Reversing Lorries
Discussion
Hi Folks
Looking for some thoughts on the following situation.
We have a haulage company based near us who use a junction on a daily basis to reverse their trucks. They do this as when traveling north along the A road they cannot turn into the road they're based on (small country lane) as the entrance to the junction is not wide enough to allow them to turn in.
The drivers will pull up on a busy A road reverse into a B road. This will involve the truck & trailer being all over both sides of the road & reversing around a blind bend.
The road is a fast busy country A road, popular with cyclists, bikers & tourists so from a common sense perspective it's a ridiculous manoeuvre but I wonder what the actual legal view is on doing such a thing? Particularly as this isn't a one off where a driver has made an error and needs to turn, it's a daily occurrence with multiple vehicles. If someone is running such a business from a location should the access be appropriate?
Any thoughts?
Looking for some thoughts on the following situation.
We have a haulage company based near us who use a junction on a daily basis to reverse their trucks. They do this as when traveling north along the A road they cannot turn into the road they're based on (small country lane) as the entrance to the junction is not wide enough to allow them to turn in.
The drivers will pull up on a busy A road reverse into a B road. This will involve the truck & trailer being all over both sides of the road & reversing around a blind bend.
The road is a fast busy country A road, popular with cyclists, bikers & tourists so from a common sense perspective it's a ridiculous manoeuvre but I wonder what the actual legal view is on doing such a thing? Particularly as this isn't a one off where a driver has made an error and needs to turn, it's a daily occurrence with multiple vehicles. If someone is running such a business from a location should the access be appropriate?
Any thoughts?
Jammez said:
Hi Folks
Looking for some thoughts on the following situation.
The road is a fast busy country A road, popular with cyclists, bikers & tourists so from a common sense perspective it's a ridiculous manoeuvre but I wonder what the actual legal view is on doing such a thing? Particularly as this isn't a one off where a driver has made an error and needs to turn, it's a daily occurrence with multiple vehicles. If someone is running such a business from a location should the access be appropriate?
Any thoughts?
It is not illegal to reverse onto or off a main road but it is advised in the Highway code to try and avoid reversing onto a main road. Hence life would be easier if people reversed into their driveways !!Looking for some thoughts on the following situation.
The road is a fast busy country A road, popular with cyclists, bikers & tourists so from a common sense perspective it's a ridiculous manoeuvre but I wonder what the actual legal view is on doing such a thing? Particularly as this isn't a one off where a driver has made an error and needs to turn, it's a daily occurrence with multiple vehicles. If someone is running such a business from a location should the access be appropriate?
Any thoughts?
As a daily occurrence I would suggest that most locals are fully aware and anyone not familiar with the area ought to be able to spot an HGV reversing across the road.
If living near a single haulage company is too developed for you try living in a rural area where instead of the odd lorry you sometimes find yourself sat waiting for 200 cows to cross a road or following a tractor with a dozen cars behind it
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Rachan,+Biggar+M...
Link above, junction with the A701 & B712. Further along to the south is the road the company are based on. You can see the challenge with entering at that angle from the south.
It is a great driving road, hence it attracts driers that are often making progress which in it's self makes the road quite dangerous
There's no use of banksmen, it's just a lone driver.
I know from personal experience that planning require the entrance drive to my property to meet certain criteria to allow entrance & exit. How can it be ok for a haulage company to operate out of a road that they cannot access from both directions? (south takes you to the M74 so you can imagine that's the direction they mostly go & come from)
Surely it can't be acceptable, their entrance road should allow proper entrance & exit. That same lane had to have numerous passing places added when someone built a new property yet access to the lane is not suitable for the type of traffic using it? Doesn't quite make sense to me - but then having dealt with planning over the past 3 years not much is making sense!
There's no use of banksmen, it's just a lone driver.
I know from personal experience that planning require the entrance drive to my property to meet certain criteria to allow entrance & exit. How can it be ok for a haulage company to operate out of a road that they cannot access from both directions? (south takes you to the M74 so you can imagine that's the direction they mostly go & come from)
Surely it can't be acceptable, their entrance road should allow proper entrance & exit. That same lane had to have numerous passing places added when someone built a new property yet access to the lane is not suitable for the type of traffic using it? Doesn't quite make sense to me - but then having dealt with planning over the past 3 years not much is making sense!
Have there been any accidents due to them reversing?
To be honest I can’t see the problem.
One way there is a clear sight line and the other way you’re coming down an incline and a reversing lorry should be easily visible over the hedge line.
It’s not ideal for sure but not the worst I’ve seen.
For 23 years I lived on a corner of two residential roads; one of reasonable widrh & the other too narrow for 2 cars to pass. The entrance to the lane was actually a bridge over a small stream.
200 yards away from the corner & on the wider road was another lane, at an angle to the wider road, that lead to 2 factories. Trucks accessing the factories could not make the turn into the angled lane so used the narrow lane beside my house for reversing direction. My property, & the house on the other side of the lane, had Cotswold stone boundary walls. We both suffered damage to our properties by trucks on many occasions.
A few cars coming down the lane were damaged by reversing trucks. The most serious accident involved a pedestrian being crushed against a wall - she was killed.
The council/Highways answer? Bollards to protect the walls, which were only partly successful. The police investigated the accident but no changes were made to prevent the trucks turning.
Blocks of stone on the underside of the bridge were crumbling from the weight of the trucks.
It is 5 years since I moved from that house but the problem still exists.
200 yards away from the corner & on the wider road was another lane, at an angle to the wider road, that lead to 2 factories. Trucks accessing the factories could not make the turn into the angled lane so used the narrow lane beside my house for reversing direction. My property, & the house on the other side of the lane, had Cotswold stone boundary walls. We both suffered damage to our properties by trucks on many occasions.
A few cars coming down the lane were damaged by reversing trucks. The most serious accident involved a pedestrian being crushed against a wall - she was killed.
The council/Highways answer? Bollards to protect the walls, which were only partly successful. The police investigated the accident but no changes were made to prevent the trucks turning.
Blocks of stone on the underside of the bridge were crumbling from the weight of the trucks.
It is 5 years since I moved from that house but the problem still exists.
Edited by Glosphil on Tuesday 27th April 14:59
This is an interesting question, and topical. There's some development currently underway on a small plot of land near where we used to live. The area is a 90's housing estate, the plot is an unused former playground area, 4 houses being built. Plot is at the end of a no through road, typical estate road, wide enough for two cars to pass, some vehicles parked at intervals, various bends, a couple of junctions, but turning space restricted at the end, further reduced by workers vehicles parked and blocking any small turning area. Sometimes the parked vehicles make it so you have to thread the needle with an ordinary car.
According to ex neighbours delivery lorries are leaving the site by reversing back along the road, no banksman. Saw this yesterday with a big artic that had delivered all the piling they're now hammering into place.
No accidents or incidents as far as I'm aware but doesn't look safe nor good practice imo.
Is this something that HS&E should be involved with or planning or just ignore it until an incident actually happens, which feels wrong.
According to ex neighbours delivery lorries are leaving the site by reversing back along the road, no banksman. Saw this yesterday with a big artic that had delivered all the piling they're now hammering into place.
No accidents or incidents as far as I'm aware but doesn't look safe nor good practice imo.
Is this something that HS&E should be involved with or planning or just ignore it until an incident actually happens, which feels wrong.
FiF said:
This is an interesting question, and topical. There's some development currently underway on a small plot of land near where we used to live. The area is a 90's housing estate, the plot is an unused former playground area, 4 houses being built. Plot is at the end of a no through road, typical estate road, wide enough for two cars to pass, some vehicles parked at intervals, various bends, a couple of junctions, but turning space restricted at the end, further reduced by workers vehicles parked and blocking any small turning area. Sometimes the parked vehicles make it so you have to thread the needle with an ordinary car.
According to ex neighbours delivery lorries are leaving the site by reversing back along the road, no banksman. Saw this yesterday with a big artic that had delivered all the piling they're now hammering into place.
No accidents or incidents as far as I'm aware but doesn't look safe nor good practice imo.
Is this something that HS&E should be involved with or planning or just ignore it until an incident actually happens, which feels wrong.
See if you can find the application on the Council's Planning Portal and what it says about traffic. There might be a traffic management plan, so you could see if they are adhering to that and if not report to the Council.According to ex neighbours delivery lorries are leaving the site by reversing back along the road, no banksman. Saw this yesterday with a big artic that had delivered all the piling they're now hammering into place.
No accidents or incidents as far as I'm aware but doesn't look safe nor good practice imo.
Is this something that HS&E should be involved with or planning or just ignore it until an incident actually happens, which feels wrong.
Jammez said:
Any thoughts?
In England you would contact the regional Traffic Commissioner.Hopefully have firstly considered if it's worth wreaking someones livelihood.
In my experience they will only listen to opinions if you are directly affected rather than self appointed highway guardians.
I know that junction well, it's on my route to Peebles. Visibility is good when approaching from the north or south so reversing HGVs shouldn't be a safety issue, just a nuisance if they do it many times a day.
It's not that turning that's to blame, it's the sharp left further south; I'm surprised that it wasn't a planning condition to improve HGV access there.
It's not that turning that's to blame, it's the sharp left further south; I'm surprised that it wasn't a planning condition to improve HGV access there.
C Lee Farquar said:
Jammez said:
Any thoughts?
In England you would contact the regional Traffic Commissioner.Hopefully have firstly considered if it's worth wreaking someones livelihood.
In my experience they will only listen to opinions if you are directly affected rather than self appointed highway guardians.
A: Your annoyance/ inconvenience/ whatever will be apparent immediately, and you can come to an amicable agreement quickly.
B: The haulage company has chance to review their route, maybe limiting the regularity of using the road to spin round, without the (potentially damaging) inclusion of the TC.
I'd say they would welcome this as opposed to involving the TC. If they are dismissive or rude, just tell them fine, you'll contact the Traffic Commissioner.
Yours sincerely, a haulage company owner.
Riley Blue said:
I know that junction well, it's on my route to Peebles. Visibility is good when approaching from the north or south so reversing HGVs shouldn't be a safety issue, just a nuisance if they do it many times a day.
It's not that turning that's to blame, it's the sharp left further south; I'm surprised that it wasn't a planning condition to improve HGV access there.
The sharp left northbound will be to blame. On streetview and satellite, it does look doable in an artic, but fairly tight. Tight enough to have the trailer wheels unsighted in the main n/s mirror perhaps, which can be a pain in the arse. Having said that, the camera can skew the actual corner quite alot.It's not that turning that's to blame, it's the sharp left further south; I'm surprised that it wasn't a planning condition to improve HGV access there.
Looks like they have improved the corner already, but maybe not enough to turn left comfortably.
One Amp Andy said:
The sharp left northbound will be to blame. On streetview and satellite, it does look doable in an artic, but fairly tight.
I'd have thought that if it was feasibly possible then the drivers would take the sharp left rather than go to the trouble of doing a reversing manuovere further up the road.Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff