"John Rowland" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I've seen a lot of signs recently declaring roads to be private. What does
this mean? Am I allowed to drive down it? If I crash or kill someone, will
the outcome be different to the outcome on a public road?

I have also seen signs, particularly guarding the car parks of small
pretentious blocks of flats, saying "No Turning". Has anyone ever been
prosecuted for turning their car on a road so marked?

While I was using a private shortcut which serves the numerous car repair
garages which occupy the arches of the Piccadilly Line viaduct in South
Harrow, a big van containing three men whizzed onto my side of the road to
pass a parked car blocking their side of the road. Judging by the smug
look
on the drivers face, he presumed that my little Kia Pride (which looks a
lot
like a Nissan Micra) would stop and let them through. He was wrong, and we
met face to face at the narrow part. After about half a minute of my
legendary stare he reversed and I got through the gap. Afterwards I
wondered
who had been in the right - if they worked at or owned one of the garages,
did they have priority over me? But then again, they might have just been
using it as a shortcut, like me. It doesn't seem possible that priority
would depend on something which is so difficult to ascertain. Or is there
no
legally defined "right side of the road" on a private road?


On that particular private road, I think there must be some form of
acknowledged right of way for the public.
I used to live in that area and have been using that alley for almost twenty
years without any complaints.

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html
A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line -
It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes

"HP" wrote in message
...


If you take a borough like Haringey then a large percentage of Road are not
adopted roadways... all the estate Roads of Housing estate Roads built after
1960 are private

You could be barred from using them, they are permissive roads only to gain
access to Council Houses. If you buy a house on an estate the Council grant
you specific rights of way over the estate roads

If anyone rembers the Old West Green LT garage in wood Green ( used by BT
until 1990,s) the road was adopted up to the garage but owned by LT from the
garage onward. This road now serves Houses in Willow walk N22, The next Road
Milton Road N22 in totally private half owned by the owners either side ( so
if you want somewhere to park in Wood Green park on the West side of Milton
Road, The Council Estate CPZ on Milton Road does not apply)

"IOOA" wrote in message
...

"HP" wrote in message
...


If you take a borough like Haringey then a large percentage of Road are
not
adopted roadways... all the estate Roads of Housing estate Roads built
after
1960 are private

You could be barred from using them, they are permissive roads only to
gain
access to Council Houses. If you buy a house on an estate the Council
grant
you specific rights of way over the estate roads

What is the legal position about cars that are abandoned and/or untaxed on a
private, unadopted road? Are they still classed as "the public highway" for
the purposes of needing a tax disc and for getting Police Aware stickers and
being towed away?

I ask this because a car was abandoned on the verge of my road which is
unadopted. Police enquiries (my next door neighbour is a policeman)
established that the car had not been taxed for at least five years (after
which time details apparently disappear off the PNC). We thought we were
going to have real problems but the car mysteriously vanished again and
hasn't been seen since. My neighbour wishes he'd seen it drive away because
he was dying to nick the driver for having no tax as soon as it got onto the
main road...

On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 19:02:14 +0000, Martin Underwood wrote:
hasn't been seen since. My neighbour wishes he'd seen it drive away because
he was dying to nick the driver for having no tax as soon as it got onto the
main road...

Unless he was en-route to an MOT, you don't need a tax disc then.

"HP" wrote in message


On that particular private road, I think there must be some form of
acknowledged right of way for the public.
I used to live in that area and have been using that alley for almost
twenty years without any complaints.

Do rights of way over private land apply to vehicles or only pedestrians?

It should be clear from the text of exactly what right is granted

dg


"Nigel Pendse" wrote in message
...
"HP" wrote in message


On that particular private road, I think there must be some form of
acknowledged right of way for the public.
I used to live in that area and have been using that alley for almost
twenty years without any complaints.

Do rights of way over private land apply to vehicles or only pedestrians?