Driving through an X on a smart Motorway

[CLK-GTR]

otolith said:

When stuck in standing traffic in the open lanes with people still flying down the closed ones, it would be pleasing to think that they are getting penalties and that one is not merely being a mug.

The Hadecs cameras mostly definitely do get you, I've seen them snapping away with my own eyes. The regular CCTV cameras are supposedly also used for penalties but I haven't personally heard of anybody getting one through that route.

[Glenn63]

Not every gantry has a camera on it and if no camera then you won’t be done unless a police officer sees you, same as speeding on a road with no cameras.

[GasEngineer]

covboy said:

BikeBikeBIke said:

Seems to me a hundreds of drivers will be (rightly) getting multiple FPNs and potentially totting up bans if they passed several gantries.

Not sure about that Doesn't it count as a single journey, like multiple speeding offnces on the same stretch of road on a single journey ?

Discussed earlier in the thread ^^^

[Chuffedmonkey]

Witnessed it the other day, when the A50 (Derby) joins the M1. The A50 goes from 2 to 3 lanes and there was a red X above the inside lane, traffic slowly bunched up but it amazed me how many vehicles left lane 2 to join the inside lane and drove under a red X. About half a mile up the road maybe less was a car in the inside lane being recovered. I hope every single one of those drivers who moved from lane 2, to the inside get a fine.

Edited by Chuffedmonkey on Thursday 22 February 20:49

[Killer2005]

Desiderata said:

Sorry, but how can you possibly know in advance why the redX is up? Maybe some traffic controllers do abuse them and put them on for dubious reasons, but you've no way of knowing that before you pass the all clear at the end of the hazard.

You don't need to know in advance. All you need to know is that there is a red X and that means don't use the lane. Simple.

[Pica-Pica]

Killer2005 said:

Desiderata said:

Sorry, but how can you possibly know in advance why the redX is up? Maybe some traffic controllers do abuse them and put them on for dubious reasons, but you've no way of knowing that before you pass the all clear at the end of the hazard.

You don't need to know in advance. All you need to know is that there is a red X and that means don't use the lane. Simple.

I don’t think that was the point being made!

[Ezra]

GasEngineer said:

That's an interesting question. So at 3 points per red X, would passing 4 be a totting up ban, or is it all one offence at 3 points?

Would be classed as 1 journey, so 3 points.

[Desiderata]

Pica-Pica said:

Killer2005 said:

Desiderata said:

Sorry, but how can you possibly know in advance why the redX is up? Maybe some traffic controllers do abuse them and put them on for dubious reasons, but you've no way of knowing that before you pass the all clear at the end of the hazard.

You don't need to know in advance. All you need to know is that there is a red X and that means don't use the lane. Simple.

I don’t think that was the point being made!

Exactly. I was questioning the OP's stance that it was only the legal implications that stopped him from following the crowd through the redX when the reasons for it weren't clear

[BikeBikeBIke]

Desiderata said:

Pica-Pica said:

Killer2005 said:

Desiderata said:

Sorry, but how can you possibly know in advance why the redX is up? Maybe some traffic controllers do abuse them and put them on for dubious reasons, but you've no way of knowing that before you pass the all clear at the end of the hazard.

You don't need to know in advance. All you need to know is that there is a red X and that means don't use the lane. Simple.

I don’t think that was the point being made!

Exactly. I was questioning the OP's stance that it was only the legal implications that stopped him from following the crowd through the redX when the reasons for it weren't clear

The reasons for it were *very* clear as was the amount of unused tarmac.

Interestingly I noticed on my way home that instead of Red Xs the gantries were all showing keep right signs so even the guys operating the signs thought the red Xs were needless. (Or maybe they felt the amount of fines/bans being created had got out of hand.)

Driving in the Red X lanes was rude in the extreme. It was likely (certain?) to result in serious legal trouble. But it wasn't dangerous in that specific situation yesterday.

I don't drive in the closed lane. Normally because I don't want to collide with a pallet lying in the carriageway. Yesterday for fear of the fine and not wanting to be a dick.

Edited by BikeBikeBIke on Friday 23 February 08:28

[Driversmatter]

The Red X can be used to provide an emergency corridor otherwise the emergency responders can't get through to an incident. Driving through the Red X should result in a ban IMHO.

[BertBert]

Ezra said:

Would be classed as 1 journey, so 3 points.

How do you know? The legislation allows otherwise

[CLK-GTR]

Killer2005 said:

You don't need to know in advance. All you need to know is that there is a red X and that means don't use the lane. Simple.

Whilst I don't condone it or do it myself I can understand why people do. Daft speed limits for roadworks that either aren't there or never have anybody working on them, closed lanes with no accident or breakdown at the end of them. It all adds up to people thinking they can safely ignore them.

[NFT]

Driversmatter said:

The Red X can be used to provide an emergency corridor otherwise the emergency responders can't get through to an incident. Driving through the Red X should result in a ban IMHO.

Indeed, I think Recovery Vehicles sometimes get the go ahead so clear up can occur a bit faster, if I'm not mistaken.

[Altitude]

NFT said:

Indeed, I think Recovery Vehicles sometimes get the go ahead so clear up can occur a bit faster, if I'm not mistaken.

Correct

[Bright Halo]

I think a giant trap door is required. Go through a red X marked lane and straight into the pit of doom!