Do escort vehicles have the power to force others off the road

[cougie uk]

I got caught up with a wind turbine blade convoy in France. Fortunately I was coming from the ferry, not going to, so I just took the time to marvel at the size of the thing - rather than get stressed out about missing my ferry.

Ooh I saw a turbine blade being transported out on the bike. Ridiculously long close up.

We also saw a generator being transported. Road closure and we were thinking - oh there's a bike path down the side - we could surely ride down there. But we waited. This thing came over the horizon and it was massive. Like a cruise ship size totally filling a 4 lane roads.
We went a different way.

 

[DaveReading]

There is no possible way to read that, commas or not, which means anything other than you suggesting all loads which too wide to safely pass traffic traveling (sic) in the other direction should be not be on the road (i.e. Should be banned from being on it).

Congratulations! Though it seems to have taken you an inordinate length of time to work out that, yes, that's exactly what I did mean.

And your summary of the circumstances in which I think that should apply is excellent too, if I may say so.

Your only demerit is the rather childish "sic", but we'll let you off assuming you have American roots as "traveling" is normal US usage, whereas it's normally "travelling" in UK English.

Tricky stuff, this speling lark.

 

[Jameshow]

AFAIK, there isn't an agreed definition of "wide load".

OTOH, an "abnormal load" is one that satisfies any one (or more) of the following criteria:

a weight of more than 44,000kg
an axle load of more than 10,000kg for a single non-driving axle and 11,500kg for a single driving axle
a width of more than 2.9 metres
a rigid length of more than 18.65 metres

Any such load requires the authorities to be notified in advance.

That Ford was the pre-eminent rally car of its day. Then the Quattro came along, and pretty well made it obsolete overnight in top level rallying.

I brought a car off RH motors chesterfield (good guys btw) and he had a escort Mexico rally car in the garage with a completely clean engine bay....!

 

[Alex321]

Congratulations! Though it seems to have taken you an inordinate length of time to work out that, yes, that's exactly what I did mean.

I knew perfectly well that was what you meant in my very first response to your post, made just a few minutes after I read it. What is "inordinately long" about that?

And your summary of the circumstances in which I think that should apply is excellent too, if I may say so.

Again, exactly what we all believed you meant from the first response to your post.

I'm glad you have finally accepted that you did mean what it was obvious to everybody else you meant.

 

[DaveReading]

I'm glad you have finally accepted that you did mean what it was obvious to everybody else you meant.

I could swear I read that line once in a Kafka novel ...

 

[oldfatfool]

Like the majority of hgv drivers they are arrogant and aggressive Muppets that think they have absolute right if way due to size. Traveling on the m62 car park last week in the perpetual road works one escorted wide load decided he was going 0.1mph faster than the hgv in the left lane pulled into the middle lane, instantly causing the narrow 3rd lane to come to a standstill as no one had room to get past

 

[Drago]

When I'm PM, which is liable to be any day now, all lorries will be confined to Lane 1.

 

[FishFright]

When I'm PM, which is liable to be any day now, all lorries will be confined to Lane 1.

Unless on a single track road.

 

[Slick]

Like the majority of hgv drivers they are arrogant and aggressive Muppets that think they have absolute right if way due to size. Traveling on the m62 car park last week in the perpetual road works one escorted wide load decided he was going 0.1mph faster than the hgv in the left lane pulled into the middle lane, instantly causing the narrow 3rd lane to come to a standstill as no one had room to get past

Got to be honest, can't abide truckers that do that.

 

[Drago]

Got to be honest, can't abide truckers that do that.

When JSO do it they risk arrest (not intending a political discussion, just making the point that other folk get dealt with for wilfully obstructing the roads yet lorries seem to do it with impunity)

 

[figbat]

Ooh I saw a turbine blade being transported out on the bike.

Cargo bike?

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Blood & Sand I thought I'd stumbled into NCAP with all the childish bickering going on, everybody knew what @DaveReading meant but decided to Richards about it.

 

[Alex321]

When JSO do it they risk arrest (not intending a political discussion, just making the point that other folk get dealt with for wilfully obstructing the roads yet lorries seem to do it with impunity)

There is a massive difference between deliberately obstructing the road for the sake of it as JSO do, and causing an obstruction in the course of your normal use of the road.

What the law says:
Penalty for wilful obstruction
(1)If a person, without lawful authority or excuse, in any way wilfully obstructs the free passage along a highway he is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding £50.

(2)A constable may arrest without warrant any person whom he sees committing an offence against this section."

Driving along the road in the course of normal usage, and overtaking when going faster than another vehicle is lawful excuse.

 

[Drago]

No need to quote the law at me sonny - I was a copper for 3 decades.

And overtaking at 0.25 mph faster than the target vehicle is not automatically a lawful excuse. Its careless driving, but so prevalent it is rarely acted upon. I have, as have most RPU officers, knocked drivers off for extreme examples of such obstructions of free passage along a highway. Taking 11 miles and 2 motorway junctions to pull off an overtake is not a reasonable excuse.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I have, as have most RPU officers, knocked drivers off

I’m hoping this is English cop jargon for “charged” and not some summary execution!