Double white lines,safe to overtake or not.

Well I’m pretty sure the cats eyes thing is bollocks:

Road Traffic Act 1988 Section 36 says:

Where a traffic sign, being a sign—

(a) of the prescribed size, colour and type, or
(b) of another character authorised by the Secretary of State under the provisions in that behalf of the M1 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984,

has been lawfully placed on or near a road, a person driving or propelling a vehicle who fails to comply with the indication given by the sign is guilty of an offence.

The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 regulation 10 says:

10. – (1) Section 36 of the 1988 Act shall apply to each of the following signs –
..
(d) the road markings shown in diagrams 1013.1, 1013.3 and 1013.4 insofar as those markings convey the requirements specified in regulation 26;
..

And diagram 1013.1 looks like this:

No mention of cats eyes. 😀

Oooh hang on…

The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 regulation 31 covering Illumination of road markings says:

31. – (1) Subject to paragraph (2) a road marking shown in diagram 1001 (except when used in conjunction with the road marking shown in diagram 1001.3), 1001.1, 1001.2, 1002.1, 1003, 1003.1, 1003.3, 1003.4, 1004, 1004.1, 1005, 1005.1, 1008, 1008.1, 1009, 1010, 1012.1, 1012.2, 1012.3, 1013.1, 1013.3, 1013.4, 1014, 1022, 1023, 1024, 1024.1, 1036.1, 1036.2, 1037.1, 1039, 1040, 1040.2, 1040.3, 1040.4, 1040.5, 1041, 1041.1, 1042, 1042.1, 1046, 1049, 1062, 1064 or 1065 shall be reflectorised.

(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a road marking shown in diagram 1003, 1023 or 1049 when varied for use on a cycle track.

(3) Subject to paragraph (4), studs incorporating reflectors or retroreflecting material and so spaced as to form a single line of studs not less than 3 nor more than 4.5 metres apart shall be fitted –

(a) between the two lines constituting the marking shown in diagram 1013.1, except where that marking is so placed that the continuous lines shown in version B of diagram 1013.1 are more than 175 millimetres apart and are separated by an area of cross-hatching so shown;

(b) between the two continuous parallel lines forming part of the marking shown in diagrams 1013.3 and 1013.4.

(4) Where the marking shown in diagram 1013.1 is placed as mentioned in the exception to paragraph (3)(a), the studs mentioned in paragraph (3) shall be fitted either in opposite pairs within the width of each of the two lines or in a single line between those lines.

So he might be right after all.

Isn’t law fascinating…..

Tis remarkable the number of people who dont realise the significance of the central-res to the speed limit, I’m fairly sure it was in the theory test when I did it and my dad is well aware of it and he hasnt done a test for decades!

Conversation with my missus shortly after I had passed my test:

Her: You can speed up. It’s a 70.
Me: It’s only a single carriageway.
Her: It’s a dual-carriageway, it has two lanes.
Me: Yes dear.

Maybe the issue is that the Theory Test justs asks something like “What is the National Speed Limit for a car on a dual-carriageway?” rather than checking if folk know what constitutes a DC?

Told you. It just demonstrates how anal my ex traffic officer police driving instructor was. You can check up on the flashing lights thing as well if you want?

joemarshall – Member
I have one point on my commute where the road is narrow (just room for 2 lanes), there’s a completely blind corner, and it is on an uphill. At the corner it is if anything more narrow than normal, so I can’t ride far enough out that someone could safely pass.

So cars are coming down the hill at 40-45mph (40 limit), I’m riding my bike up the hill at about 12mph. Now, however far out in the road I ride, people will still try to overtake me right on the corner. It’s got a lower speed limit than the rest of this A road because it’s an accident blackspot, it has double white lines, it has ‘slow’ signs and ‘slow’ written on the road, it is just blatantly obviously a really dangerous place to overtake. People just won’t stop overtaking me there.

i sympathise similar near me and no reasonable alternatives- the council cycling map has it marked as “dangerous” – i’m lucky as not a commute so i can pick other routes for fun – but reading the sustrans iniative – i know it is a lot safer to drive to nearest shops rather than ride – every time i come up the hill – you hit the bend – it narrows – cars/trucks behind can see FA but they still pass and then squeeze you into the kerb as they meet oncoming vehicles – at most a 15 second wait

on this topic a mate of mine scared me badly overtaking cars on some double whites (and at time i was driving 30K a year)- his explanation “i come this way every day”

On the way home from work tonight I was driving up behind a bloke on a bike. There was a cycle lane, but as usual it was full of parked cars. So I slowed down and patiently sat behind him as he got past them. We were probably still doing 15-20mph (in a 30).

After literally ten seconds at this speed the taxi behind me starts driving up to my bumper, revving his engine, flashing his lights and signalling to me to get on with it. There was no where near enough room to overtake safely but clearly he thought I should just run the guy off the road.

Does my tits in that.

The confusing bit regarding the dual carriageway thing is I believe the definition of dual – people aren’t sure whether it’s dual lanes (i.e. two lanes in one direction) or dual roads (i.e. divided). The uncertainty of NSL on a dual carriageway is apparent when there are cameras with some car drivers slowing to 60mph.

There are many things that divide the road (grass, barriers, kerbs, cables) but as far as I’m aware they’re all valid ‘divisions’ with the exception of a stripe of paint i.e. A556 at Mere in Cheshire (which I believe has a 50 limit??).

The confusing bit regarding the dual carriageway thing is I believe the definition of dual

Only confusing to people who don’t bother to read the HC, and to be blunt they shouldn’t be allowed on the road.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070308
“A dual carriageway is a road which has a central reservation to separate the carriageways.”