Closing roads for events

[Dixy]

Visiting my daughter there are signs up about roads being closed for a marathon. All the roads say they are closed for 5 hours. They pass hundreds of houses and so people are either imprisoned on the property or banished for the day. What is the legality about driving on these roads.
To make matters a tad more complicated she is a surgeon on call that day, she would normally be at home but if a junior required her skill they would phone and she would go in but there is no route from home to hospital that is not crossed.

[TooMany2cvs]

Dixy said:

What is the legality about driving on these roads.

On closed roads? What do YOU think it's going to be?

Dixy said:

To make matters a tad more complicated she is a surgeon on call that day, she would normally be at home but if a junior required her skill they would phone and she would go in but there is no route from home to hospital that is not crossed.

Really? Nowhere she could park on the other side of the closures, then walk to the car?

Cardiff, I presume, since their half-marathon is today...
http://www.cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk/residents-spe...

Road closures starting from 4am, race starting at 9am, many roads opening within 1-2hrs of that.

Edited by TooMany2cvs on Sunday 1st October 11:00

[rog007]

Normally diversions are in place and at certain points they will allow people or vehicles to cross when there’s a natural gap between runners.

It’s rare to close everything until the last runner is home too so you’ll find they should open things up behind the last runner.

[Drumroll]

Get your daughter to speak to the organisers and explain the situation, I am sure they can sort something out.

[KevinCamaroSS]

Simple solution, go to the hospital anyway.

[Chrisgr31]

This was a big complaint about the VeloBirmingham last Sunday which involved 100 miles of roads closed for most of the day. Simple answer is closed roads are closed roads. There are ways that medical emergencies are dealt with to allow emergency services etc through, and you may be able to get across at certain points but it is not guaranteed. My wife (midwife) found herself going to a home birth where access was blocked by a road closures for a carnival. they stopped the procession and escorted her past, but its going to depend on circumstances. Easiest solution is to ensure car is the other side of the closed roads, and watch the marathon supporting the runners! Then if she gets called she can get to the hospital.

Yes its a pain but how often do these things happen?

[cuprabob]

TooMany2cvs said:

Dixy said:

What is the legality about driving on these roads.

On closed roads? What do YOU think it's going to be?

Dixy said:

To make matters a tad more complicated she is a surgeon on call that day, she would normally be at home but if a junior required her skill they would phone and she would go in but there is no route from home to hospital that is not crossed.

Really? Nowhere she could park on the other side of the closures, then walk to the car?

Cardiff, I presume, since their half-marathon is today...
http://www.cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk/residents-spe...

Road closures starting from 4am, race starting at 9am, many roads opening within 1-2hrs of that.

Edited by TooMany2cvs on Sunday 1st October 11:00

Could also be Glasgow as the great Scottish Run is taking place today.

[SantaBarbara]

The local authority have to make an Order to close the road under an Act of Parliament

[Dixy]

My daughter lives in a village in a rural part of the run, the signs say the road will be closed for 5 hours, because of location her car would have to be parked 2 miles away.
Under what legislation is the road closed.
The fact there are 2 incorrect suggestions as to where it may be proves that they are not that infrequent.

[SantaBarbara]

Look for notice. On lamppost nearby

Look for a public notice in thee newspaper

[TooMany2cvs]

Dixy said:

Under what legislation is the road closed.

researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN... gives you the basics of the legislation and other issues.

Her local council will have info on their website, too.
https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/info/200136/trave...

[Dixy]

The route will not only cross county borders but also national borders.
What would be the penalty for ignoring.

[Gareth79]

It may have been posted on lampposts, I'm not sure of the exact requirements, the legislation doesn't seem to mention any at all. The council may also post it on their website, my local council (Rushmoor) does:
http://www.rushmoor.gov.uk/trafficregulationorders

[IroningMan]

Dixy said:

The route will not only cross county borders but also national borders.
What would be the penalty for ignoring.

Hopefully points and a fine.

Heaven forbid that you should ever wish to take part in an event that involves closing roads. Or go to a football match, or go to the British GP, or anything else that involves inconveniencing others.

[TooMany2cvs]

Dixy said:

The route will not only cross county borders but also national borders.

Then it will have been done with all relevant local authorities.

Do you actually mean a national border - which, assuming she's in the UK, would be between NI and the RoI - or do you just mean England/Wales or England/Scotland? If she's not in the UK, then that might be pertinent information, don'cha think?

Dixy said:

What would be the penalty for ignoring.

Same as ignoring any other perfectly legitimate road closure... Points and a fine. Exactly which of the TS offence codes it'd be may vary, depending on if she just thought she was more important than a sign or if she actually ignored a policeman. She could always argue it in court, and let a magistrate decide.

[Red Devil]

Dixy said:

Under what legislation is the road closed.

The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 Section 16A - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/27/secti...
The local authority just needs to make an Order pursuant to sub-section (2).

[singlecoil]

BenjiS said:

Are you just stupid or completely selfish?

False dilemma

BenjiS said:

You’ll put the safety for potentially thousands of runners at risk for the sake of waiting for a couple of hours?

How many runners do you think she could injure with just one car?


Try to be a little less aggressive in future.

[mondeoman]

singlecoil said:

BenjiS said:

Are you just stupid or completely selfish?

False dilemma

BenjiS said:

You’ll put the safety for potentially thousands of runners at risk for the sake of waiting for a couple of hours?

How many runners do you think she could injure with just one car?quite a few I'd reckon....


Try to be a little less aggressive in future.

[yellowjack]

BenjiS said:

singlecoil said:

Try to be a little less aggressive in future.

I have no time for people being idiots. The OP is an idiot.

Loads of road closures, all of the time. Usually short duration and planned long in advance. Recent one in Farnham for a Food Festival. Hardly an essential service, any more than a mass bicycle ride or a half marathon, but events like these are trying to bring people together, and help to make the world go around.

I can't bear the hypocrisy of halfwits within these forums having tantrums about road closures when car events cause massive disruption all over the country. Alright, they may not close the roads entirely, but the A43 past Silverstone is closed to through traffic on Grand Prix day, with plenty of local closures in place. That affects thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of people wanting to get between the M1, A5, and M40. Lots of folk have absolutely no interest in motorsport and couldn't even hazard a guess where Silverstone is, so may not be aware until the gantry sign on the motorway tell them "sorry - we're closed today". But fk 'em, "because motor cars going around in circles for hours". Goodwood (Revival and FoS)? Closures, diversions, traffic lights, one way systems. I go, it's selfish, but it's only two weekends in the year after all? Or about a week in total, plus the disruption of setting up and taking down. How could I complain about events local to me when I inflict misery on the residents of Midhurst, Fernhurst, Singleton, etc on my way to/from the FoS, or the good people of Swindon, Marston Meysey and Kempsford when I go to Fairford for the RIAT?

Ignorant selfish fkwits only seem to whinge and moan when what somebody else does affects them. Not a second thought for how their hobbies and events impact on locals elsewhere. I'm damned sure that if London can manage to route emergency vehicles around closures for the Marathon, then it ain't going to be too big a deal in the provinces where far fewer people are directly affected and inconvenienced.

The silver lining in this particular cloud was that the OP wasn't bleating about bicycles, and how they ought to be banned "because road tax". Aside from that it's yet another joyless, humourless arse moaning about nothing and making mountains out of molehills.

[akirk]

yellowjack said:

...or the good people of Swindon, Marston Meysey and Kempsford when I go to Fairford for the RIAT?

now I know who to blame

I think the issue (and I am seriously inconvenienced by RIAT, but live with it) is when the organisers are arrogant and don't think about the locals - RIAT is a very good example - there are plenty of small ways in which they could continue to run the event as they do and make life a lot easier for those locally - but they don't because they consider themselves above having to worry about such mundane issues!

ultimately society means compromise - both ways, for those who live locally they have to put up with litter / traffic / noise / inconvenience - so perhaps organisers could just occasionally consider how they can help?

and the OP has a valid point, it is clear that the organisers are not considering the locals - at least with RIAT every local gets a newsletter talking about what you can do if you need to get somewhere etc. (though most of what they say is ignored!) - but it is a start...

locals continue to deal with the chaos with good grace - but it would be nice if organisers actually put some time into thinking about the residents who don't necessarily choose to have the event!