t pass a red X.
If crossing a Red X lane to exit onto a slip road or into services then exiting services into a lane closed by a Red X would also be illegal. No ifs no buts. A Red X means that lane is closed until a sign that indicated otherwise that the temporary closure was now not in force. Whether or not you got prosecuted would depend if there was a camera or you were observed doing so.
DAF_Daily:
You entered a lane marked with a red X. Everything else is irrelevant.
Guilty as charged
But equally obviously anyone entering the motorway from an entry slip road including from the services would be guilty too ■■
Not if they don’t pass a red X.
Combined with the question of there also being no advanced warning, of exit slip road/services closures, within a red X section ahead, it’s obviously got nothing to do with ‘safety’.Its another revenue raising and licence hitting scam.
IE when is a supposed lane closure on safety grounds selectively not a lane closure on ‘safety’ grounds where/when it’s convenient as in no gantry for the red X sign.
It seems strange how there are so many ‘incidents’ and ‘obstructions’ like animals or pedestrians in the road covering miles of motorway, all conveniently occurring where gantries have been conveniently installed.
DAF_Daily:
You entered a lane marked with a red X. Everything else is irrelevant.
Guilty as charged
But equally obviously anyone entering the motorway from an entry slip road including from the services would be guilty too ■■
Not if they don’t pass a red X.
If crossing a Red X lane to exit onto a slip road or into services then exiting services into a lane closed by a Red X would also be illegal. No ifs no buts. A Red X means that lane is closed until a sign that indicated otherwise that the temporary closure was now not in force. Whether or not you got prosecuted would depend if there was a camera or you were observed doing so.
If it’s unsafe to enter the closed lane to exit the motorway then it’s obviously equally ‘unsafe’ to enter the same closed lane from an entry slip road.
The difference being that it isn’t convenient to stop entering traffic.
Nor does stopping entering traffic suit the real purpose which is all about creating congestion to disincentivise road use and raising revenues and criminalising drivers.
My recommendation would be to seek professional advice from a qualified solicitor and not rely on some layman’s personal opinion. Maybe consult a union if you’re in one?
twostrike:
I was driving Westbound on the M4 in lane 1 and been planning on using the approaching Reading services to take a tacho break and use the toilets, I had been working at this point for around 5 to 5 and half hours. The road was very sparse of other vehicles.
Up ahead I could see a red x on the gantry above lane 1 (this gantry is located 400 yards from the services). upon seeing the red x I moved to lane 2 in good time and went under the gantry. looking even further ahead I could see there was no hazard as far as the eye could see (around a quarter of a mile at this point) so decided to use the services after all, so with around 200 yards to go I drove straight across lane 1 and into the separate slip road for Reading services (after making sure it was safe of course), I was in lane 1 for a matter of seconds before entering said slip road (the letter from the police says “time into red 0.01 seconds” whatever that means).
I have been issued with £100 fine and 3 points. It would seem that I can only appeal if I say I want to take the matter to court.
So should I ■■■■ it up buttercup or take it to court? I look forward to hearing your opinions on the matter. Thanks in advance.
Your perfectly entitled to cross the lane to exit the motorway as long as that exit is open , by your statement you went under the Gantry in lane two so unsure how it clocked you 200 yards later in lane one, you did not drive in lane one according to your version of events just crossed it to exit, I would personally on your version take it to court , if your version isnt totally factual and you did drive for in lane one for any period of time rather than just crossing it, take the fine and points
Thank you for your advice. Where could i find this in writing that I am entitled to cross the lane? It may of been 300 not 200 (remember that the gantry itself is only 400 yards from the services, so it all happened within a short amount of time at 45mph)
twostrike:
Thank you for your advice. Where could i find this in writing that I am entitled to cross the lane? It may of been 300 not 200 (remember that the gantry itself is only 400 yards from the services, so it all happened within a short amount of time at 45mph)
You wont find it in writing because its not true
Red X means the lane is closed to traffic until signs say that it’s clear no ifs no buts and it’s just not worth betting your licence and cash on anything other than that premise.
This is a good example of life sucking. I’d have done the same as the OP but, having seen this thread, I won’t.
I feel crossing the lane, although is still driving in it, is acceptable but, obviously to the powers that be, it isn’t. If there were emergency vehicles, highway maintenance or cones then yeh sure, don’t cross. But a completely empty lane that’s obviously no danger to anyone is exactly that, no danger to anyone.
The part about getting higher personal car insurance is another thing that ■■■■■ the big hairy meatball.
Have they extended the M40 now ?
I thought it was the M42 went past NEC
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Yes.Quite right.Combination of banana fingers and thinking ahead with a faulty memory.
Normally I’m not a great fan of disgression, but in this particular case, a roadside chat would have been a fairer response. Can’t do that with cameras though.
What about people pulling out of the services into the closed lane?
Call me a cynic, but I do wonder about the infastructure that actually caught you crossing that lane. There was a bus lane camera in Northampton that was specifically placed to catch people momentarily cutting into the 24hr bus lane to get around stopped traffic turning right into a pertrol station. The council made millions from it. One motorist took it to court, and won. The camera got taken down.
simcor:
Nicked from a poster on pistonheads who says he emailed Highways England. And got the following response.
Just to update you all, I have had the following response from Highways England :
Hi Nigel, the red X signal closes a lane from that point until a further sign indicates otherwise.
I don’t know what the signage is to denote lane open again.
Every time I have seen a closed lane it is also reduced speed. I take the national speed limit symbol to mean all is over, back to normal, but sometimes it’s not shown in a full overhead gantry but in one of those single post digital signs next to the left hand lane, so they don’t show the speed for each lane but one symbol.
As gidders mentioned the M42, if I cast my mind back a couple of years when I used it every night, I’m sure they would often have a few gantries after a speed limit unlit then a few miles further on a national speed limit sign showing. I think I’m right in saying strictly the speed limit is in force until you pass a sign giving a new limit, does that hold true for red x’s
