Wrong way down one way street.

[Foss62]

Very poor piece of driving from me tonight and hopefully nothing will come of it but I think it does raise some questions.

I turned left out of a side road (Tennis Court Road in Cambridge in case anyone knows it) and thought nothing of it until the road gradually narrowed (largely due to a wide cycle lane) and I realised my mistake. Traffic was very light, and the couple of cars I encountered accommodated my mistake and I made it out onto Trumpington Road.

I wondered what signage I had missed, so looked on google earth when I got home. There is no signage in Tennis Court Road - not even arrows painted on the road - and no No Entry signs. What I missed was a blue one way sign against a building on the opposite side of the road. The cycle lane is apparently contra-flow and has a big white arrow in it in the direction I went - which can’t have helped my thought processes.

No excuses for missing the sign - but is this really considered adequate? Why the lack of No-Entry signs and why no warnings in the road approaching the junction?

I’m sure I once read that driving along a one way road just gets you a fine - you need to go through a No Entry to get points (?) and of course I wasn’t actually stopped by the Police. However this is Cambridge and cameras are everywhere so am a bit worried as well as being embarassed.

[ScoobyChris]

I suppose it’s adequate in so far as it gives you all the information you need but it’s interesting there isn’t more signage or paint on the road! Fwiw, lack of a centre line/lane markings would be a clue also.

Chris

[Pica-Pica]

Coming out of a side road, a white arrow on a blue background is normal, and I would say adequate.

[Foss62]

ScoobyChris said:

I suppose it’s adequate in so far as it gives you all the information you need but it’s interesting there isn’t more signage or paint on the road! Fwiw, lack of a centre line/lane markings would be a clue also.

Chris

The contra-flow cycle lane on the left with an arrow in it probably didn’t help me here. I am thinking that sub-consciously I saw the lane going in that direction as invitation for me to do the same.
Maybe when very busy during the day the whole thing just works, because what I did would not be conceivable, so more signage is not seen to be needed?

[Pica-Pica]

Foss62 said:

ScoobyChris said:

I suppose it’s adequate in so far as it gives you all the information you need but it’s interesting there isn’t more signage or paint on the road! Fwiw, lack of a centre line/lane markings would be a clue also.

Chris

The contra-flow cycle lane on the left with an arrow in it probably didn’t help me here. I am thinking that sub-consciously I saw the lane going in that direction as invitation for me to do the same.
Maybe when very busy during the day the whole thing just works, because what I did would not be conceivable, so more signage is not seen to be needed?

Hmmm. Just concentrate on the blue circles (must do) and red circles (must not do).

From

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/governmen...

[Zeeky]

The sign might not be there.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.2028719,0.120738...

[Pica-Pica]

Zeeky said:

The sign might not be there.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.2028719,0.120738...

Curious, because it shows here: scaffolders removed it?

[Fluid]

Latest street view doesn’t show it, but the one from nov 21 does. Is the scaffolding still there?

[r3g]

Foss62 said:

Very poor piece of driving from me tonight and hopefully nothing will come of it but I think it does raise some questions.

I turned left out of a side road (Tennis Court Road in Cambridge in case anyone knows it) and thought nothing of it until the road gradually narrowed (largely due to a wide cycle lane) and I realised my mistake. Traffic was very light, and the couple of cars I encountered accommodated my mistake and I made it out onto Trumpington Road.

I wondered what signage I had missed, so looked on google earth when I got home. There is no signage in Tennis Court Road - not even arrows painted on the road - and no No Entry signs. What I missed was a blue one way sign against a building on the opposite side of the road. The cycle lane is apparently contra-flow and has a big white arrow in it in the direction I went - which can’t have helped my thought processes.

No excuses for missing the sign - but is this really considered adequate? Why the lack of No-Entry signs and why no warnings in the road approaching the junction?

I’m sure I once read that driving along a one way road just gets you a fine - you need to go through a No Entry to get points (?) and of course I wasn’t actually stopped by the Police. However this is Cambridge and cameras are everywhere so am a bit worried as well as being embarassed.

You haven't done anything wrong. It's a normal 2 way road and only becomes 1 way when you get to Fitzwilliam Street. If you continued past that point then you need your eyes testing as the No Entry signs are massive.

[KAgantua]

RIP Benny Harvey

[Pica-Pica]

r3g said:

You haven't done anything wrong. It's a normal 2 way road and only becomes 1 way when you get to Fitzwilliam Street. If you continued past that point then you need your eyes testing as the No Entry signs are massive.

You’re at the wrong end of the street, methinks.

[r3g]

Pica-Pica said:

You’re at the wrong end of the street, methinks.

Nope. How can it be the wrong end when the other end is one-way in the direction he'd be travelling in? That would make no sense at all. It's quite clear from his post that he's come in from the northern end which, as I say, and from knowledge of the area, is two-way until half way down then you've either got a choice of going down Fitzwilliam St or turning round.

ETA Look : https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.2009837,0.121620...

If he's driven through the No Entry from this point then he's a 'tard, but up until this point he's not doing anything wrong.

Edited by r3g on Saturday 29th July 16:26

[Foss62]

r3g said:

Pica-Pica said:

You’re at the wrong end of the street, methinks.

Nope. How can it be the wrong end when the other end is one-way in the direction he'd be travelling in? That would make no sense at all. It's quite clear from his post that he's come in from the northern end which, as I say, and from knowledge of the area, is two-way until half way down then you've either got a choice of going down Fitzwilliam St or turning round.

ETA Look : https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.2009837,0.121620...

If he's driven through the No Entry from this point then he's a 'tard, but up until this point he's not doing anything wrong.

Edited by r3g on Saturday 29th July 16:26

Maybe still a tard but you’re showing where I came from, not where I was going. I turned left out of Tennis Court Road not left into it. Interesting that the sign might have been missing though and the massive no entry signs at the point you show, still tend to me make me wonder at the sparsity of signage preventing what I did.
As I said before, maybe someone has decided that the volume of traffic during a normal working day would mean that no one would contemplate doing what I did.

[Foss62]

Pica-Pica said:

Hmmm. Just concentrate on the blue circles (must do) and red circles (must not do).

From

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/governmen...

Yes, but that doesn’t make me feel any better. As far as I know this is the first time I have done this, and I got my first driving licence over 45 years ago. One of those ‘am I losing it’ moments.

[rallye101]

Happened to me in the Boring celeb meet thread.....blamed it on sir Trevor Mcdonald sat next to me who was giving directions....got away with it....

[Indecision]

He drove down Tennis Court Rd the normal way off Lensfield Rd; instead of turning right onto Downing Street he turned left onto Pembroke Street.

[jamei303]

Foss62 said:

I wondered what signage I had missed, so looked on google earth when I got home. There is no signage in Tennis Court Road - not even arrows painted on the road - and no No Entry signs. What I missed was a blue one way sign against a building on the opposite side of the road. The cycle lane is apparently contra-flow and has a big white arrow in it in the direction I went - which can’t have helped my thought processes..

You didn't miss anything - the blue sign visible on street-view opposite the end of Tennis Court Road hasn't been there for months

I have reported it more than once to Cambridgeshire County Council who are the Highways Authority but nothing has been done.

I keep meaning to escalate it to the relevant County Councillor but haven't got round to yet - will do it now

edit: here are a couple

Your report details:
Reference: 00405567
Date reported: 10/11/2022
Fault type: Missing sign
Address: DOWNING STREET,
Location: Downing Street north side opposite Tennis Court road junction.
Description of fault: "One way" sign facing Tennis Court Road missing/obscured, no way for traffic joining from Tennis Court Road to know that Downing Street is one way. No "no left turn" sign on approach either!

Your report details:
Reference: 00419066
Date reported: 27/02/2023
Fault type: Missing sign
Address: TENNIS COURT ROAD,
Location: Pembroke Street opposite Tennis Court Road junction.
Description of fault: MISSING ONE-WAY SIGN. NO INDICATION TO JOINING TRAFFIC THAT PEMBROKE STREET IS ONE-WAY. REPORTED MULTIPLE TIMES BUT NO ACTION TAKEN. THERE ARE NO PAINTED ARROWS OR TURN RESTRICTION SIGNS THEREFORE SAFETY RELIES ENTIRELY ON THIS MISSING SIGN.

Edited by jamei303 on Sunday 30th July 08:16

[r3g]

Indecision said:

He drove down Tennis Court Rd the normal way off Lensfield Rd; instead of turning right onto Downing Street he turned left onto Pembroke Street.

Ah gotcha! In that case my apologies for my misunderstanding!

I agree that the lack of a No Entry on that junction is not ideal, but the council I'm sure would argue that the 'one way' sign opposite the junction is sufficient.

ETA: just seen the other reply above. Well, if there's no sign there at all then you've nothing to worry about should anything come of it as there's your defence.

[oakdale]

jamei303 said:

You didn't miss anything - the blue sign visible on street-view opposite the end of Tennis Court Road hasn't been there for months

I have reported it more than once to Cambridgeshire County Council who are the Highways Authority but nothing has been done.

I keep meaning to escalate it to the relevant County Councillor but haven't got round to yet - will do it now

edit: here are a couple

Your report details:
Reference: 00405567
Date reported: 10/11/2022
Fault type: Missing sign
Address: DOWNING STREET,
Location: Downing Street north side opposite Tennis Court road junction.
Description of fault: "One way" sign facing Tennis Court Road missing/obscured, no way for traffic joining from Tennis Court Road to know that Downing Street is one way. No "no left turn" sign on approach either!

Your report details:
Reference: 00419066
Date reported: 27/02/2023
Fault type: Missing sign
Address: TENNIS COURT ROAD,
Location: Pembroke Street opposite Tennis Court Road junction.
Description of fault: MISSING ONE-WAY SIGN. NO INDICATION TO JOINING TRAFFIC THAT PEMBROKE STREET IS ONE-WAY. REPORTED MULTIPLE TIMES BUT NO ACTION TAKEN. THERE ARE NO PAINTED ARROWS OR TURN RESTRICTION SIGNS THEREFORE SAFETY RELIES ENTIRELY ON THIS MISSING SIGN.

Edited by jamei303 on Sunday 30th July 08:16

Good local info, Pistonheads to the rescue once again.
The op will now know he's not losing the plot and this gives him a defence if needed, excellent.

[robscot]

I thought this was a Limmy thread!