Jump to content

Priorite a droite


Nick Trollope
 Share

Recommended Posts

I have often wondered about this.  It certainly isn't always clear, from the driver's point of view, whether the entrance should be classified as a "road" or not, for instance the entrance to a filling station or a small row of shops.

From what I see in this area, it looks as though a white post with a red band near the top may be intended to tell us something.  I suggest (speculatively) that if it is a "road" to which the p.à.d. rule applies, it will be marked with one of these posts.   They appear in some of the illustrations in my summary of the highway code, but I can't find any statement about  what they signify.

The converse seems to be true; as far as I can see, something which obviously is a private driveway is never marked in this way.

Is there a definite answer?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Round here at least, all the PaD junctions are marked with the black cross (X) sign (and they are only there when the road comes in from your right - ie there is no sign if you approach the same junction from the direction where the road comes in from the left).  The tracks are certainly not.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tracks? some, not all, of our local farmers take PaD with their tractors from 'tracks', and frankly who am I to stop them in my meer car. If there is an entrance from the right and no lines as BB said, then I treat it with caution and I ALWAYS give way to tractors that are pulling out on me.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="allanb"]From what I see in this area, it looks as though a white post with a red band near the top may be intended to tell us something.  I suggest (speculatively) that if it is a "road" to which the p.à.d. rule applies, it will be marked with one of these posts.   They appear in some of the illustrations in my summary of the highway code, but I can't find any statement about  what they signify.

[/quote]

The white post with a red band is only warning you that there's an intersection ahead.  It is not an indicator of who has priority or not.

You will see a white triangular sign rimmed in red with a black X in it if priorité à droite applies. 

If it doesn't apply, you will either see nothing or a different triangular sign with a sort of thick bar with a perpendicular line through it, meaning you have priority for the upcoming intersection only.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="samdebretagne"][quote user="allanb"]From what I see in this area, it looks as though a white post with a red band near the top may be intended to tell us something.  I suggest (speculatively) that if it is a "road" to which the p.à.d. rule applies, it will be marked with one of these posts.   They appear in some of the illustrations in my summary of the highway code, but I can't find any statement about  what they signify.

[/quote]

The white post with a red band is only warning you that there's an intersection ahead.  It is not an indicator of who has priority or not.

You will see a white triangular sign rimmed in red with a black X in it if priorité à droite applies. 

If it doesn't apply, you will either see nothing or a different triangular sign with a sort of thick bar with a perpendicular line through it, meaning you have priority for the upcoming intersection only.

[/quote]

Maybe I didn't explain well.  I know the priority signs; the white-with-red posts I'm asking about are the ones at the intersection, not ahead of it.  (I've never seen this kind of post except at an intersection; are we talking about the same thing?)

Anyway, what I was asking was whether the post is what marks the difference between (a) a "real" road, where p.à.d. applies in the absence of any other indication, and (b) a driveway, farm track, entrance to a parking lot, etc, where the rule does not apply. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The red/while ballisse post physically marks the actual the entrance to a side road.  That's its only purpose.

As far as allanb's point goes, the defining word here is "road" ie, public road where priority may or may not apply.  Ballisses are not placed at the entrance to farm tracks or house driveways. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you.  So essentially the answer is "yes", i.e. if the junction is marked with the red-and-white balise then it's a "road" for the purposes of the priority rules; otherwise, it's not.

I realize that this is a bit theoretical, because in practice there can be places where there should be one of those posts but there isn't.  For instance, there's one near my house where the post was broken off six months ago (by a piece of agricultural machinery on the move, I suspect) and has not been replaced.  As you walk past it you can see the broken end amidst the grass, but it's no use to an approaching driver.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Someone on this Forum (sorry, forget who but probably SD) said the whole PàD thing came about because of horse drawn vehicles and how you couldn't see what was coming until the lead horse was out in the main road.  I always remember this and think it will come in very handy when I get my Landau pulled by 6 grey mares !
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So that's where it comes from!  I never would have guessed, but it makes sense (or would have in an age where teams of horses were commonplace).  And of course they have had to keep to the old rule for the benefit of the drivers of E-Type Jags,  Panther Kallistas, Cords, Duesenbergs, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

    There is a really bad Pa D in Sarlat, it is onto the 'main' road, everyone stops for the traffic coming out and turning left but the traffic travelling in the opposite direction just do not stop to let them out and so on a nice saturday in the Summer the whole area comes to a standstill!

    There is another a bit further down the hill and we have seen several very bad accidents, there is now major road works in progress to install what appears to be a roundabout, now once the french drivers get to grips with that things may improve.

best regards

[IMG]http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g130/dago49/Dago3.jpg[/IMG]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah when it all gets snarled up and shows it for the debacle it is, it is a spectacle to behold.

If someone has been so stupid as to take a PaD to turn left, they are most certainly NOT having priority over me if I am on the main road and coming from their right. I would call that carving me up. I think it stupid to pull out and hold  traffic up, just because I can, so I don't do that, and only turn left when I can get round safely. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Teamedup"]If someone has been so stupid as to take a PaD to turn left, they are most certainly NOT having priority over me if I am on the main road and coming from their right. [/quote]

You've lost me here, Teamedup.  If you're coming from the other fellow's right, you have priority according to the p.à.d. rule.  If he came out from your left, he was breaking the rule.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="allanb"][quote user="Teamedup"]If someone has been so stupid as to take a PaD to turn left, they are most certainly NOT having priority over me if I am on the main road and coming from their right. [/quote]
You've lost me here, Teamedup.  If you're coming from the other fellow's right, you have priority according to the p.à.d. rule.  If he came out from your left, he was breaking the rule.
[/quote]

 

There is a really bad Pa D in Sarlat, it is onto the 'main' road, everyone stops for the traffic coming out and turning left but the traffic travelling in the opposite direction just do not stop to let them out and so on a nice saturday in the Summer the whole area comes to a standstill! 
 

 

From Dago's thread, people arrive at a junction and have PaD but want to go left, so they take their priority and pull in front of traffic coming from their left and the the people on the other road from their right...... well Dago said, won't let them out. However, they have no reason to let these people out. Not their problem, they have the priority and they just drive on. Ofcourse the imbecile who has in effect blocked the traffic from his/her left will be finding the others unreasonable for not giving way..........I say xxx 'em.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes,

          I agree TU but what happens is that the cars approaching the PaD stop because a car is coming from the right and that car that has prority stops because he/she cannot clear the junction as he/she is doing a left turn, some of them are trying to go straight across to enter the new supermarket...everyone gets in a right state! we tend to avoid Sarlat in the height of the summer anyway...way to much traffic for me.

best regards

[IMG]http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g130/dago49/Dago3.jpg[/IMG]

by the way what is the word that has only 3 x's in it[;-)]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about PoD on roundabouts?????  There are still some that have that wonder! One is the Arch de Triumph (never could understand why they named it after a motorbike [8-)] ?) Apparently there it works. I don't know how because you can get on, but not off. It is France I suppose?[blink]
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Jonzjob"]What about PoD on roundabouts?????  There are still some that have that wonder! One is the Arch de Triumph (never could understand why they named it after a motorbike [8-)] ?) Apparently there it works. I don't know how because you can get on, but not off. It is France I suppose?[blink][/quote]

There is a huge roundabout in Vire which seems mostly to be p-a-d, but no signs, you have to have been born there and known it all your life...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really think that PaD has been taken too far for too long. It has some useful applications. Like when traffic lights are broken and everyone sits there not knowing who should have priority. But seriously who really thinks it should apply to a minor road intersecting a major road. Someone coming from a minor road should have to engage their brain before entering onto a major route.

The other thing I can't understand is that the PaD rule is applied in some countries that drive on the UK side of the road. I think Australia still has it but then their rule doesn't go wrong at roundabouts and it is at least possible to avoid a collision on a main route as the person coming from the right would have to cut across the oncoming traffic.

Maybe the rule was invented by the British.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...