Red route
On United Kingdom roads, the termred routemay refer to a stretch of road with painted red lines signifying that vehicles cannot stop there, or to a road which has historically high accident rates.
Painted lines
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Feltham%2C_A312_Uxbridge_Road_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1161633.jpg/220px-Feltham%2C_A312_Uxbridge_Road_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1161633.jpg)
Red routes are major roads with red lines at the sides showing where vehicles are not allowed to stop. The prohibition extends to stopping for loading or unloading, and to boarding or alighting from a vehicle (except for licensed taxis and the holders ofblue badges).[1]Red routes are mainly used on majorbusandcommutingroutes.[2]
Red routes are marked by red lines on the sides of the road. Double red lines mean that the rules and regulations apply at all times and on all days. Single red lines means that the prohibition applies during times displayed on nearby signs or at the entry to the zone.[1]Red route clearways are signed but there are no lines on the road. Stopping is only permitted in lay-bys (red lines are only marked at junctions).[3]
The lines were first introduced in London in 1991,[4]and have also been applied in thecounty of West Midlandssince 2003[5]andLeedssince 2019.[6]A similar scheme operates inEdinburgh;here, however, the routes affected (where marked by the use of green road-surfacing rather than red lines – usually on outer bus lanes on major bus routes) are known asgreenways.Away from bus routes, conventional red lines are used.
The 390 miles of red routes in London are policed by "Red Route Patrols" and managed byLondon Streets,an arm ofTransport for London.[7]
A number of hospitals in the United Kingdom have mimicked the red road lines, in and around ambulance dispatch and Accident and Emergency areas. These road markings are to allow ambulances and other emergency vehicles uninhibited access in and out of such areas; whilst these road markings are often respected by road users there is very little (if any) enforcement.
History
[edit]The Red Routes scheme was developed by theDepartment for Transportfollowing the abolition of theGreater London Councilin 1986 to address concerns that there was no London-wide road transport policymaking body.[4]
A Traffic Director for London was appointed by the Department for Transport in 1991 to "streamline the flow of traffic in London" and oversee a London-wide strategy for road transport.[8]
The director was responsible for creating a Network Plan, deciding on the priorities for road travel in London and how best to manage traffic flows. Roads in the Network Plan became the responsibility of the Traffic Director rather than localised London boroughs.[4]The lines were first introduced in north and east London in 1991.[4]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Red_Route_Westminster_Bridge.jpg/220px-Red_Route_Westminster_Bridge.jpg)
In 1998, the Traffic Director identified nine priorities for the Red Routes scheme:
- to facilitate the movement of people and goods in London—reliably and safely, and with minimum overall environmental impact;
- to encourage walking;
- to improve conditions for cyclists and contribute to the National Cycling Strategy;
- to provide better conditions for people with disabilities;
- to provide priority for buses so as to achieve their efficient movement;
- to improve the local environment and reduce the impact of congestion;
- to contribute to London's targets for reduced traffic accidents and road vehicle emissions;
- to support reduced car commuting, especially into or across inner London;
- to assist measures to reduce traffic on local roads by providing the first choice for non-local traffic, consistent with achieving the other aims for Red Routes.[4]
Between 1997 and 2000, transport policy in the United Kingdom became a devolved matter underTony Blair,with theSeneddin Wales and theScottish Parliamentassuming control over nationwide and regional transport strategy in their respective nations. When London was granted a devolved assembly and authority, which came into effect in 2000, regional transport strategy became the responsibility of theMayor of London.[9]
TheGreater London Authority (GLA) Act 1999,which established the devolved administration in London, gave the Mayor of London a General Transport Duty to "develop and implement policies for the promotion and encouragement of safe, integrated, efficient and economic transport facilities and services to, from and within Greater London".Transport for London(TfL) became the highway authority for all roads under GLA control.[10]
The Greater London Authority Act 1999 passed the management of motorways wholly within London and trunk roads over to the GLA. This caused several roads to be renumbered in London, including theA102(M)Blackwall Tunnel(to A102), theA40(M) Westway(toA40) and theM41 West Cross Route(toA3220).[10]
Routes
[edit]Red Routes are managed and controlled byLondon Streets,which is an arm ofTransport for London(TfL).
Route | Start of TfL control | End of TfL control | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
A1 | Angel, Islington | Borehamwood | |
A10 | London Bridge | M25Junction 25 | Including Cycleway 1 |
A11 | Aldgate | Bow Interchange | Including Cycleway 2 |
A12 | Blackwall Tunnel | M25 Junction 28 | |
A13 * | Aldgate | Purfleet | IncludingCycleway 3
*Under private-sector contract |
A100 | Tower Bridge | Bricklayers Arms | IncludingTower Bridge
Part of theLondon Inner Ring Road |
A101 | Limehouse | Bermondsey | Rotherhithe Tunnel |
A102 | Lower Clapton | Hackney Wick | |
A102 | Blackwall Tunnel | Blackheath | Formerly![]() |
A107 | Stamford Hill | Lower Clapton | |
A127 | Gallows Corner | M25 Junction 29 | |
A1020 | Beckton | Woolwich Ferry | |
A1023 | Tower Bridge | Limehouse Link | |
A1202 | Aldgate | Old Street | Part of the London Inner Ring Road |
A1205 | Bow | Poplar | |
A1261 * | Limehouse | Leamouth | * Under private-sector contract |
A1400 | M11Junction 4 | Gants Hill | |
A2 | Borough | Bexley | |
A20 | New Cross | Ruxley | |
A21 | Lewisham | M25 Junction 4 | |
A22 | Purley | Whyteleafe | |
A23 | Kennington | Chipstead | |
A24 | Clapham Common | Nonsuch Park,Cheam | Including Cycleway 7 |
A200 | London Bridge | Bermondsey | Including Cycleway 4 |
A201 | King's Cross | Bricklayers Arms | Including Cycleway 6 |
A202 | Victoria | New Cross | Including Cycleway 5 andVauxhall Bridge
Part of the London Inner Ring Road |
A203 | Vauxhall | Brixton | |
A205 | M4Chiswick | Woolwich Ferry | South Circular Road |
A210 | Lee | Eltham Green | |
A214 | Wandsworth | Streatham | |
A217 | Rosehill | Belmont | |
A232 | Nonsuch Park, Cheam | Locksbottom | |
A240 | Kingston Bypass | Worcester Park Road | |
A243 | Kingston Bypass | Ashtead Common | |
A2213 | Kidbrooke | Lee | |
A3 | London Bridge | Ditton Hill | ExceptElephant & Castleto A2
Including Cycleway 7 andLondon Bridge Part of the London Inner Ring Road |
A30 | Cranford | Staines | |
A302 | Parliament Square | Elephant & Castle | ExceptWaterlooto theImperial War Museum
Part including Cycleways 3 and 6, andWestminster Bridge |
A306 | Barnes | Roehampton | |
A312 | Northolt | Hanworth | |
A316 | Chiswick | Sunbury-on-Thames | |
A3036 | Vauxhall | Westminster Bridge | |
A3200 | Westminster Bridge | London Bridge | |
A3203 | Millbank | Lambeth | Lambeth Bridgeonly |
A3204 | Vauxhall | Elephant & Castle | Part of the London Inner Ring Road |
A3205 | Vauxhall | Wandsworth | Including Cycleway 8 |
A3211 | Westminster | Tower Bridge | Including Cycleway 3 |
A3212 | Westminster | Battersea Bridge | Including Cycleway 8 |
A3220 | The Westway | Clapham Common | IncludingBattersea Bridge
Part formerly |
A4 | Hyde Park Corner | Longford | |
A40 | The Westway | Uxbridge | Part formerly![]() |
A41 | Baker Street | M1Junction 4 | |
A400 | Euston | Camden Town | |
A406 | M4 Chiswick | Beckton | North Circular Road |
A4180 | Northolt | Ruislip | |
A4200 | Camden Town | Mornington Crescent | |
A4202 | Marble Arch | Hyde Park Corner | Part of the London Inner Ring Road |
A5 | Hyde Park Corner | Warwick Avenue | Part of the London Inner Ring Road |
A501 | The Westway | Old Street | Part of the London Inner Ring Road |
A503 | Camden Town | Seven Sisters | |
A5205 | Warwick Avenue | Regent's Park |
High accident rates
[edit]InSomerset,the localroad safety partnershiphas designated some of theA roadswithin the county asred routes,indicating that they have a higher than average accident rate.[13][14][15]
The term has been similarly used to denote dangerous routes inNorthamptonshire.[16][17][18]It was not clear whether the scheme would be maintained following the 2013 closure of the Road Safety Partnership whose initiative it was.[19]
Lincolnshirehas a scheme similar to the Northamptonshire one.[20][21]
The county ofCheshire,including the town ofWarrington,also use the idea ofred routesto designate roads with historically high accident rates.[22][23]
The former[24]Suffolkspeed camera organisation chose the expressionred routeto denote routes where high levels of accidents justify the frequency use of mobile speed cameras.[25]
Leicestershire County Councilelected in 2008 not to implement a red route scheme, believing it can be misleading and arbitrary. It believes in identifying or solving individual danger spots instead.[26]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ab"Road markings".The Highway Code.Retrieved11 January2024.
- ^"Red Routes West Midlands".West Midlands Local Transport Plan. 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 28 July 2013.Retrieved6 August2013.
- ^"Transport for London Understanding road signs".Transport for London.Retrieved1 April2010.
- ^abcdeThe Committee Office, House of Commons (22 February 1999)."Memorandum by The Traffic Director for London (IT 160) – Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs – Minutes of Evidence".Parliament of the United Kingdom.Archivedfrom the original on 27 October 2016.Retrieved14 July2017.
- ^"Red Routes".Birmingham City Council.Retrieved1 April2010.
- ^Johnson, Kristian (20 February 2019)."Double red lines introduced at Leeds Bradford Airport in crackdown on terror".Leeds Live.
- ^"Surface Transport".Transport for London.Retrieved11 August2012.
- ^Records of the Traffic Director for London.Traffic Director for London. 1991–1999.
{{cite book}}
:CS1 maint: others (link) - ^Butcher, Louise (12 August 2020)."Transport in Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland".
{{cite journal}}
:Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ab"Greater London Authority Act (1999)".
- ^Transport for London (TfL) (2002)."Transport for London Street Management"(PDF).Transport for London.Archived(PDF)from the original on 29 November 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
- ^Transport for London (TfL) (2015)."Pan-London Red Routes"(PDF).Transport for London.Archived(PDF)from the original on 12 November 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
- ^"A37 Red Route leaflet"(PDF).Somerset Road Safety Partnership.Retrieved13 September2010.
- ^"Safety measure for busy routes".This is Somerset (Western Gazette etc.).30 May 2009.Retrieved5 August2013.
- ^Hill, Phil (9 March 2009)."A361 red route exhibition".Somerset County Gazette.Retrieved5 August2013.
- ^"Red routes total rises".Northamptonshire Telegraph.28 April 2010.Retrieved5 August2013.
- ^"Accident blackspots on red route revealed".Northampton Chronicle and Echo.27 April 2006.Retrieved5 August2013.
- ^"Danger road' A6 now a Red Route".Northamptonshire Telegraph.14 June 2013.Retrieved6 August2013.
- ^"Northamptonshire's road safety partnership disbands".BBC News.1 April 2011.Retrieved6 August2013.
- ^"RED ROUTES MARK 'DANGER' ROADS".Lincolnshire Free Press.28 January 2003.Retrieved6 August2013.
- ^"Road safety group claims Red Route signs are 'effective' as casualty figures halve".Lincolnshire Echo.17 February 2011.Retrieved5 August2013.
- ^Davies, Nicola Davies (14 February 2008)."Eleven roads have 'high risk of death'".This is Cheshire.Archived fromthe originalon 20 September 2016.Retrieved6 August2013.
- ^"Red Routes".Warrington Borough Council. Archived fromthe originalon 5 June 2013.Retrieved6 August2013.
- ^"Suffolk safecam is now closed".Suffolk County Council. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2013.Retrieved6 August2013.
- ^Focus on Safety (leaflet)(PDF).Suffolk Roadsafe Board. p. 2.
- ^"Accident reduction and red routes"(PDF).Leicestershire County Council. 17 April 2008.Retrieved6 August2013.
External links
[edit]- London red route rules
- West Midlands red routes
- "Red Routes".Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership.Retrieved5 August2013.