Emergency crossing points on motorway carriageways

[qwertyK]

When did they exist between, and when were they removed? As in the area in the central reservation where I believe emergency vehicles could try and do u-turns

[wrinkly]

In the early days of motorways there were two emergency central reservation gaps at a typical junction, one at each end of the junction, where the slip roads join and leave. Also sometimes others where there was a long stretch between junctions. If I remember correctly they at first continued to exist when central barriers were added to most motorways from about 1969 onwards. There's a previous thread somewhere.

[Bryn666]

They existed from day 1, when central barriers were introduced they remained but were coned off or blocked by cylinders.

The fatal collision on the M4 spelled the end of them but I seem to recall more rural quieter motorways still having the cylinders well into the late 1990s. Parts of the northern end of the M6 possibly even later?

[qwertyK]

Doing a u turn sounds extremely dangerous on a motorway I'm guessing though when they were first introduced motorways were a lot quieter. Imagine doing a u turn on the M25

Were the central reservations significantly wider to enable this?

[KeithW]

Doing a u turn sounds extremely dangerous on a motorway I'm guessing though when they were first introduced motorways were a lot quieter. Imagine doing a u turn on the M25

Were the central reservations significantly wider to enable this?

As I recall they were replaced with sections of barrier that could be removed to turn traffic around, of course in the early days there were no central barriers.


There were also contraflows where all that acted as separation were plastic cones.

[wrinkly]

They weren't used only for U-turns but also for one-lane contraflows for roadworks. Later, longer gaps were used for contraflows with longer crossovers, and for 2-lane contraflows.

[Chris5156]

Were the central reservations significantly wider to enable this?

No, they were the same central reservations we have now, they just had gaps in them. You can still see the crossovers in some places, but the barrier is continuous across them now.

[Bryn666]

Doing a u turn sounds extremely dangerous on a motorway I'm guessing though when they were first introduced motorways were a lot quieter. Imagine doing a u turn on the M25

Were the central reservations significantly wider to enable this?

U-turns have always been prohibited on motorways, these gaps existed purely for emergency vehicle or roadworks use.

[RichardA626]

I can remember some of the gaps were coned off until the late 1990s. I can remember one clip from Police Camera Action where someone attempted a U turn by removing the cones.

[solocle]

They existed from day 1, when central barriers were introduced they remained but were coned off or blocked by cylinders.

The fatal collision on the M4 spelled the end of them but I seem to recall more rural quieter motorways still having the cylinders well into the late 1990s. Parts of the northern end of the M6 possibly even later?

The split section north of Tebay has one to this day.

[qwertyK]

I can remember some of the gaps were coned off until the late 1990s. I can remember one clip from Police Camera Action where someone attempted a U turn by removing the cones.

So presumably an emergency vehicle would have half of it in the carriageway whilst removing the cones or doing the turn?

[jnty]

They existed from day 1, when central barriers were introduced they remained but were coned off or blocked by cylinders.

The fatal collision on the M4 spelled the end of them but I seem to recall more rural quieter motorways still having the cylinders well into the late 1990s. Parts of the northern end of the M6 possibly even later?

The split section north of Tebay has one to this day.

I always wonder about the legality (as opposed to practicality!) of using it. I noticed that Google Maps had directed me on to it once when I accidentally attempted to navigate to the wrong side of Tebay Services.

[solocle]

They existed from day 1, when central barriers were introduced they remained but were coned off or blocked by cylinders.

The fatal collision on the M4 spelled the end of them but I seem to recall more rural quieter motorways still having the cylinders well into the late 1990s. Parts of the northern end of the M6 possibly even later?

The split section north of Tebay has one to this day.

I always wonder about the legality (as opposed to practicality!) of using it. I noticed that Google Maps had directed me on to it once when I accidentally attempted to navigate to the wrong side of Tebay Services.

I can't actually think of anything that would make it outright illegal to use, I guess an argument could be made if anything about the "vehicles to be driven on the carriageway only" part of the MT(E&W)R as there's a solid line denoting the edge of the carriageway.

[WHBM]

I always wonder about the legality (as opposed to practicality!) of using it.

No U-turns on Motorways (however you do it) is a strict liability offence. It used to be one of the conditions stated in the early days when the restrictions were spelled out in text at the entrance, on the predecessor to the Chopsticks sign.

Back in the 1980s, many of the emergency crossings were substantially rebuilt and lengthened to suit higher crossover speeds and more protective guard rail between opposing directions in contraflows. Then there was a further change of policy, and contraflows dropped out of favour.

[KeithW]

This was hashed out in 2007

by M60-Tony » Mon Jan 22, 2007 20:44

You're correct Glenn. There were 3 small reflective markers on the central barrier posts counting down to the cross-over. I recall seeing them and being told what they were at a talk given by motorway police in the very late 80s or early 90s.

With the closing of all (?) such crossing points I haven't seen such markers for many a year. Though I could envisage some possibly surviving in odd remote bits of motorway.

Edit:
Found this 2006 ACPO document link. In it it says

2.6 MOTORWAY EMERGENCY CROSSING POINT
An emergency crossing point is a gap in the central reservation barrier. Very few of these remain on the motorway network, however, because of the significant risks associated with using them.

Emergency crossing points should only be used by the emergency services and HATOs, and only in extreme circumstances.

The onus for carrying out such a manoeuvre safely is always on the driver, and all necessary care must be taken.

It may be considered inappropriate to use crossing points during normal traffic flows. A short cut may be used instead. A short cut is a link road provided to reduce the distance travelled by emergency services attending incidents. Short cuts can provide easy access to the opposite carriageways on certain sections of the motorway between junctions.

So there are some around still, even HATOs may choose to use them.

What I found interesting is has been said there is no signed prohibition. At that point one the M6 the northbound and southbound carriage ways are widely separated with an unclassified road running under the M6 and then running between the Northbound and Southbound carriageways.

The signs have seen better days. They look to be the same ones that were there in 1969 when the M6 was under construction.
https://www.google.com/maps/@54.4614834 ... &entry=ttu

Follow it and it ends on T junction which the B6261 which then joins the A6 about 1.5 miles from Shap. The B6261 was there long before the M6 and has the distinction of being primary.

https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/ind ... itle=B6261

[jnty]

I always wonder about the legality (as opposed to practicality!) of using it.

No U-turns on Motorways (however you do it) is a strict liability offence. It used to be one of the conditions stated in the early days when the restrictions were spelled out in text at the entrance, on the predecessor to the Chopsticks sign.

Hrm. What if I choose to do it by entirely circulating the roundabout on the M271? I wonder if the actual legal offences are u-turning on the same carriageway to face against traffic, and leaving the carriageway (which presumably the solid offside line delinates) and the formerly signed restricting is reflecting the collective consequence of the two individual bans. My example would certainly fall foul of the latter as solocycle highlights.

[WHBM]

Dig down in these regs, there will be something in there :

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/198 ... tents/made

5. Subject to the following provisions of these Regulations, no vehicle shall be driven on any part of a motorway which is not a carriageway.

6.

(3) Every vehicle on a length of carriageway which is contiguous to a central reservation, shall be driven in such a direction that the central reservation is at all times on the right hand or off side of the vehicle.

(4) Where traffic signs are so placed that there is a length of carriageway (being a length which is not contiguous to a central reservation) which can be entered at one end only by vehicles driven in conformity with paragraph (1) of this Regulation, every vehicle on that length of carriageway shall be driven in such a direction only as to cause it to proceed away from that end of that length of carriageway towards the other end thereof.

(5) Without prejudice to the foregoing provisions of this Regulation, no vehicle which—

(a)is on a length of carriageway on which vehicles are required by any of the foregoing provisions of this Regulation to be driven in one direction only and is proceeding in or facing that direction, or
(b)is on any other length of carriageway and is proceeding in or facing one direction,
shall be driven or moved so as to cause it to turn and proceed in or face the opposite direction

My old friend the Special Roads Act 1949 (yeah, updated multiple times but I often have gone back to this one first - it was the one still in text books during university exams !) is the reference for what is a Special Road (Motorways being the principal subset of these) and what is not.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/19 ... 0aforesaid.

[jnty]

Dig down in these regs, there will be something in there :

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/198 ... tents/made

5. Subject to the following provisions of these Regulations, no vehicle shall be driven on any part of a motorway which is not a carriageway.

6.

(3) Every vehicle on a length of carriageway which is contiguous to a central reservation, shall be driven in such a direction that the central reservation is at all times on the right hand or off side of the vehicle.

(4) Where traffic signs are so placed that there is a length of carriageway (being a length which is not contiguous to a central reservation) which can be entered at one end only by vehicles driven in conformity with paragraph (1) of this Regulation, every vehicle on that length of carriageway shall be driven in such a direction only as to cause it to proceed away from that end of that length of carriageway towards the other end thereof.

(5) Without prejudice to the foregoing provisions of this Regulation, no vehicle which—

(a)is on a length of carriageway on which vehicles are required by any of the foregoing provisions of this Regulation to be driven in one direction only and is proceeding in or facing that direction, or
(b)is on any other length of carriageway and is proceeding in or facing one direction,
shall be driven or moved so as to cause it to turn and proceed in or face the opposite direction

My old friend the Special Roads Act 1949 (yeah, updated multiple times but I often have gone back to this one first - it was the one still in text books during university exams !) is the reference for what is a Special Road (Motorways being the principal subset of these) and what is not.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/19 ... 0aforesaid.

Indeed, so it sounds like the argument would be that it's not a carriageway because of the solid line. The concept of not driving on the area between the motorway carriageways breaks down somewhat over that section of the M6 thanks to the B6261 etc.

It's pretty obvious to us that it shouldn't be driven over, but it's not hard to imagine that a tourist who had had to make right turns on D2 sections of the nearby A66 would think nothing of complying if directed that way by their satnav. Crossing the solid line might be odd, but not much odder than crossing into a dynamic hard shoulder further south on the M6.

[Bristol]

Starting at 5:36 in Motorway, the safeway (1979) I think you can see an emergency crossing point as a gap in the central reservation barrier in use for a roadworks contraflow - a scarily narrow gap!

[solocle]

Dig down in these regs, there will be something in there :

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/198 ... tents/made

5. Subject to the following provisions of these Regulations, no vehicle shall be driven on any part of a motorway which is not a carriageway.

6.

(3) Every vehicle on a length of carriageway which is contiguous to a central reservation, shall be driven in such a direction that the central reservation is at all times on the right hand or off side of the vehicle.

(4) Where traffic signs are so placed that there is a length of carriageway (being a length which is not contiguous to a central reservation) which can be entered at one end only by vehicles driven in conformity with paragraph (1) of this Regulation, every vehicle on that length of carriageway shall be driven in such a direction only as to cause it to proceed away from that end of that length of carriageway towards the other end thereof.

(5) Without prejudice to the foregoing provisions of this Regulation, no vehicle which—

(a)is on a length of carriageway on which vehicles are required by any of the foregoing provisions of this Regulation to be driven in one direction only and is proceeding in or facing that direction, or
(b)is on any other length of carriageway and is proceeding in or facing one direction,
shall be driven or moved so as to cause it to turn and proceed in or face the opposite direction

My old friend the Special Roads Act 1949 (yeah, updated multiple times but I often have gone back to this one first - it was the one still in text books during university exams !) is the reference for what is a Special Road (Motorways being the principal subset of these) and what is not.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/19 ... 0aforesaid.

Indeed, so it sounds like the argument would be that it's not a carriageway because of the solid line. The concept of not driving on the area between the motorway carriageways breaks down somewhat over that section of the M6 thanks to the B6261 etc.

It's pretty obvious to us that it shouldn't be driven over, but it's not hard to imagine that a tourist who had had to make right turns on D2 sections of the nearby A66 would think nothing of complying if directed that way by their satnav. Crossing the solid line might be odd, but not much odder than crossing into a dynamic hard shoulder further south on the M6.

The key question is whether the turnaround constitutes "part of a motorway which is not a carriageway".

If the turnaround isn't part of the motorway, well, then I don't see an offence being committed, as you transfer from driving on a motorway in accordance to regulations to driving on a non-motorway at the edge line.

The presence of an intermediate all purpose road means that the central area can't be entirely motorway, and therefore probably cannot be a central reservation, either.