What's the penalty for...
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xanderjones

Original Poster:

1,654 posts

249 months

Monday 4th June 2007
quotequote all
Just wondering what the penalty is for driving down a road that is restricted for access only, the sign with evil kinevel jumping a carsmile. There is a road on my way home from work that has always been a rat run so they made it access only to try and stop people using it as a short cut. However hundreds of cars travel through it everyday so clearly only a very small percentage actually obeying the sign.

Someone at work did get "done" on it when they first put the sign up, but she has since left so I can't ask her (Well I did ask her but she was verging on retirement and not the sharpest tool in the box anyway so didn't quite understand the question about points!)

Glassman

25,066 posts

246 months

Monday 4th June 2007
quotequote all
£100 fine. Half if paid within 7 days (or is it 14?).

Failure to pay £100: public flogging.

wobert

5,585 posts

253 months

Monday 4th June 2007
quotequote all
My road is limited access. The plod very occassionally "police" the limited access, usually after residents complain.

On their first visit they usually warn those caught, then then usually have a follow up visit the following week and book everyone.

IIRC they issue a £30 FPN

Oh what fun we have watching those numpties waiting in line for their ticket.... :-))))

Doesn't seem to stop the "problem" though.

xanderjones

Original Poster:

1,654 posts

249 months

Monday 4th June 2007
quotequote all
Must add that I don't go that way. I use the proper route for two reasons

1. It's correct thing to do and I don't want a ticket
2. So many people use the access only road that going the correct way is quicker! laugh

voyds9

8,490 posts

314 months

Monday 4th June 2007
quotequote all
These really annoy me, they aren't rat runs they are legal to use roads that someone has complained about. We have paid for these roads we should be able to use them especially in this day and age of congestion. If they weren't quicker we wouldn't use them.

wobert

5,585 posts

253 months

Monday 4th June 2007
quotequote all
voyds9 said:
These really annoy me, they aren't rat runs they are legal to use roads that someone has complained about. We have paid for these roads we should be able to use them especially in this day and age of congestion. If they weren't quicker we wouldn't use them.
My road is a "short cut" for the housing estate down the road from us. If you drive the "proper" route it adds all of 400 yds to their journey.

The road in question is narrow, as in single track road with houses on one side, hence unsuitable for the volume of traffic it has to carry due to those who choose to ignore the "limited access" signs.

As others have stated, with the volume of traffic using it, it no longer is a short cut, in terms of time, just distance.

Sorry I don't subscribe to the "they're ours roads we can use them" line of thought, it's clearly marked, two signs one on either side of the road at each end of the limitation, if peeps choose to ignore it, then they should get a ticket.

Would the same logic apply to a "No Entry" or similar?

Edited by wobert on Monday 4th June 19:05

imbecile

2,032 posts

255 months

Monday 4th June 2007
quotequote all
wobert said:
voyds9 said:
These really annoy me, they aren't rat runs they are legal to use roads that someone has complained about. We have paid for these roads we should be able to use them especially in this day and age of congestion. If they weren't quicker we wouldn't use them.
My road is a "short cut" for the housing estate down the road from us. If you drive the "proper" route it adds all of 400 yds to their journey.

The road in question is narrow, as in single track road with houses on one side, hence unsuitable for the volume of traffic it has to carry due to those who choose to ignore the "limited access" signs.

As others have stated, with the volume of traffic using it, it no longer is a short cut, in terms of time, just distance.

Sorry I don't subscribe to the "they're ours roads we can use them" line of thought, it's clearly marked, two signs one on either side of the road at each end of the limitation, if peeps choose to ignore it, then they should get a ticket.

Would the same logic apply to a "No Entry" or similar?

Edited by wobert on Monday 4th June 19:05
The logic is that these roads shouldn't have these signs up in the first place!

herewego

8,814 posts

244 months

Monday 4th June 2007
quotequote all
imbecile said:
wobert said:
voyds9 said:
These really annoy me, they aren't rat runs they are legal to use roads that someone has complained about. We have paid for these roads we should be able to use them especially in this day and age of congestion. If they weren't quicker we wouldn't use them.
My road is a "short cut" for the housing estate down the road from us. If you drive the "proper" route it adds all of 400 yds to their journey.

The road in question is narrow, as in single track road with houses on one side, hence unsuitable for the volume of traffic it has to carry due to those who choose to ignore the "limited access" signs.

As others have stated, with the volume of traffic using it, it no longer is a short cut, in terms of time, just distance.

Sorry I don't subscribe to the "they're ours roads we can use them" line of thought, it's clearly marked, two signs one on either side of the road at each end of the limitation, if peeps choose to ignore it, then they should get a ticket.

Would the same logic apply to a "No Entry" or similar?

Edited by wobert on Monday 4th June 19:05
The logic is that these roads shouldn't have these signs up in the first place!
An alternative is to block the road off at some point so that the selfish are not tempted to break the law.

Flat in Fifth

48,934 posts

282 months

Monday 4th June 2007
quotequote all
herewego said:
An alternative is to block the road off at some point so that the selfish are not tempted to break the law.
Actually that is the only one that works.

On our patch we have quite a few of these, all introduced following residents complaints of people taking short cuts and avoiding bottle necks, eg traffic lights.

Every time they are objected to by the police because there is not the resource to police them effectively. Everytime the councillors say that they know best.

Then of course it isn't policed effectively, the residents now get brassed off at the traffic and the police and the councillors for ignoring the police advice on how to deal with it. Problem is the locals don't like the only solution which actually works, which is, as I admit a drastic one.

So in the end poor old plod gets it in the neck on the grounds "You can't decide which law to enforce or not." All protestations to effect that "we said we couldn't enforce it," are ignored and shouted down.

wobert

5,585 posts

253 months

Monday 4th June 2007
quotequote all
Flat in Fifth said:
herewego said:
An alternative is to block the road off at some point so that the selfish are not tempted to break the law.
Actually that is the only one that works.

On our patch we have quite a few of these, all introduced following residents complaints of people taking short cuts and avoiding bottle necks, eg traffic lights.

Every time they are objected to by the police because there is not the resource to police them effectively. Everytime the councillors say that they know best.

Then of course it isn't policed effectively, the residents now get brassed off at the traffic and the police and the councillors for ignoring the police advice on how to deal with it. Problem is the locals don't like the only solution which actually works, which is, as I admit a drastic one.

So in the end poor old plod gets it in the neck on the grounds "You can't decide which law to enforce or not." All protestations to effect that "we said we couldn't enforce it," are ignored and shouted down.
Our "limited access" actually pre-dates it being used as a "rat-run" or whatever you want to call it.


Coco H

4,237 posts

268 months

Tuesday 5th June 2007
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There is a road near Cambridge that helps cut out the worst of the A14 traffic so I'm told but it's a restricted access road. However, a mate live near there and says whent eh A14 is blocked people ignore the access signs and use the road. The BiB have sat at the end of the road and managed to ticket wuite a few people

Peter Ward

2,097 posts

287 months

Tuesday 5th June 2007
quotequote all
Coco H said:
There is a road near Cambridge that helps cut out the worst of the A14 traffic so I'm told but it's a restricted access road. However, a mate live near there and says whent eh A14 is blocked people ignore the access signs and use the road. The BiB have sat at the end of the road and managed to ticket wuite a few people
This is interesting. We've had all sorts of discussions in the past about what happens when people start leaving the major roads in droves because of road pricing or even simply overuse of cameras. Applying "restricted access" to every road that might otherwise be used would keep people on the major roads and therefore keep the revenue up. Job done for the government. I claim copyright on this idea....

rewc

2,187 posts

264 months

Tuesday 5th June 2007
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I received a letter from Surrey Police saying my vehicle was seen in a restricted road in their county. They warned me that if it was seen there again I would recieve a £30 fine. I had never been near the p[lace and live 100+ miles away. I wrote a letter back explaining that I had witnessess as to where the vehicle was on the alleged date and asked if it was indeed my vehivcle that was seen. I eventually received a phone call from a Surrey Police lady informing me there had been a "mistake" in their system.
In their letter they said " the residents of the road are still unhappy that unauthorised vehicles were using the road". I replied that I am sure the residents are grateful at the time and effort that Surrey Police were expending on the matter.