Page:Report of the Traffic Signs Committee (1963).pdf/61

 recommend the use of a transverse double broken white line half way across the mouth of the minor road and a longitudinal white warning line down its centre. Where the minor road carries one-way traffic, the double transverse line should be placed wholly across its mouth and the longitudinal line should join it in the centre. The purpose of the longitudinal line is to give drivers warning, before they see the transverse line, that they are approaching a major road. In narrow roads it could, however, cause confusion and it should not therefore be provided where the carriageway is less than 18 feet in width.

This new transverse marking (and its associated longitudinal marking where appropriate) should invariably be used where there is a roadside Give way sign (figure 8) (see paragraph 53) and we advocate its widest practicable use at other junctions which are not controlled by traffic signals or the police, or by Stop signs (figure 7) (see paragraph 52).

We have considered what legal significance should be given to the marking. To prescribe it in Regulations as having the mandatory meaning of 'give way' would throw an intolerable burden of enforcement upon the police and a Regulation which is not enforceable tends to bring the law into disrepute. We recommend therefore that the carriageway marking should be prescribed as a warning sign and that drivers should be enjoined in the Highway Code to heed the warning. Its meaning could be explained in the Code to be ' proceed so as not to cause inconvenience or danger to traffic on the major road'. Although not mandatory this marking would in fact have legal significance since non-observance of the warning would doubtless be taken into consideration by the courts when apportioning blame for an accident at the junction.

225. In no case should transverse continuous white lines be used simply as a warning of the approach to a major road, as is now sometimes done without authority. Continuous transverse white lines should be reserved solely to indicate where a driver should stop when required to do so by traffic signals or Stop signs or where there is police control. Where, because of a gradient, there is a tendency for the stop line to appear foreshortened, and on high speed roads, a much wider line should be used than is at present.

226. This system, which is now widely used on important roads in this country on curves both horizontal and vertical and which conforms closely with carriageway markings used on the Continent, is composed of continuous and broken lines and arrows (Regs. RM 21 and RM 22) combined in such a way as to indicate where a driver may or may not cross them. We believe these markings used with discretion to be a valuable aid to safety and recommend no change in the form which they take.

We consider that there should be greater use of offset double white lines on long three-lane hills with the object of reserving two lanes to ascending traffic so that fast moving vehicles can safely pass the slow. The double line should consist of a continuous and a broken line with the broken line on the side of the single lane thus enabling a driver descending the hill to overtake a slower vehicle provided that he can see that it is safe to do so.