Department of Transport , Department for Regional Development

“ The bay is white in colour and may be accompanied by the legend BUSES, DISABLED, LARGE OR SLOW VEHICLES ONLY or LOADING ONLY, marked outside the bay. It may be placed at the road edge or in the centre of the road. When marking a space for disabled users, the word DISABLED may be omitted, e.g. in streets with block paving, although use of the legend will help badge holders identify parking places more easily. It is recommended that all disabled bays in a locality are treated in the same way to avoid confusion. The bay may be extended to any length to accord with the traffic order. ”

“ Their conspicuity is impaired when wet or dirty, and their effective life is reduced if they are subjected to heavy trafficking.
1.8 Nevertheless, road markings make a vital contribution to safety, e.g. by clearly defining the path to be followed through hazards, by separating conflicting movements and by delineating the road edge on unlit roads at night. They can also help to improve junction capacity, and make best use of available road space. In particular, widespread use of lane markings is desirable; by encouraging lane discipline they improve the safety and efficiency of traffic flow. ”

“ Older drivers also see a marking less well than the young; someone seventy years old may suffer a reduction in visibility distance of more than 20% compared with drivers still in their twenties.
1.14 The marking regime prescribed in the UK generally gives adequate levels of guidance in good conditions, i.e. where the road is dry, the driver is young, the vehicle has clean, powerful headlamps and there is no glare from oncoming vehicles. On roads with high traffic speeds, wider lines should normally be adopted where alternatives are prescribed. ”

“ It is essential that there is adequate room on each side to enable vehicles to negotiate the bend or hump without crossing the lines. The lines should be opened out at a taper no sharper than 1 in 50; the area between them must be hatched with marks of the same width as the longitudinal lines, at spacings of not more than 3 m. On a crest, the lines should attain maximum width at the point of least visibility (not always the highest point) in each direction. This hatched marking may be used only between double continuous lines, never between a continuous and a broken line. ”

“ Where overtaking opportunities on the major road are limited, the presence of a widened carriageway, albeit with hatched markings, might result in overtaking manoeuvres which conflict with right turns into and out of the minor road. Where this proves to be a problem, consideration should be given to the use of kerbed islands to prevent overtaking and to guide traffic through the junction. ”

“ Pedestrians should never be expected to cross left turn lanes segregated only by road markings. If pedestrians are likely to be present, they should be guided to a safer crossing point using guard rail or suitable planting. If this is not possible, segregation should be effected by a physical island of sufficient width to accommodate the peak number of pedestrians.
8.37 Segregated left turn lanes may encourage higher speeds; any desirable speed reduction measures should be applied before entry to the lane and not within it. ”

“ Some road markings may be placed only in conjunction with certain other markings or with specified signs (direction 18) .
2.5 Care should be taken to ensure that markings are used only in the manner prescribed in the Regulations, and that no non-prescribed marking is used unless it has been authorised in writing. Failure to do so may leave an authority open to litigation, or make a traffic regulation order unenforceable.
2.6 Regulation 31 (3) requires the use of white road studs in conjunction with double white lines (diagrams 1013.1, 1013.3 and 1013.4) . ”

“ A with-flow bus lane should be brought up to the Stop line at a traffic signal only if a reduction in capacity of the junction is acceptable, if safe provision can be made for any left-turning traffic and if right-turning traffic can be accommodated in such a way that it does not restrict flow in the ahead lanes. ”

“ Under no circumstances should traffic from both directions be required by the signs or markings to give way.
CYCLE PRIORITY
3.25 Regulation 25 (6) enables the marking to diagram 1003 to be used to give priority to a cycle track crossing a road. The length of road crossed by the cycle track must consist of a road hump, which should be of the flat-topped type. The hump must extend across the full width of the carriageway, in accordance with direction 34 (2) . The marking to diagram 1023 should also be provided, together with a longitudinal warning line to diagram 1004 on each approach. ”

“ Projecting the build-out beyond parked cars also enables pedestrians waiting to cross to see and be seen. Diagram 1010 should be used to delineate the edge of the carriageway available for through traffic unless the parking is controlled by a traffic regulation order, in which case the appropriate bay marking is used (see paras 20.11 to 20.28) .
21.21 If a gap is provided for cycles, it should be marked with the cycle symbol, diagram 1057, and the appropriate vertical sign. Such a gap may, however, inconvenience pedestrians using the build-out as a crossing place. ”

“ If it stops to avoid obstructing the box when its exit is blocked, thereby releasing the flow of entering vehicles, there is likely to be uncertainty over re-establishing right of way when the exit is clear again. Moreover, a vehicle stopped in an outer lane might obscure vehicles lawfully continuing to circulate on the inner lanes (whose exit might not be blocked) from the view of drivers entering the roundabout. Yellow box markings may however be used where traffic entering the roundabout is controlled by signals at all times. ”

“ If visibility is such that a Stop line would be justified, the left turn should be brought under signal control. A left turn slip lane should be separated from the other lanes by a traffic island. If no provision is made for pedestrians, they are likely to have difficulty in crossing an unsignalled slip road in an otherwise signalled junction. ”

“ If space permits, two arrows should normally be provided. Where a driver’s forward view of the road surface is limited, as at a crest, a third arrow may be necessary to give adequate forewarning (see figure 5-2) .
5.14 Deflection arrows on the approach to a double white line system (see para 5.3) are usually positioned in the centre of the carriageway (see figure 5-2) replacing one of the centre line marks. Where the centre is marked using diagram 1040.2, the omission of a pair of edge marks and the associated diagonals will emphasise the arrow. ”

“ If the junction is with a major road and the right turn movements cannot be prohibited then a standard design of right turn lane will be necessary, possibly involving the dedication of the outside lane to right turners (see paras 7.2 to 7.12) .
14.8 On narrower roads, the arrangement shown in figure 14-2 might be appropriate. However, the needs of cyclists must be considered; it can be intimidating if large vehicles have to pass very close in order to overtake. In addition, this layout will make passing slow vehicles difficult, and may cause problems if a vehicle breaks down. ”

“ They must not prevent the passage of any vehicle unless there is an appropriate traffic regulation order.
21.27 Edge lines and hatched markings can be used to make the carriageway appear narrower than it is, whilst still allowing larger vehicles to overrun these areas if necessary. The effect will be increased if a central refuge island is provided together with hatched markings, but care must be taken not to increase hazards to cyclists. In rural areas, the width of some farm vehicles needs to be considered and care should be taken not to prevent these or other wide vehicles from passing. ”

“ On two-lane approaches to junctions, the arrangement of arrows indicating the lanes for straight ahead, left turn and right turn will depend upon the relative traffic volumes making the movements, and on the site conditions. Where there is a heavy right turn movement, the straight ahead and left turn arrows should be combined in the near side lane. Similarly where there is a left filter arrow at a traffic signal installation, the filter lane should always be marked with the left arrow marking only, in order to exclude non-filtering traffic. ”

“ The segregation may be effected by road markings to diagram 1041.1 or 1042.1, or by a physical island, in conjunction with the marking to diagram 1041 or 1042. Left turners are channelled into the left hand lane using lane arrows and road markings, supplemented by advance direction signs to diagram 2118 or its primary route equivalent (see Chapter 7, paras 5.43 and 5.44) . Left turning vehicles proceed without having to give way to others circulating on the roundabout. Segregation by road markings is more common but may be less effective because it is liable to abuse. ”

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“ TRAFFIC SIGNAL STOP LINE
3.7 The marking (diagram 1001) consists of a single continuous line 200 mm or 300 mm in width and indicates the position beyond which a driver must not proceed when required to stop by light signals. The 200 mm width is generally for use in urban areas. The 300 mm width should be used in rural areas, or where the 85th percentile speed exceeds 35 mph. The greater width may also be used in urban areas at difficult locations, or where heavy traffic results in rapid erosion of the marking. ”

“ The restriction on stopping in (a) above applies whether the line closest to the vehicle is continuous or broken. However, on a road with more than one traffic lane in each direction the stopping restriction does not apply. A separate traffic regulation order would therefore be necessary to prohibit waiting or loading on, for example, an urban four-lane road (see para 5.26) .
5.2 Each direction of travel is marked separately according to the degree of visibility in that direction. The necessary standard of visibility is governed by the speed of vehicles on the road ”

“ A traffic survey should be carried out to determine the extent of the problem, not only to assess the suitability of the junction for box marking but also to establish whether any alternative measures might be effective (e.g. re-timing or linking of traffic signals at adjacent junctions) . ”

“ The line may be widened to 150 mm for greater emphasis, but in a two-way road it should never be wider than the centre line. For a contra-flow lane, the wider line should always be used.
16.10 The start of the cycle lane must be marked by a broken line to diagram 1009 (600 mm mark, 300 mm gap) . If the speed limit is 40 mph or less, the 150 mm wide line is used, otherwise it should be 200 mm wide. As the lane is advisory, it is not essential for other vehicles to be deflected in advance of it. ”