What to do on this road?

[HLaB]

It may be me and apologies if it is but have some people missed the legality aspect? Which CrackedHS may be alluding to - NOt sure!

Now crossing my fingers and praying I am right (i.e. it hasn't changed) but it IS NOT ILLEGAL TO OVERTAKE IF THERE ARE DOUBLE WHITES!!! Doesnt matter what speed.

There are exclusions for CROSSING THE DOUBLE WHITES! THEY DO NOT MEAN NO OVERTAKING.

Why do so few people get this right?????? FFS/

I so do pray it hasn't changed and I am not going to have to grovel an apology but it can and is perfectly legal to overtake despite there being Double unbroken white lines; almost regardless of speed - i,e. speed limits etc.

Do I have to explain it further?

AFAIC its always been illegal in the Highway Code, it certainly is now:

165

You MUST NOT overtake

• if you would have to cross or straddle double white lines with a solid line nearest to you (but see Rule 129)

129

Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.

What it says and what folks actually do though can be different

 

[gaz]

It may be me and apologies if it is but have some people missed the legality aspect? Which CrackedHS may be alluding to - NOt sure!

Now crossing my fingers and praying I am right (i.e. it hasn't changed) but it IS NOT ILLEGAL TO OVERTAKE IF THERE ARE DOUBLE WHITES!!! Doesnt matter what speed.

There are exclusions for CROSSING THE DOUBLE WHITES! THEY DO NOT MEAN NO OVERTAKING.

Why do so few people get this right?????? FFS/

I so do pray it hasn't changed and I am not going to have to grovel an apology but it can and is perfectly legal to overtake despite there being Double unbroken white lines; almost regardless of speed - i,e. speed limits etc.

Do I have to explain it further?

Taken from TSRGD Section 26 2 b

every vehicle proceeding on any length of road along which the marking has been so placed that, as viewed in the direction of travel of the vehicle, a continuous line is on the left of a broken line or of another continuous line, shall be so driven as to keep the first-mentioned continuous line on the right hand or off side of the vehicle.

You are not allowed to cross the solid white line on your right, unless...

shall be taken to prohibit a vehicle from being driven across, or so as to straddle, the continuous line referred to in that paragraph, if it is safe to do so and if necessary to do so

• to enable the vehicle to enter, from the side of the road on which it is proceeding, land or premises adjacent to the length of road on which the line is placed, or another road joining that road;
• in order to pass a stationary vehicle;
• owing to circumstances outside the control of the driver;
• in order to avoid an accident;
• in order to pass a road maintenance vehicle which is in use, is moving at a speed not exceeding 10 mph, and is displaying to the rear the sign shown in diagram 610 or 7403;
• in order to pass a pedal cycle moving at a speed not exceeding 10 mph;
• in order to pass a horse that is being ridden or led at a speed not exceeding 10 mph; or
• or the purposes of complying with any direction of a constable in uniform or a traffic warden.

The highway code is of course not law bounding, the TSRGD on the other hand is. Thus making overtaking against the law (presuming the overtake will force the overtaking vehicle to cross the solid white line) if it does not meet the exceptions above.

 

[HovR]

Depends on the traffic, in my opinion. If there was a consistent flow of traffic on the other side of the road (which would cause any vehicles overtaking you to have to do so closely) I would take a primary position and sprint up.

If the traffic was light and a vehicle could safely overtake I would take a secondary position (until the tight corner) and allow overtakes, even though technically speaking overtakes aren't allowed if they require straddling of the white lines, which a safe overtake would.

We don't have to pick our road positioning to make sure other road users follow the law to the letter - If they can overtake safely without putting anyone in danger, I would personally let them.

 

[Red Light]

I would just hold secondary until I reached a point at which I considered it unsafe for them to be overtaking (because of lack of visibility of oncoming traffic) and then I would hold primary. As long as its not endangering me the legality doesn't bother me (otherwise we turn into counterparts of motorists with their red light jumping, wrong way up one way street rants against cyclists).

 

[Slaav]

So nobody has spotted my stupid mistake?

No apology I am afraid! Absolutely no chance.

This question was on Mastermind some many years ago! And the same misconception always comes up.

Whilst possibly pedantic; I will explain, overtaking is NOT ILLEGAL at Doubly Whites (DW) when the unbroken line is closest or nearest to you. CROSSONG or as the HC says, STRADDLING the unbroken line is a no no (apart from exemptions).

I was out today and there were several times where I indicated that I was moving out of my normal position (Secondary to be honest) and hugged the verge - whilst not riding in the cack and crud. Making it very clear that I was ready and prepared for the overtake so as not to hold up the car/s behind. I was doing more than 10mph on all but one hill/occurrence.

Near me, there is a bitch of a hill and the road/lanes are plenty wide enough for an overtake without CROSSING the DW nearest us.

It is the unsafe etc etc CROSSING of the DW if the DW is nearest to you that is 'illegal'! Not the OVERTAKE.

Pedantry aside - the 'no overtaking' answer on Mastermind was INCORRECT - the correct answer was no CROSSING etc etc.

I am freely accepting apologies myself Vikeonabike (Does the beer smiley work on here?) :beer: (Or is that just Pistonheads?




ps - My mistake was not looking closely at the two pictures and Bridge in OP. On the Bridge at the top, it would clearly be madness to affect the overtake where there is clearly no space. The overtake itself is not the illegal activity. SOrry if pedantic but it is one of my little bug bears

pps - WOuld a motorbike overtaking the OP or a cyclist be illegal? Clearly not if it doesn't cross the DW?

 

[Matthew_T]

pps - WOuld a motorbike overtaking the OP or a cyclist be illegal? Clearly not if it doesn't cross the DW?

Well it would be within the lane wouldnt it? I think you are allowed to overtake within your lane as long as it is safe to do so, and you dont cross the double whites.

 

[gaz]

So nobody has spotted my stupid mistake?

No apology I am afraid! Absolutely no chance.

This question was on Mastermind some many years ago! And the same misconception always comes up.

Whilst possibly pedantic; I will explain, overtaking is NOT ILLEGAL at Doubly Whites (DW) when the unbroken line is closest or nearest to you. CROSSONG or as the HC says, STRADDLING the unbroken line is a no no (apart from exemptions).

If you take a look at my post, you will see that I did pick up on your pedanticness and commented that it would only be breaking any laws if the overtaker was to cross the solid white line.

 

[The Brewer]

I hate that bridge, as a kid it was the entrance Stalag Golden sands

 

[col]

From the Highway code.
Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road.
The part in red is the important bit (ok so is the safe to do so bit) So, under normal conditions overtaking is NOT allowed.

You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.
So overtaking a vehicle is allowed if it is travelling at 10mph or less.
Ok in the real world, passing a cyclist on double whites if it is SAFE to do so is not a problem, whatever speed the cyclist is doing! Speed limits being observed obviously.
Grovelling appology accepted Slaav

I would say this is a bit out of date (the ten mph bit)with todays cyclists easily doing 15 plus.

 

[Matthew_T]

I hate that bridge, as a kid it was the entrance Stalag Golden sands

Pretty much every plot of land between the Coast road and the Prom is a caravan park. I suppose getting lots of commoners to this area is a punishment for having the Clwydian Valley* right besides us.

* It is a luxury though.

 

[The Brewer]

1970's caravanning was a for the hardy, I was delicate

 

[Slaav]

If you take a look at my post, you will see that I did pick up on your pedanticness and commented that it would only be breaking any laws if the overtaker was to cross the solid white line.

It is Pedantry!

HTH?

 

[BlackPanther]

Personally, if I'm doing 20mph in a 20 zone, I'd probably be in the middle of my lane. If I'm doing 30 in a 30 zone (when I'm on the 'bent) then I definitely don't want to be a foot from the kerb, and would stay out in primary all the time. It's the safest way to ride fast.

 

[Vikeonabike]

I would say this is a bit out of date (the ten mph bit)with todays cyclists easily doing 15 plus.

Totally agree Col, which is why I said this:- "Ok in the real world, passing a cyclist on double whites if it is SAFE to do so is not a problem, whatever speed the cyclist is doing! Speed limits being observed obviously"

 

[Alien8]

"Ok in the real world, passing a cyclist on double whites if it is SAFE to do so is not a problem, whatever speed the cyclist is doing! Speed limits being observed obviously"

My commute-in normally takes me up this little hill (15/18mph) and back down the other side (22/25mph) - solid white lines for several hundred metres. It's quite a busy road in the mornings with a near continuous stream of traffic heading in to Cambridge. Everybody, motorists, buses, lorries, learners, police etc overtake straddling/crossing the white line (I wonder if a leaner would be failed if they did that during a test). It doesn't bother me, I don't feel unsafe. An odd thing is that the path on the right is shared-use cyclist/pedestrian footpath - this would normally attract the wrath of the get-on-the-cycle-path-brigade but its very rare that I get a beep or gesture from the traffic.