White lines missing after resurfacing. Still two lanes?

[150234]

So a road local to me has been two lanes for decades but was resurfaced last week and the white lines haven't been painted on. There are signs at both ends of the road surface with "road marking missing" or something similar written on them.

My question is, seeing as the road is awaiting the line painting guys, is it still two lanes in this certain direction as it has been for decades? My arguement is that it is because although there are signs saying about the lack of road markings, there are none about the "road layout changing" or anything like that.

I ask because I used the second lane to go past some cars and a guy in a Mercedes got a little upset and threatened to call the police. He said its one lane, I say it's two.

Just for extra information, where he was driving was, up until a few days before, a marked bus lane. Again, no signs talking about a road layout change.

[Pica-Pica]

Just use caution, until the road is marked up. Simples!

[150234]

Pica-Pica said:

Just use caution, until the road is marked up. Simples!

Yes but is it illegal to use the road as a two lane road?

[lobster940]

No.

Unless you're crossing a double white line this is perfectly legal.

[Pica-Pica]

lobster940 said:

No.

Unless you're crossing a double white line this is perfectly legal.

… but OP may have been ‘driving without due consideration for other road users’

[Ardennes92]

150234 said:

Pica-Pica said:

Just use caution, until the road is marked up. Simples!

Yes but is it illegal to use the road as a two lane road?

So when/if the original lines are reinstated, the merc driver would be in a bus lane, whose position is illegal?

[Pica-Pica]

Ardennes92 said:

150234 said:

Pica-Pica said:

Just use caution, until the road is marked up. Simples!

Yes but is it illegal to use the road as a two lane road?

So when/if the original lines are reinstated, the merc driver would be in a bus lane, whose position is illegal?

That would be a matter for then, and any bus lane times.

[MitchT]

Same thing happened near me some years ago.

I simply made a point of keeping left in case someone wanted to overtake. If I happened upon a dawdler I'd overtake if it was safe to do so and if it wasn't I'd stay behind them and keep left in case someone with a different risk tolerance wanted to have a go.

Eventually they marked it up to have a cycle lane and a single lane for cars.

OP - Merc driver sounds like a tosser. You're well within your rights to overtake whether there's too lanes or not as long as it's safe and legal to do so.

[150234]

Thank you everybody. I haven't been driving long (two years coming up soon) and I could do without the police on my tail for obvious reasons. I went past the Merc like I would any other car and when he pulled alongside I was sure I had done nothing wrong.