OT - Rant about Councils

[Nightjar]

There are two possible round signs with human stick figures.

Round, white, with a red border means pedestrians prohibited, which can apply anywhere that an appropriate traffic order has been made.

Round and blue indicates that the path is for pedestrians only. It is one of a small group of path signs, the others being a flying bicycle over the figures, which means the path is to be shared by pedestrians and cyclists, a bike and figure side by side, with a vertical line between them, which shows that there are separated paths for cyclists and for pedestrians, and a bike by itself, which shows the path is for cyclists only.

The Highway Code is not comprehensive. For that you need a copy of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002, although the DoT booklet Know Your Traffic Signs is nearly as good.

Colin Bignell

[Roger Chapman]

That sounds very like the signs I remember but those weren't full size ones but dinky ones somewhere between 6" and 9" in diameter which I think is too small for the dimensions shown in the regulations But I am not at all sure what the various numbers given mean (300), (450) and 600 as they don't seem to match the relative dimensions of the red ring and figure in the illustration and I can't find an explanation.

It does seem a bit pointless trying to prohibit pedestrians on the wide verge of a single carriageway A road. Apart from anything else pedestrians are notoriously resistant to any attempt to regulate their progress.

I can't remember exactly where I saw these signs but it was when I was driving between North and South Wales, possibly on the single carriageway section of the A483 some way south of Chester and probably before the junction with the A5.

A quick look on Google Earth ended in failure as the program closed itself down as I tried to place the icon on the A483.

[Andy Champ]

Red-green colour blindness affects about 10% of men.

Andy

[Terry Casey]

I've just looked at some beauties but, unfortunately, they seem to have been removed!

They on the dual carriageway that runs past London City Airport - but they uised the wrong sign!

The road sign is of a black man in a red circle and means Pedestrians Prohibited but the signs that used to be there had a diagonal red bar as well which surely must negate the meaning of the sign ...?

Pedestrians (not) Prohibited ...?

[geoff]

You're a very naughty boy

[Dave Liquorice]

No, "Priority to on coming vehicles" (or "Oncoming vehicles have priority") is rectangular, white edged, blue background, small red up arrow on the left, large white arrow on the right. This should be found with give way road markings and traffic approaching it should let oncoming traffic through first. The other side of the constriction should have a similar rectangular sign but with a large white up arrow on the left and small red down arrow on the right. These rectangular ones are only informative and should come in pairs.

There is also a circular red bordered white background small red up arrow on the left, large black down arrow on the right. This is "*Give way* to oncoming vehicles" and is an order. I don't think there is a pair for this, it's not needed as traffic in the opposite direction to the sign has right of way.

It doesn't help that the Highway Code shows the circular sign with a plate below it saying "Give *way* to oncoming vehicles" but the annotation says "Give *priority* to vehicles from the opposite direction". Which is it FFS! The Highway Code also only shows the second version of the rectangular sign with a plate "Priority over oncoming vehicles".

[Chris J Dixon]

The correct signing is shown on page 73 (page 74 of the .pdf) of

in more detail on pages 24 & 25 of

states with particular regard to the rectangular sign

"4.30 The sign to diagram 811, together with the plate to diagram 811.1 (Priority over oncoming vehicles) must be mounted to face traffic approaching from the other direction. As with diagram 615 above, this sign must never be used upside down in an attempt to imply reversed priority."

So, it would seem that any such sign you have seen has not been installed in compliance with the relevant legislation.

Chris

[Nightjar]

Permitted variations in the OD of the sign in millimetres.

It is somewhere in the text, but I don't recall where.

It does mean that if the Police see anyone walking there they can pick them up and take them off the road, which I've seen them do on one of the TV Police camera shows.

Colin Bignel

[Tim Streater]

If he's actually done this, then the word "pillock" comes to mind. BTW, d'ye see how polite I'm being?

[geraldthehamster]

The beauty is that the mere telling of the tale is enough to wind some car drivers up, with no necessity actually to go and do it ;-)

Cheers Richard

[Tim Streater]

Errm, what do you want to do that for (wind car drivers up, I mean)?

Of course such a biker could always have his number taken and be reported to the plod.

[Andy Champ]

Last week on the approach to a single track bridge near me the traffic stopped. After 5 minutes or so I decided to walk up and see what was going on.

Two cars had been crossing the bridge in the right-of-way direction. A car coming the other way had gone over the give-way line - not enough to block the bridge exit, but enough to scare the front driver coming over the bridge. She stopped. The second one didn't. The three of them were having a big argument over whose fault it was, while still on the bridge. In the morning rush-hour.

Andy.

[geoff]

In message , Tim Streater writes

[geraldthehamster]

For what? Breaking down in the middle of roadworks?

Cheers Richard

[Roger Chapman]

Bit of a giveaway a man who deliberately blocks what is left of the road by remaining in the middle of it when any biker faced with a sudden emergency would have at least attempted to get to the side of it.

[geraldthehamster]

I think if it were me I'd be more concerned to get the bike restarted quickly, to avoid blocking the roadworks.

Actually this is an apocryphal tale (one of many) from the old Used Motorcycle Guide. I'd love to know whether anyone has successfully done it.

Cheers Richard