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#Post#: 62115--------------------------------------------------
Red X on motorway - for what distance are they applicable?
DIR By: 3phase
Date: March 12, 2025, 10:21 am
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Hello learned minds.
Strange one today and posting as I'm curious for your thoughts.
We all know that if a gantry has for example 50 displayed - that
is valid until the next gantry displays anything other. If you
are caught before a change by say a van on a bridge you have no
legal legs.
Red X though? Usually yes - wait until the next gantry as there
is a reason. Or can you move back once passed the gantry? this
is the Q...
Scenario today was a lorry fire on the M1 Northbound - inside 3
lanes displaying red x and physically blocked - outside lane
only available to pass directly under the gantry.
This was near Chesterfield between 28 & 29.
Key to this is that the incident happened maybe 10m before the
gantry & no one could actually drive under the inside 3 lanes
red X due to fire services still damping down.
I was travelling southbound slowly crawling at 0 - 5mph due to
rubberneckers with a good 1/2 mile & maybe 15 mins straight
visibility of the scene.
The HADECS was flashing non stop - almost every vehicle - apart
I guess those who stayed in the outside lane.
Every truck, and most cars once passed the scene/gantry started
slowly moving back to the inside lane of a clear motorway ahead
and 'flash'
I know common sense isn't so common anymore, but the camera unit
must have had several thousands today at that location - but
what is the legal stance on a red X being enforced if anyone
knows? I know none of the drivers physically passed under it -
but the camera's were snap happy assuming they had.
Pic below from a news report where you can see the proximity to
the gantry.
Cheers all
HTML https://i.ibb.co/7Jm3WByr/M1-fire.jpg
HTML https://imgbb.com/
#Post#: 62116--------------------------------------------------
Re: Red X on motorway - for what distance are they applicable?
DIR By: andy_foster
Date: March 12, 2025, 10:33 am
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Is the offence passing a red X in the lane that the X is
displayed over, or is the red X a symbol giving the instruction
"do not drive in this lane until you pass a sign negating this
instruction"?
Or in other words, if you avoid bing in the closed lane when
passing the gantry, can you legally drive in that lane as soon
as you pass the gantry?
Remember, as Mr Garrison said, there are no stupid questions.
#Post#: 62120--------------------------------------------------
Re: Red X on motorway - for what distance are they applicable?
DIR By: 3phase
Date: March 12, 2025, 10:46 am
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Hello Andy - that's exactly my Q - I don't know if anyone on
here knows the actual legalities of it regarding red x.
We've seen many cases of people passing directly under obvious
red x gantries - that's not the case here for sure, but that
HADECS was going off like a strobe..
I guess if auto generated, there will be a few thousand people
at least getting an S.172 after today. Pretty much all HGV's
were flashed as soon as they moved out of the outside lane
almost immediately after as common sense would dictate.
Should they have stayed in outside lane at 56mph for next 3
miles until next gantry showing all clear to avoid the flash, or
will common sense come into play?
Who knows..
#Post#: 62164--------------------------------------------------
Re: Red X on motorway - for what distance are they applicable?
DIR By: Dave Green
Date: March 12, 2025, 2:03 pm
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The red X means that the lane (or lanes) with the X showing are
closed and remain closed until a another sign showing either
"END", a defined speed limit or a NSL indication is placed over
that lane.
HTML https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/362/schedule/15
--- Quote ---
> 3.—(1) The significance of a light signal provided for at item
14 or 15 is that it conveys to vehicular traffic that such
traffic—
>
> (a) must not proceed in the lane or actively managed hard
shoulder to which the sign relates; and
>
> (b) must not enter that lane or hard shoulder until one of the
signs mentioned at sub-paragraph (2), or the legend “END”, is
displayed on a matrix sign in relation to that lane or hard
shoulder.
>
--- End Quote ---
#Post#: 62359--------------------------------------------------
Re: Red X on motorway - for what distance are they applicable?
DIR By: 3phase
Date: March 13, 2025, 12:19 pm
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Thanks Dave for the exact TSRDG - logic says that is the case,
but if they play hardball with no exemptions, then I'd expect
starting in the next few weeks or so at least a few of those
poor sods who were flashed after moving back to the left on an
empty motorway ahead to find their way to this forum with active
cases.
I reckon it would have caught well over a thousand based on the
amount of constant flashes I saw and the miles long queues who
were still to travel through.
#Post#: 62364--------------------------------------------------
Re: Red X on motorway - for what distance are they applicable?
DIR By: 666
Date: March 13, 2025, 12:38 pm
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OP, neither you nor any of the other "thousands" could have
known it was actually safe to move left. The incident before the
gantry might not have been the only one.
#Post#: 62372--------------------------------------------------
Re: Red X on motorway - for what distance are they applicable?
DIR By: mickR
Date: March 13, 2025, 1:58 pm
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surely you don't expect highways england, English highways,
motorways england, highways R'us or whatever they are called now
to actually use any common sense do you??
#Post#: 62385--------------------------------------------------
Re: Red X on motorway - for what distance are they applicable?
DIR By: andy_foster
Date: March 13, 2025, 2:41 pm
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--- Quote from: 666 link ---
>
> OP, neither you nor any of the other "thousands" could have
known it was actually safe to move left. The incident before the
gantry might not have been the only one.
>
--- End Quote ---
That would seem to depend. For motorists who "didn't have time"
to change lanes, slow down, or whatever before they got to the
gantry, there is clearly no way of knowing what is ahead on a
narrow and windy road like a motorway.
However, for competent drivers, any hazard should be able to be
visible from far enough away to react at the national speed
limit.
#Post#: 62394--------------------------------------------------
Re: Red X on motorway - for what distance are they applicable?
DIR By: Dave Green
Date: March 13, 2025, 3:28 pm
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--- Quote from: andy_foster link ---
> However, for competent drivers, any hazard should be able to
be visible from far enough away to react at the national speed
limit.
>
--- End Quote ---
Any hazard?
What if the hazard is a reported diesel spill, something that
may be invisible or not be visible until extremely close or it
could be a vehicle that has totally left the carriageway making
it hard or impossible to see and the potential hazard could be
glass or similar in the active lane.
#Post#: 62647--------------------------------------------------
Re: Red X on motorway - for what distance are they applicable?
DIR By: 3phase
Date: March 15, 2025, 7:14 am
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--- Quote from: 666 link ---
>
> OP, neither you nor any of the other "thousands" could have
known it was actually safe to move left. The incident before the
gantry might not have been the only one.
>
--- End Quote ---
Due to the cars funnelling slowly past the scene one at a time
using the only available outside lane, It was a virtually empty
maybe 1 mile straight stretch of clear sunny motorway after the
incident.
I was on the opposite carriageway by the way, that's how I could
see the constant flashes.
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