I have just driven down a road which was apparently closed. There were not red circles with a black bar signifying no entry and at the end of the road there was a temporary turn left only sign which made me think it was OK to go down the road.
A police car saw me exit and stopped me and the officer asked if I saw the road closed sign. I said no and he went back to check by turning off at the next exit and I drove on - he didn't ask me to wait.
If the road is closed have I committed an offence?
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I don't know for sure, but usually the local authority has to publish a Traffic Regulation Order small ad in a paper and put up notices on lamp-posts saying the road will be closed between the following dates...
www.parliament.uk/Templates/BriefingPapers/Pages/BPPdfDownload.aspx?bp-id=SN06013
It is the local authority who issue penalty charge notices for offences, the same as for most parking 'offences'.
Last edited by: sooty tailpipes on Sun 3 Feb 13 at 17:12
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Not sure about the legalities but Cheddar Gorge has been closed for a number of weeks now. An article in one of the local papers mentioned that a number of drivers are now disregarding the road closed signs and using the Gorge road without interference from police or local authority.
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Having seen the size of the rocks which could fall onto the road I wouldn't drive down it and doing so might give one an insurance problem if one's car was damaged.
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Is it closed? Thats a pity, I once got my GF to drive me down that road while I stood up through the sun roof doing a video. (Using one of those giant VHS cams you had to hold on your shoulder)
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My sister lives in Axbridge, at the South end; It was "closed" before Christmas and she says it still is. There are signs saying road closed but whether they legally forbid one to enter I don't know. A bit like people driving into floods on Closed Roads.
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Most I've seen round here say ' Road closed except for access '
I don't think there's a chance of being stopped by the Babylon for driving past the signs and if you are hoping to get through and can't...then tough, you'll just have wasted your own time.
Ted
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There's a place in Wiltshire/Somerset/Dorset, can't remember exactly where because it was so long ago, a whole area on the Ordnance Survey map in a different colour with a dotted line around it, and the road that runs N to S through it also marked in dotted fashion. Sure enough, when you get there there's a no through road notice and some MoD guff, but you can - or used to be able to - drive on through, passing one or two totally ruined villages used by troops for urban warfare training... there was never a soul there back in the sixties.
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Near Salisbury there is a road north from the A30 past Porton Down. It is MOD land with gates. Sometime the gates are open, sometimes not. It would appear they were open when the Google Streetview car turned up.
goo.gl/maps/TM2lA
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There is a military road between Faslane and the Coulport arms depot. Its gates are closed for one day per year, (new years day) to maintain its "private" status. Or they were when I used it.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 4 Feb 13 at 07:21
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They do that on the North Promenade at Cleethorpes :)
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>> There's a place in Wiltshire/Somerset/Dorset, can't remember exactly where ..........
>> drive on through, passing one or two totally ruined villages used by troops for urban
>> warfare training... there was never a soul there back in the sixties.
>>
Tyneham is one such village.
It is open regularly. Quite interesting.
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Here is a link to a photograph of the sort of thing that is used now, for training in urban fighting, This is in the Longmoor training area, South-West of London
tinyurl.com/aa6beg8
Anorak types like me, with an interest in what "secret" stuff is going on, may find this huge and comprehensive site interesting
www.secretbases.co.uk
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Northamptonshire now close roads routinely for maintenance. Justified partly by H&S for the workforce but also said to get job done quicker. The whole road repair function is contracted to a big national firm - used to be Atkinson but I think it's changed recently.
They manage the whole process including obtaining the closure orders. I suspect they're not as punctilious as they should be and neither is oversight by the Council officers. Too many orders with inadequate notice, no diversion route signed, cyclist/equine access not maintained etc.
In one case the order allowed closure from 20:00 but was shut off before 19:30 on several days.
Having queuried one a couple of years ago my will to live exceeds my wish to ever do so again.
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Road Closed Legalities - Shiny
