Continuous white lines

BrianD3

I have noticed (what I consider) a few problems with continuous white lines separating the lanes on single carriageway roads in this country

-lack of consistency, continuous white lines where it would be safe to cross to overtake, broken white lines where it certainly wouldn't be safe.

-white lines which look as though they were meant to be continuous but have small gaps (approx 6-8 inches) for catseyes. Sometimes the gaps are there but no catseyes have been installed. Surely if there are gaps in the line it cannot be considered a continuous line. Or are they intended to be broken lines.

-looking through Irish road traffic law it seems to be stricter as regards crossing continuous lines than UK law. In the UK you are permitted to cross a continuous line to overtake a slow moving tractor if safe to do so. There are a few other exemptions too. I cannot find these exemptions in the Irish rules. Does this mean that if you cross a continuous white line to say overtake a pedestrian you are breaking the law

-roads get upgraded/realigned and even though the new road is better, safer and has better visibility than the old one, broken white lines get replaced with continuous ones.

-in NI and GB the authorites seem to make less yet more appropriate use of continuous lines.

Comments?

LFCFan

and how does any of this surprise you knowing what we all do about the pathetic excuse for roads in this country. Joined up thinking is not the norm here. Anyway, there are plenty of muppets out there who couldn't care less about continuous or broken white lines. They will drive how they want, where they want, and not give a crap about those around them or even their own safety.

meanmachine3

well said LFCFAN and right to the point. but unfortunately there are also so called professional drivers with no regard for the law for the ordinary driver.

Victor

BrianD3 wrote:

-looking through Irish road traffic law it seems to be stricter as regards crossing continuous lines than UK law. In the UK you are permitted to cross a continuous line to overtake a slow moving tractor if safe to do so. There are a few other exemptions too. I cannot find these exemptions in the Irish rules. Does this mean that if you cross a continuous white line to say overtake a pedestrian you are breaking the law

You can cross the line to pass an obstruction.

SickCert

The roadworks at Kilpedder N11 have solid whites and signs saying STAY in lane, maybe just illegal if caught? As the first sign of a car doing the speed limit and whoosh they are gone about it.

BrianD3

Victor wrote:

You can cross the line to pass an obstruction.

Source? From what I've read you can only cross for access or in an emergency

Whereas in the UK highway code you also can cross
"if necessary to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10mph or less"

cyclopath2001

BrianD3 wrote:

Source? From what I've read you can only cross for access or in an emergency

S.I. No. 182/1997:
ROAD TRAFFIC (TRAFFIC AND PARKING) REGULATIONS, 1997

5. (1) These Regulations shall apply save where compliance is not possible as a result of an obstruction to traffic or pedestrians or because of an emergency situation confronting a road user which could not reasonably have been expected or anticipated.

Since it is illegal to park on a road alongside a continuous white line RRM001, the road is, in effect, obstructed and paragraph 5 would apply.

But, in my reading of this, a slow moving vehicle is not an obstruction and you should not cross a white line RRM001 to pass it.