Following on from the "Extra lanes on the cheap" thread, how many examples are there still around of the now-deprecated "permissive" S2+1 marking, which gives priority to one direction, but still allows overtaking in the other?

Here are two for starters:

A49 Tarporley

A519 Newcastle-under-Lyme

I see that as being OK to use lanes 1, 2 and 3 in one direction (assuming one is engaged in an overtake) but only lanes 1 and 2 in the other. Is that what is meant by permissive?

A693 from Chester-le-Steeet to Pelton.

A646 at Luddendenfoot is a very short one, formerly NSL, then 50mph, now in a 40mph zone.

There is a 'reverse' one on the A629 at Salterhebble where the permissive broken line is on the 2 lane side...

Some lengthy ones exist on the A59 at Beamsley and Sawley Abbey.

A6 south of Wilstead (south of Bedford).

There's this little bit on the B197 (ex A1) between Knebworth and Stevenage. http://g.co/maps/33bve

Thousands...

Here's a few: A65 Settle by-pass, A59/A65 Skipton by-pass, A59 Beamsley Bank, A660 near Otley and A1079 Market Weighton by-pass, to name but a few that I've used quite a bit.

The A5 at Tŷ Nant becomes permissive when visibility improves. I recall executing a nice overtake while travelling in the "1" direction there a few years ago.

I seem to recall there are some permissive S2+1s on the A7, but my memory may be playing tricks on me there.

It's a pity the one further north on the A519 no longer exists

Yeah there's loads of these - several on the A47 east of Leicester for example, like here

I've mentioned this before, but as I see it these markings are pointless. You're not allowed to use "lane 3" for overtaking anyway and this still allows overtaking in both directions. It's a meaningless road marking.

Thisis even more meaningless - just a bit further along the road above (and facing the other way) where the markings on the left are long "hazard" dashes, yet those on the "no overtaking" side are short.

Derek

Young Street (half of the Leatherhead bypass) on the A246, is the one I use most. The other part of the bypass is a non-permissive type, the uphill route having the extra lane. It also stops halfway up the hill to reappear.

Seen here

The idea is that the double white line delineates that one direction is viewed as the 'important' side getting the open two lanes, whilst visibility is still acceptable to allow traffic to overtake on the '1' side of the line as well with care.

They aren't meaningless, they are safer than the old S3s in that the middle lane is given more prominence to one side, thus removing the 'chicken' element that plagued S3s.

As explained by Glen here, this marking scheme isn't a 3-lane road with centre lane priority. The double solid/dashed line is a centre line, with two lanes on one side and one on the other.

I have to disagree. The way PS2+1 are marked out is different to marking with 1005.1 and 1008.1. More importantly, although to a Sabristi 1005.1 and 1008.1 markings are distinct, a lot of drivers don't understand the difference.

So lets see if I've got this right: what the road marking mean is if I'm going along the side with the solid line and something is coming the other way I have to let it go through, but if I'm going the other way with the broken line, I don't?

Maybe I'm missing something...

Peter wrote



Glenn wrote



Hmm, read that, clear as mud. Nope, still doesn't make sense.

As far as I'm concerned, I overtake when nothing is coming the other way unless I'm not allowed to by a solid line on my side of a dual line marking. This sort of marking allows overtaking in both directions on an S3 and is in effect exactly the same as two rows of single dashed lines.

Derek

Er, I;m a Sabristi and I don't understand what you mean!

Derek

TSGRD diagrams

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002 ... ule/6/made

The markings used to divide lanes running in the same direction, and separating opposing flows of traffic are different. That's why PS2+1 is different from an S3, as there are two lanes running in one direction, not one lane in each direction and a shared lane in the centre.

Yes, and also a marking scheme where the implicit meaning seems to be well understood by the general driving population, which isn't always the case.

So are we going to have a couple of new terms: PS2+1 and MS2+1? (P=Permissive; M=Mandatory)

Here's my favourite, on the A39 near Wadebridge, being used as intended

Every single one around here?