Single Carriageway - Four Abreast Overtaking

Single Carriageway - Four Abreast Overtaking

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Discussion

Blakewater

Original Poster:

4,369 posts

164 months

Wednesday 10th July
quotequote all
There was a thread on here not so long ago about wide roads where overtaking down the middle is possible. Also people reminisce about the "suicide lanes" along the centres of roads that have almost completely disappeared from the road network.

I recently encountered this section of the A6 in Cumbria that has two lanes in each direction on a single carriageway road. However, the centre line indicates traffic heading in the Streetview car's direction can cross the centre line, allowing for overtaking up to four abreast. Presumably this is intended to allow overtaking of two snail racing HGVs.




Is this a one off relic on a once major road that's now lightly used, or are there other sections of road marked like this?

Wills2

24,384 posts

182 months

Wednesday 10th July
quotequote all

There is area couple of suicide lanes near me, one on the A59 Skipton and another on the Addingham bypass not far away from the A59, North Yorkshire Police love taxing people on the A59 one, I don't think they are that rare


Blakewater

Original Poster:

4,369 posts

164 months

Wednesday 10th July
quotequote all
They're not in the traditional style though as they have a solid line to one side.

I'm thinking of this set up with just dashed centre lines to each side, this example having been filled in with cross hatchings a few years ago.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.6790528,-2.8172455...

Generally when you have an overtaking lane, the solid line is to that side to prohibit the overtaking driver moving out to the opposite side of the road.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.968554,-2.035929,3...

In the Cumbria example, the driver in the overtaking lane is permitted to move out to the opposite side and overtake three to four abreast. That's unusual.

Edited by Blakewater on Wednesday 10th July 00:48

Wills2

24,384 posts

182 months

Wednesday 10th July
quotequote all

Yes your example is rare, but for me the ones I referred to are normal suicide lanes in that both sides can use the central lane and I don't think those are very rare, looking at the A59 at Skipton you could infer from the road marking that one side could use both lanes on the other side so 3 a breast, but I've never seen anyone do that




Lotobear

7,146 posts

135 months

Wednesday 10th July
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
There is area couple of suicide lanes near me, one on the A59 Skipton and another on the Addingham bypass not far away from the A59, North Yorkshire Police love taxing people on the A59 one, I don't think they are that rare

There's a regular scamera van on that stretch near Skipton top of the hill.

Castrol for a knave

5,297 posts

98 months

Wednesday 10th July
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
There is area couple of suicide lanes near me, one on the A59 Skipton and another on the Addingham bypass not far away from the A59, North Yorkshire Police love taxing people on the A59 one, I don't think they are that rare

The Addingham bypass has killed more people than Harold Shipman though - it was safer back in the 80's when the "devil's elbow" used to slow people down.

av185

19,436 posts

134 months

Wednesday 10th July
quotequote all
Interesting talking about the Yorkshire roads. The A65 (links the A59) Skipton bypass which I drive regularly heading up to the Dales brings a new meaning to the phrase 'suicide lane.'


Quite bizarre especially on a very heavily used 'tourist' route to allow overtaking into the second lane of rapidly approaching oncoming traffic on what is effectively a blind brow. confused

Blakewater

Original Poster:

4,369 posts

164 months

Thursday 11th July
quotequote all
A lot of places on the A59 and A65 are like this, but the markings effectively give the uphill traffic priority for the centre lane. The difference in the Cumbria example is that the broken line against the solid line is to the side of the traffic that already has an overtaking lane.

coppice

8,907 posts

151 months

Friday 12th July
quotequote all
Welcome to the Sixties ...When I took an interest in cars in the late Sixties , dual carriageways were rare and motorways even rarer ,so long trips were invariably on single carriageway roads. Traffic was lighter , but overtaking was something you needed to do a lot as commercial vehicles were often comically slow , with lines of smoke belching lorries(we didn't do 'truck' then ) a common sight on hills , struggling at 20mph . So there were lots of A roads with 3 lanes , sometimes 4 and while fine in theory , it didn't take too many mistakes to have carnage .

Dual carriageways were better , but were still very dangerous as central reservations were just grass as often as not .

Add in no compulsory seat belts , non existent crash protection, non collapsible steering wheel columns , awful brakes and serial drunk driving and you had nearly 8000 road deaths in 1966 -compared to about 1700 in 2022. Still 1700 too many , but it's progress .

slopes

40,141 posts

194 months

Friday 12th July
quotequote all
The A507 from the A1M to the A421 is like this to an extent in that the road is just wide enough to get 3 cars side by side along it between the A1M and Arlesey, then from Henlow to Ireland.
It's not really designed for overtaking as such but at any time of the day or night, you will inevitably find traffic three wide along these sections but also, more bizarrely, between the Arlesey roundabout and the Henlow roundabout which includes a large curve, railway bridge and several industrial exits.
some people get very angry if you impede their progress eek

Wills2

24,384 posts

182 months

Friday 12th July
quotequote all
Lotobear said:
There's a regular scamera van on that stretch near Skipton top of the hill.
I did mention that, ask me how I know frown

Wills2

24,384 posts

182 months

Friday 12th July
quotequote all
Castrol for a knave said:
The Addingham bypass has killed more people than Harold Shipman though - it was safer back in the 80's when the "devil's elbow" used to slow people down.
There have been a few but it is well sighted, but I'll only use the lane if it's very light traffic.


Mr Tidy

24,313 posts

134 months

Friday 12th July
quotequote all
There used to be a stretch of 4 lane single carriageway on the A23 just South of Pyecombe.

Back in my foolish youth I once used the 4th lane to overtake things in the other 3. biggrin

Castrol for a knave

5,297 posts

98 months

Friday 12th July
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
Castrol for a knave said:
The Addingham bypass has killed more people than Harold Shipman though - it was safer back in the 80's when the "devil's elbow" used to slow people down.
There have been a few but it is well sighted, but I'll only use the lane if it's very light traffic.

Bit like the A5, seems to be a decent road but just catches put people, mainly idiots who take some poor oncoming sod with them.

Used to live on Skipton Moor and had a few near misses. People not pulling in as they near the roundabout.


ScoobyChris

1,809 posts

209 months

Friday 12th July
quotequote all
Blakewater said:
There was a thread on here not so long ago about wide roads where overtaking down the middle is possible. Also people reminisce about the "suicide lanes" along the centres of roads that have almost completely disappeared from the road network.

I recently encountered this section of the A6 in Cumbria that has two lanes in each direction on a single carriageway road. However, the centre line indicates traffic heading in the Streetview car's direction can cross the centre line, allowing for overtaking up to four abreast. Presumably this is intended to allow overtaking of two snail racing HGVs.




Is this a one off relic on a once major road that's now lightly used, or are there other sections of road marked like this?
Encouraging four abreast might be reading more into it than is there. Years ago I remember telling someone about overtaking a car overtaking a car overtaking a tractor in a similar situation and they pointed me to an HC rule that discourages it, but can’t find it now. In the real world it’s probably not an issue if it is safely and quickly executed.

Chris

Red Devil

13,190 posts

215 months

Saturday 13th July
quotequote all
I can't recall seeing another example like the A6. The A556 between Lostock Graham and the M6 in Cheshire has four lanes but with a central DWL throughout.

That Streetview is 13 years old. The trees on the left are long gone. The solid/dashed lines swap over at the junction just behind where the camera car is in that pic.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/v25dkUYm4XDj25RF9

soad

33,453 posts

183 months

Tuesday 23rd July
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
Lotobear said:
There's a regular scamera van on that stretch near Skipton top of the hill.
I did mention that, ask me how I know frown
There’s loads, one sits outside Otley (near Chevin) also:
https://www.safetycameraswestyorkshire.co.uk/camer...