"Works Unit Only"

[Drmarkf]

Can you legally take a "Works Unit Only" turning off a major road?

The other day my TomTom GPS unit was trying to route me down here, off the M11: https://www.google.com/maps/@52.0637503,0.1814636,...

I didn't take it and went the long way round, and a quick Google search doesn't help much about whether it was encouraging me to break the law or not. I should add that it's a current 6200 satnav unit and I'd updated it a couple of days beforehand...

[normalbloke]

No, crack on, you’ll be absolutely fine. I can’t understand why more people don’t use it…..

[ExPat2B]

Legally no, but unlikely to cause any issues unless you do it in front of a police car.

Dodgy on a practical level, they usually lead to a council depo which often have the exits gated off.

[zippy3x]

Same thing just north of Preston, but the answer is more obvious here

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.8785469,-2.7446377...

[Geffg]

zippy3x said:

Same thing just north of Preston, but the answer is more obvious here

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.8785469,-2.7446377...

Thought that was the one for the services, on the m6 at charnock richards. The services area cut through is useful

Edited by Geffg on Friday 2nd December 16:39

[boyse7en]

ExPat2B said:

Legally no, but unlikely to cause any issues unless you do it in front of a police car.

Like the one parked at the bottom of the sliproad on Google Streetview? You'd almost think that the cops are wise to that little shortcut...

[Dr Jekyll]

ExPat2B said:

Legally no, but unlikely to cause any issues unless you do it in front of a police car.

Dodgy on a practical level, they usually lead to a council depo which often have the exits gated off.

Things might get more complicated if you take this one off the M4.

[Drmarkf]

BTW I've been advised on another forum that the likely offence (with no 'do not enter' signs) would be entering/crossing the hard shoulder without due cause, which sounds reasonable to me.

Anyway, I knew that the official TomTom user forum had closed, but I've turned up this, which looks pretty active, so I've posted a query there and I'll see what comes back.: https://www.tomtomforums.com/

[brisel]

Dr Jekyll said:

Things might get more complicated if you take this one off the M4.

Is that the RAF Welford junction? Originally built to transport big nasty bombs to Greenham Common near Newbury.

[ridds]

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.0631894,0.1838542,...

Do ya feel lucky?? I know not plod but.....

[Tony1963]

I frequently used one of the M11 Works Only exits twenty years or so ago. A workmate whose dad was a local copper said we would usually get away with it, and we did. I always made sure I was ready with an excuse such as being desperate for a poo… it’s a long way from junction 9 down to 8!

ETA: I wouldn’t do it now, policing has changed, I’ve grown up a little more, and I don’t live or work around there anymore.

Edited by Tony1963 on Monday 5th December 09:57

[mac96]

Presumably, where there is no hard shoulder due to 'smart' motorway, these exits should all have no entry signs like the example above, or no rule would be broken by using them.

[Dr Jekyll]

brisel said:

Is that the RAF Welford junction? Originally built to transport big nasty bombs to Greenham Common near Newbury.

That's right.

[Matt_E_Mulsion]

Drmarkf said:

Can you legally take a "Works Unit Only" turning off a major road?

Were you going to the works unit??? If it's a No then I would suggest that you shouldn't be using it, hence then words 'Works Unit Only'.

[Tony1963]

Matt_E_Mulsion said:

Were you going to the works unit??? If it's a No then I would suggest that you shouldn't be using it, hence then words 'Works Unit Only'.

There isn’t a Works Unit there, those exits on the M11 are just access/exit points for the police.

[mac96]

Tony1963 said:

Matt_E_Mulsion said:

Were you going to the works unit??? If it's a No then I would suggest that you shouldn't be using it, hence then words 'Works Unit Only'.

There isn’t a Works Unit there, those exits on the M11 are just access/exit points for the police.

And these signs are styled as information, not a prohibition, just as a dead end lane might be signposted 'village of X only'. Hence it is not immediately obvious what the legal, as opposed to common sense, position is.

[coppice]

My route to Mallory Park for many years was to exit M1 S , enter Leicester Forest services and then take the service road leading to the A47 , Saved a lot of time . Not tried it for years - still possible or will I be CCTV 'd and fined? Can't be prosecuted as it is not public highway - but the 'fine' such places levy can b eyewatering .

[Rozzers]

A lot of these are being replaced with the white circles and ‘no unauthorised vehicles’ which at first may seem stronger but anyone attempting to stop you would have to know what the authorised vehicles were supposed to be in each instance.

[HelterSkelter]

coppice said:

My route to Mallory Park for many years was to exit M1 S , enter Leicester Forest services and then take the service road leading to the A47 , Saved a lot of time . Not tried it for years - still possible or will I be CCTV 'd and fined? Can't be prosecuted as it is not public highway - but the 'fine' such places levy can b eyewatering .

I work out of the Highways depot on the N/b side. The police occasionally will sit either side and stop drivers but im unsure if they ever fine them or just give them a warning and turn them around. I've been stopped quite a few times over the years but just show them the highways logo on my work clothes and carry on.

[nismo48]

ridds said:

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.0631894,0.1838542,...

Do ya feel lucky?? I know not plod but.....