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Stimpy · September 17th 03, 09:52 AM posted to uk.transport.london,uk.legal

In article , Nick Cooper wrote:
On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 00:05:31 +0100, "John Rowland"
wrote:

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?

Certainly there is the standard stuff like speed limits and Road Tax
not applying. Fine if you have a big country estate with lots of
roadway and a classic sports car collection, but most of the private
roads in london are far too short - the one where my sister's house
is
certainly is. Not sure about the insurance situation, or indeed
applicable charges for drunk-driving, death by dangerous driving,
etc.

ISTR the rules were changed a few years ago to allow these laws to be
enforcable on private land

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?

Technically it would be trespassing.

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?

Probably not. I suppose a private road could be deemed to be
opposite, if the owner so wished.

The classic example of this is Savoy Place where the traffic drives on
the right.