I wrote a blog post on traffic orders quite a while back, but I though it worth returning to the subject to talk about the use of pedestrian and cycle zones which are normally a town centre thing, but it needn't be so.
I'm no fan of the Organised Taxi Lobby™, but some people rely on them and even I must accept that lorries are going to be with us for a while yet, so I though it worth showing how we can use the tools we already have to enable selected access to specific areas;
Actually, I think most of you will have seen some of this in action in pedestrian zones which (at their purest) allow walking and cycling at all times with time-based access for deliveries;
The sign above means that the area beyond is a pedestrian zone which operates all of the time into which no motor vehicles (the circular sign) are permitted unless they are loading between 5am to 10am, Sunday to Friday and 5am to 9am on Sunday. The yellow "at any time" means there is no waiting - in other words, if you're in there, it's just for loading; the sign replaces double yellow lines (with repeaters in the zone). The road is also one-way for motor traffic and two-way for cycling (the separate blue sign at the top).Actually, I think most of you will have seen some of this in action in pedestrian zones which (at their purest) allow walking and cycling at all times with time-based access for deliveries;
The circular sign in left blank (i.e. no picture of the car and motorcycle) then it would mean "no vehicles", including cycles. It's daft, but sadly prevalent in the UK where deliveries are allowed (at certain times), but cycling is banned.
The properly up to date sign is a "pedestrian and cycle zone";
There is lots of flexibility with this sign. If the time period in the top panel is omitted (like in the photo above) then the zone operates at all times (we can select the times it operates too. The middle panel provides various exceptions which can be in any combination;
- the legend “buses” or “local buses”
- the legend “taxis”
- the legend “for access”, “for loading”, or “for loading by” and the goods vehicle symbol
- the legend “permit holders”, “permit holder”, and, if appropriate, a permit identifier or identifiers
- the disabled badge holder symbol
The middle panel can include a time period (as with the photo above) and the time period in the lower panel can also be varied (more like a single yellow line). The lower panel can also be omitted, plus the middle panel can be omitted when the lower panel is omitted. Let's look at some examples;
The sign above tells us that the pedestrian and cycle zone operates all the time, but anyone can load (not just lorries in this case) and taxis can be driven through. Let's have another;
In this case, the pedestrian and cycle zone operates 7-days a week, but between 8am and 6pm. Outside of these hours, anyone can drive through. The only people allowed to enter the zone during the hours of operation are those with the correct permit. OK, one more;
This would be a part time pedestrian and cycle zone which operates on weekdays for an hour in the morning and afternoon. Blue badge holders and permit holders are excepted. This could very easily be a scheme around a school, although because the times will always be the same, there will be a theoretic disadvantage to those wishing to bring a vehicle into the area during holidays - they couldn't (we can't use "term time" on a traffic sign because dates always change).
Having stated this, Edinburgh have manged to get round the term time issue by have the zone operational when lights flash;
This will have "non prescribed traffic signs" approval (under Scottish rules) and forms part of a bigger scheme of "school streets" in the city which seeks to prevent parents driving their children to the school gate.
Zones should also have an end (so people know they have left);
I think this is a great tool and more should be made of it our of town centres as Edinburgh has done. It's not going to work everywhere and it needs enforcement to be effective (although we can use cameras), but in the quest for lower levels of traffic in those places where people live, work and play, we really could push out those who we don't want to drive through an area without to badly affecting those who might need to get in.
Hatfield has the curious situation that bicycles are banned but not delivery trucks, so we have armoured bank trucks mixing with pedestrians but bicycles are banned. It is a ban widely flouted as not enough police or wardens to enforce it. Sadly the result of one yob on a bike (with many previous convictions) hitting an old lady and creating a Daily Mail headline.
ReplyDeleteDear Ranty,
ReplyDeleteCan you clarify a couple of points for me please. As the signs would be double sided on a two way road, is that to say as i would understand it a car inside the zone that entered prior to the time cannot leave?.
I am assumed this would be a moving traffic violation, but looking at some of the order the pescription seems to state "any person who causes any vehicle to enter into or proceed in any road or length of road in accordance with any restriction or requirement indicated"? or does the bit proceed in any road cover them leaving too.
Thanks for your help on this i am trying to ensure a school street can be enforced both ways.
It's a really good question and I'm not 100% sure, but I would say that the prohibition is on driving within the zone during operation and so someone who was parked before it started and then drove out would be "proceeding". The point is to have no moving vehicles when kids are walking, so it would make sense. A driver entering and seeing the signs should take note in the same way as they should with parking and speed limit signs.
DeleteDoes anyone know of what offence has been committed if a prohibited vehicle enters a Pedestrian and Cycle Zone, specifically a school street? I'm aware of a situation in England outside of London where both the council and police say they have no way to enforce contraventions, and no-one appears to know the answer. I'm aware there may not be civil parking enforcement code to enforce this but if anyone knows what the police do when issuing a fixed penalty notice I'd be interested in finding out. Thanks
ReplyDeleteIt will probably be a simple contravening a traffic sign, but what happens next where they police enforce it I'm afraid I don't know!
DeleteTo understand you right, the first picture which says loading permitted between certain periods, the loading refers to any car not just lorries?
ReplyDeleteYes, that would be loading by anyone using any class of vehicle, but there must be signs that loading is genuinely taking place!
DeleteHave the police authority to drive these streets regardless. I’m a cab driver and I have just had a ticket issued based on photo from a police car driving through in front of me.
ReplyDeleteYou would need to have a look at the traffic order, but there is usually an exemption for emergency services vehicles written into the order.
DeleteThanks for the useful info. I have a question about the "Permit Holders" part. Does the code in the highlighted box (eg "RES1" in a green box) give residents of that street particular permission to go through? I have just got a ticket for driving through a nearby road which shares the same residential parking zone as me but says "Permit holders" with "H14" in a black box next to it. Not sure if I should be allowed to drive through. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIn my example, you'd need to have a RES1 permit; with yours I would expect to see a different permit reference for parking and driving, but without a location it's tricky to judge.
DeleteThanks for the reply. My RPZ code is not the same as the one on the sign. Presumably, they are specifically for residents of that road. So I guess I'll have to pay the fine :(
DeleteWhat does this sign me so can we enter with a car
ReplyDeleteYou can't drive in unless it is outside of any times shown or if you are an exempt vehicle
DeleteHi Ranty,
ReplyDeleteI got caught by a CCTV camera at a "school street" style pedestrian and cycle zone recently. I turned right into the side street containing the zone, realised that it was in fact a cycle and pedestrian zone, and completed a U-turn before proceeding down the street. Apparently, I drove just a tiny bit too far past the entry signs and got a PCN. Am I right in thinking that the restriction applies to the whole road, or is it a "point restriction" (i.e. you get a ticket for passing a specific point). If I didn't traverse or drive through the pedestrian and cycle zone, did I commit an offence? Or is driving half a car length past the entry sign enough of an offence (as it would be for a point restriction). TIA
I'm afraid it is very much a zone approach rather than a point restriction so assuming the traffic order and signage was in accordance with the rules, they'll have you bang to rights - personally I would like to see actual closures during operation, but it isn't often possible or cost-effective.
DeleteHi Ranty. As per your article, there IS a fair amount of flexibility with what can appear on the sign however I have a question I hope you can help me with if you put your IHE hat on. It’s with regard the operational times. RTRA 1984 regulations at Section 3(1)(b) specifically state that a TRO ‘shall not be made with respect to any road which would have the effect of’ …’preventing for more than 8 hours in any period of 24 hours access for vehicles of any class’
ReplyDeleteOne of your examples above shows operational hours 8am-6pm, which is beyond the 8hr period so I believe would need approval from Secretary of State for Transport? I’m only asking as our local Councillors are pushing for a longer Ped Zone that stretches into the evening in order to help with daytime ‘café culture’ and evening with pubs using the roadspace. I have seen a very small number of signs for Ped Zone across the country with Ped Zones over 8hrs but I wonder if the local highways authority have been a little cavalier in their attitude to RTRA? (or perhaps got SoS approval…)
It's a great question - S3(2) covers this and is essentially a get out where vehicles are concerned (so could include cycles) on the road - in other words, preventing pedestrian access remains a no-no.
DeleteHowever, you also need to look at the The Local Authorities' Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996 [snappy eh!]
S9 talks about holding public inquiries for a list of situations where non-frivolous objections have not been withdrawn:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/2489/regulation/9/made
Frivolous would be someone simply not liking the extension of the times for a ped zone, but a non-frivolous objection could be from a bus operator for example.
It's up to the local traffic authority to decide what frivolous is, but legal advice would usually be cautious with such.
Is there a speed limit for vehicles that are allowed into the pedestrian zone? In Oxford we have a a few safe school zones, they are poorly signed, although they meet the legal requireemnt and cars regularly go through them and get fined. However there are cars allowed into them, mainly parents, who think the clear road is for them to do as they want and shoot through, as a result no-one uses the pedestrian zone and keep to the pavements.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately we can only go down to a 20mph limit which will still be too fast in that environment, so we would need to get them down through design features.
DeleteQuery with regards to the bottom panel (At any time). As this plate was done away with under previous Regs as a standalone sign, would the associated double yellows still need to be present within the Zone? I'm guessing yes as vehicles are still permitted at certain times when the "At any time" would still apply? Your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteYou have the options with a ped zone - you can use single or double yellow lines (with the correct yellow plate), but you can also do it with repeater signs instead of yellow lines, including loading restrictions. The repeaters would be yellow for the waiting restrictions, but have to "pedestrian zone" at the top and then you could have a white plate for loading - S6.3 of Chapter 3 of the Traffic Signs Manual is the place to go.
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