Double white lines/unbroken lines...

[carreauchompeur]

Folks,

I’d always regarded DWL or solid white lines as ‘do not overtake’ lines however the legislation talks only about crossing or straddling. Now, in 90 per cent of cases I’ve ever seen then they had to cross them. However, encountered a motorbike yesterday and having looked at the footage he stays within the lines whilst overtaking a car (relatively wide lane)

Have I missed something? I am given to read it that no crossing=No offence?

[vonhosen]

They are NOT no overtaking lines.

You may overtake provided you don't cross or straddle them.
You may cross or straddle them for the listed exemptions.

[XCP]

yes

[cts1975]

You may straddle or cross them if you need to overtake an object moving at 10mph or less.

[vonhosen]

cts1975 said:

You may straddle or cross them if you need to overtake an object moving at 10mph or less.

No, it's more restrictive than that.
It's not just any vehicle at 10mph or less, it's very few listed examples.

[Lost ranger]

cts1975 said:

You may straddle or cross them if you need to overtake an object moving at 10mph or less.

To be more precise. If you need to straddle or cross them in order to overtake a cyclist horse rider or road maintenance vehicle travelling at less than 10MPH, or a stationary vehicle. The overtake itself doesn't have to be necessary,

[carreauchompeur]

Thanks, I was aware of the exemptions... in terms of non exempt overtakes then 99% of the time the vehicle does cross the line since the lanes aren’t wide enough to fit through. In this case though they did!

I’ll cancel the ticket

[vonhosen]

Lost ranger said:

cts1975 said:

You may straddle or cross them if you need to overtake an object moving at 10mph or less.

To be more precise. If you need to straddle or cross them in order to overtake a cyclist horse rider or road maintenance vehicle travelling at less than 10MPH, or a stationary vehicle. The overtake itself doesn't have to be necessary,

It's not just any road maintenance vehicle either, the road maintenance vehicle is also required to be displaying a sign like this to the front/rear.

[over_the_hill]

Can also cross to turn right into an adjoining road or premises.

Must not stop on a road with solid double white lines up the centre.

[Biker 1]

over_the_hill said:

Must not stop on a road with solid double white lines up the centre.

How does this apply if there is a single solid line one side & dotted the other?

[vonhosen]

Biker 1 said:

over_the_hill said:

Must not stop on a road with solid double white lines up the centre.

How does this apply if there is a single solid line one side & dotted the other?

The same (there are exemptions for stopping but the legislation doesn't differentiate between the different markings when it comes to stopping)

The distinction between the different markings is made for crossing or straddling not stopping.

[Akz]

I've rarely seen even police cars wait to overtake cyclists going over 10mph in solid white line sections.

[Cat]

carreauchompeur said:

Folks,
the legislation talks only about crossing or straddling.

The highway code talks about crossing or straddling the lines, the legislation itself does not. The legislation actually states that a vehicle must be driven so as to keep the continuous line on its right hand or off side.

It is a subtle but significant difference; if the legislation said you must not cross or straddle the lines you could wrong side the entire DWL markings and not commit an offence provided you moved out before the lines started and moved back once they'd ended.

Cat

[carreauchompeur]

Road markings shown in diagrams 1013.1, 1013.3 and 1013.4: double white lines
26.—(1) A road marking for conveying the requirements specified in paragraph (2) and the warning specified in paragraph (7) shall be of the size, colour and type shown in diagram 1013.1, 1013.3 or 1013.4.
(2) The requirements conveyed by a road marking mentioned in paragraph (1) shall be that—
(a)subject to paragraphs (3) and (5), no vehicle shall stop on any length of road along which the marking has been placed at any point between the ends of the marking; and
(b)subject to paragraph (6), every vehicle proceeding on any length of road along which the marking has been so placed that, as viewed in the direction of travel of the vehicle, a continuous line is on the left of a broken line or of another continuous line, shall be so driven as to keep the first-mentioned continuous line on the right hand or off side of the vehicle.
(3) Nothing in paragraph (2)(a) shall apply so as to prevent a vehicle stopping on any length of road so long as may be necessary for any of the purposes specified in paragraph (4) if the vehicle cannot be used for such a purpose without stopping on the length of road.
(4) The purposes are—
(a)to enable a person to board or alight from the vehicle,
(b)to enable goods to be loaded on to or to be unloaded from the vehicle,
(c)to enable the vehicle to be used in connection with—
(i)any operation involving building, demolition or excavation;
(ii)the removal of any obstruction to traffic;
(iii)the maintenance, improvement or reconstruction of the length of road; or
(iv)the laying, erection, alteration, repair or cleaning in or near the length of road of any sewer or of any main, pipe or apparatus for the supply of gas, water or electricity, or of any telecommunications apparatus kept installed for the purposes of a telecommunications code system or of any other telecommunications apparatus lawfully kept installed in any position.
(5) Nothing in paragraph (2)(a) shall apply—
(a)so as to prevent a vehicle stopping in a lay-by;
(b)to a vehicle for the time being used for fire brigade, ambulance or police purposes;
(c)to a pedal bicycle not having a sidecar attached thereto, whether additional means of propulsion by mechanical power are attached to the bicycle or not;
(d)to a vehicle stopping in any case where the person in control of the vehicle is required by law to stop, or is obliged to do so in order to avoid an accident, or is prevented from proceeding by circumstances outside his control;
(e)to anything done with the permission or at the direction of a constable in uniform or in accordance with the direction of a traffic warden; or
(f)to a vehicle on a road with more than one traffic lane in each direction.
(6) Nothing in paragraph (2)(b) shall be taken to prohibit a vehicle from being driven across, or so as to straddle, the continuous line referred to in that paragraph, if it is safe to do so and if necessary to do so—
(a)to enable the vehicle to enter, from the side of the road on which it is proceeding, land or premises adjacent to the length of road on which the line is placed, or another road joining that road;
(b)in order to pass a stationary vehicle;
(c)owing to circumstances outside the control of the driver;
(d)in order to avoid an accident;
(e)in order to pass a road maintenance vehicle which is in use, is moving at a speed not exceeding 10 mph, and is displaying to the rear the sign shown in diagram 610 or 7403;
(f)in order to pass a pedal cycle moving at a speed not exceeding 10 mph;
(g)in order to pass a horse that is being ridden or led at a speed not exceeding 10 mph; or
(h)for the purposes of complying with any direction of a constable in uniform or a traffic warden.
(7) The warning conveyed by a road marking mentioned in paragraph (1) shall be that no vehicle while travelling next to a broken line placed on the left of a continuous line, as viewed in the direction of travel of the vehicle, should cross or straddle the first-mentioned line unless it is seen by the driver of the vehicle to be safe to do so.

[carreauchompeur]

Wordy, but you’re correct!

[Foss62]

Akz said:

I've rarely seen even police cars wait to overtake cyclists going over 10mph in solid white line sections.

There are a few cyclists who like to make a point over this, but as with many other road traffic laws it would seem that this is only likely to be tested in relatively extreme examples. Crossing the lines to safely go past a cyclist who is actually doing 15mph would be unlikely to result in prosecution, but causing (or nearly causing) an accident by doing the same to get past a 25mph “peloton” might be a different matter.

[carreauchompeur]

Foss62 said:

Akz said:

I've rarely seen even police cars wait to overtake cyclists going over 10mph in solid white line sections.

There are a few cyclists who like to make a point over this, but as with many other road traffic laws it would seem that this is only likely to be tested in relatively extreme examples. Crossing the lines to safely go past a cyclist who is actually doing 15mph would be unlikely to result in prosecution, but causing (or nearly causing) an accident by doing the same to get past a 25mph “peloton” might be a different matter.

Agreed. There has to be a bit of rule bending on this otherwise some roads would grind to a halt. But on my drive to work yesterday I saw classic examples of it being done wrong...

-assuming because a cyclist is going really slowly then it’s ok to overtake on a blind bend in a DWL section. Extraordinarily dangerous on a road which has a lot of heavy traffic...for the poor squishy person on the bike.
-being up my chuff to overtake a road bike going at 25ish. In a 30. With traffic islands. Approaching a red light...

[Akz]

Yes. I'm not too fussed as long as it's a safe pass but it's worth being cautious. Never know how the unmarked traffic cop behind is feeling today

Have seen Surrey RPU tweet about it before:

https://twitter.com/SurreyRoadCops/status/12580157...

[OverSteery]

Akz said:

Yes. I'm not too fussed as long as it's a safe pass but it's worth being cautious. Never know how the unmarked traffic cop behind is feeling today

Have seen Surrey RPU tweet about it before:

https://twitter.com/SurreyRoadCops/status/12580157...

"If you catch up with a cyclist when there is a solid white line on your side of the road, you must not overtake if the cyclist is moving at more than 10mph."

So the police don't understand the law either...

[Akz]

OverSteery said:

"If you catch up with a cyclist when there is a solid white line on your side of the road, you must not overtake if the cyclist is moving at more than 10mph."

So the police don't understand the law either...

How so? Most of the time passing the cyclist within the lines is going to commit another offence...