Driving through roadworks in an emergency
Discussion
Travelling eastbound up the M3, there is currently a contraflow near junction 4 (Farnborough).
The shut lane (lane 1) appears empty as far as digging up the road goes, and is separated from the running lanes by a concrete barrier.
During slow moving traffic, your car suddenly loses all power. You stick your hazards on & manage to coast out of the live lane through one of the few gaps in the concrete barrier and into the roadworks zone, which as luck would have it you happen to be right next to.
After flapping about for 1 minute, you try restarting. It works! Must have been some intermittent electrical fault…
Problem being, it would be dangerous to reverse out back onto the live lanes of traffic: the only way to proceed is to drive 1.5miles down the closed (albeit completely empty) lane and merge with traffic at the end where the construction zone traffic would exit.
Is there anything in the above you could be prosecuted for?
The shut lane (lane 1) appears empty as far as digging up the road goes, and is separated from the running lanes by a concrete barrier.
During slow moving traffic, your car suddenly loses all power. You stick your hazards on & manage to coast out of the live lane through one of the few gaps in the concrete barrier and into the roadworks zone, which as luck would have it you happen to be right next to.
After flapping about for 1 minute, you try restarting. It works! Must have been some intermittent electrical fault…
Problem being, it would be dangerous to reverse out back onto the live lanes of traffic: the only way to proceed is to drive 1.5miles down the closed (albeit completely empty) lane and merge with traffic at the end where the construction zone traffic would exit.
Is there anything in the above you could be prosecuted for?
It depends on the TTRO in place but normally a closed lane is closed its an offence to enter it. If it the hard shoulder there will be recovery signs and details of free recovery. What lane did you enter?
In the Traffic management there is a require for green cone entrance points. Without having the TM plan you wont know were the exits are but highways agency staff/contractors (other than hatos) are normally not allowed to exit into a live lane unless they have an agreed TM Plan with no other option. The ops should again be able to help you with exiting the TM, if they have IPV by maybe they can arrnage for that to meet you to help you exit.
It doesn't sound unreasonable but when you come across the ops explain what's going on ie your story. This means your not reported to the police by the highways agency contractors for the offence and they can let the network
In the Traffic management there is a require for green cone entrance points. Without having the TM plan you wont know were the exits are but highways agency staff/contractors (other than hatos) are normally not allowed to exit into a live lane unless they have an agreed TM Plan with no other option. The ops should again be able to help you with exiting the TM, if they have IPV by maybe they can arrnage for that to meet you to help you exit.
It doesn't sound unreasonable but when you come across the ops explain what's going on ie your story. This means your not reported to the police by the highways agency contractors for the offence and they can let the network
If it was a “working” lane there must be some arrangements along there for contractors vehicles to exit the works, so I would have thought being sensible in this instance wouldn’t be a problem (providing you kept within the site limit rules)
No doubt someone will come along to quote a suitable bit of legislation which proves otherwise!
In this (hypothetical?) case, myself, I would want to get to the bottom of the problem though before continuing the journey
No doubt someone will come along to quote a suitable bit of legislation which proves otherwise!
In this (hypothetical?) case, myself, I would want to get to the bottom of the problem though before continuing the journey
Worked on the A14 widening job near Kettering earlier in the year and cars driving into the closed off section was a regular occurrence.
Most were apologetic and said it was a guenuine mistake! We just told them to use the next exit and be careful exiting onto the life carriageway.
Made you wonder how they completed any journey unscathed.
OP, in your case it was safer to enter the closed off section than grind to a halt in the life carriageway.
No real issue.
Most were apologetic and said it was a guenuine mistake! We just told them to use the next exit and be careful exiting onto the life carriageway.
Made you wonder how they completed any journey unscathed.
OP, in your case it was safer to enter the closed off section than grind to a halt in the life carriageway.
No real issue.
Mandown46 said:
This
These works all have dedicated CCTV rooms, when they pick you up on camera (and they will) a recovery truck will go down, and pick you up. Problem solved.
They didn't spot the car broken down at J16 M1 last week until after he'd been smacked by a Scania though. 15+ minutes stranded in live lane...These works all have dedicated CCTV rooms, when they pick you up on camera (and they will) a recovery truck will go down, and pick you up. Problem solved.
littleredrooster said:
Mandown46 said:
This
These works all have dedicated CCTV rooms, when they pick you up on camera (and they will) a recovery truck will go down, and pick you up. Problem solved.
They didn't spot the car broken down at J16 M1 last week until after he'd been smacked by a Scania though. 15+ minutes stranded in live lane...These works all have dedicated CCTV rooms, when they pick you up on camera (and they will) a recovery truck will go down, and pick you up. Problem solved.
http://www.highways.gov.uk/traffic-information/tra...
http://www.highways.gov.uk/traffic-information/tra...
They'll be more incident updates etc in the future as the HA become a Govco.
http://www.highways.gov.uk/traffic-information/tra...
I wouldn't believe it too much, I was stuck in this, and contrary to the above report, m25 clockwise traffic was diverted to A1 North, A414 etc. Not A1 south, A406 etc.
Details, yes, but also very much incorrect information.
Caused chaos as most of the traffic generally wants to go south at that junction at that time in the morning.
Interesting though, that they are releasing official info about these incidents.
I wouldn't believe it too much, I was stuck in this, and contrary to the above report, m25 clockwise traffic was diverted to A1 North, A414 etc. Not A1 south, A406 etc.
Details, yes, but also very much incorrect information.
Caused chaos as most of the traffic generally wants to go south at that junction at that time in the morning.
Interesting though, that they are releasing official info about these incidents.
If you break down inside roadworks, and are able to get your vehicle out of the live running lanes, either through gaps in the barrier, or behind the cones, do so, because you are certainly going to be much safer, but for running down inside the closure to the end to get out is a no-no unless directed to do so by either the roadworks crew, a police officer, or a HATO. If you do it on your own initiative then you leave yourself open to prosecution. I would also be very reluctant to emerge back out the way you went in, at 90º to the live traffic, once again, either a police officer or HATO will assist you to make that manover safety. but they do need to know, so either use the SOS box (in major works, they may not be working) or phone 101, but give the marker-post and direction that you're travelling. NOTE: If you're behind the barrier / cones inside roadworks, you are in a relatively safe place, and there may be more urgent jobs on the go, so you could have to wait a little while. In the major roadworks, free recovery is normally working, they will attend and either recover you off the network, or escort you out of the roadworks safely.
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