Agricultural Vehicles on Motorways?

Oilrig

Was told once that the 50kph (29 MPH) limit in the UK was due to tractors not having suspension - the JCB Fastrak being the exception here.

"MDTyKe - it is illegal to operate a flashing amber beacon on a tractor on a public road unless the tractor driver is operating hedge cutting equipment or involved in road construction/maintenance!"

...link to the relevant act & section please. Don't believe you.

If you are correct I would suggest its a daft piece of legislation, a flashing beacon on a slow moving vehicle surely enhances safety?

Seth Brundle

As discussed on boards a year ago: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/archive/index.php/t-2054999553.html (3rd post)

Oilrig

Guess its an area where "discretion" is exercised? it certainly seems as if the relevant legislation is out of step with reality.

Will do a trawl tomorrow time permitting, suspect HSA regs may have something to say on this.

Wishbone Ash

Oilrig wrote: »

"MDTyKe - it is illegal to operate a flashing amber beacon on a tractor on a public road unless the tractor driver is operating hedge cutting equipment or involved in road construction/maintenance!"

...link to the relevant act & section please. Don't believe you.

Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations 1963

42. No lamp (other than direction indicators) fitted to a vehicle shall show or be constructed or adapted so as to be capable of showing a flashing light unless such light is invisible to persons outside the vehicle.

Exemptions:

(18) (a) The requirements of Parts II and VI of these Regulations shall not apply to a lamp which is carried on an ambulance, a fire brigade vehicle or a vehicle being used by a member of the Garda Síochána in the performance of his duties as such member and which complies with the provisions of this sub-article.
(b) (i) The lamp shall where possible be fitted on the roof of the vehicle on a point on its longitudinal axis.
(ii) No part of the illuminated surface of the lamp shall be less than 5 feet from the ground.
(iii) The power of the lamp shall not exceed 50 watts.
(iv) The area of the orthogonal projection on to any vertical plane of that part of the lamp through which light is shown shall be capable of lying wholly within a square having sides of 9 inches in length.
(v) The light shown by the lamp shall be blue.


In 1979,under the Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) (Ammendment) Regulations 1979 this was amended to include amber flashing lights on recovery vehicles, road works vehicles, snow ploughs, hedge cutters and road maintenance vehicles.

Oilrig wrote: »

Guess its an area where "discretion" is exercised? it certainly seems as if the relevant legislation is out of step with reality.

Will do a trawl tomorrow time permitting, suspect HSA regs may have something to say on this.

The IFA having been campaigning for years to have these regulations changed.

yellow012

nereid wrote: »

Why the Fack do you not get out of my way then when I want to get by you?

And don't lie, as a motorcyclist, I can categorically state that you do get in my way.

Go on, clear off, you don't deserve the tarmac that could be occupied by at least 2 motorcycles.

Disruption caused by a tractor or two? You should try driving when there are a hundred thousand of you "blocking" _my_ way.

:rolleyes:

OK so you think its a good idea to have slow moving agricultural traffic on motorways going at approx 50kph when all other traffic around them is usually travelling 50-80kph faster. Sure why not allow donkey and carts on the motorways as well?

Wishbone Ash

yellow012 wrote: »

OK so you think its a good idea to have slow moving agricultural traffic on motorways going at approx 50kph when all other traffic around them is usually travelling 50-80kph faster. Sure why not allow donkey and carts on the motorways as well?

I think nereid was referring to roads in general. I agree with him. Why do category B drivers always assume that they should have priority? Why do they think that their work is more important?

I could say "Tractors never delay me - cars delay me"! but I won't.

...maybe i just did!:eek:

yellow012

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I think nereid was referring to roads in general. I agree with him. Why do category B drivers always assume that they should have priority? Why do they think that their work is more important?

I could say "Tractors never delay me - cars delay me"! but I won't.

...maybe i just did!:eek:

Err, the thread is about agri vehicles on motorways, why on Boards does it always happen that people go off on tangents just to get their unrelated point across?
I live in rural Kildare, I get delayed by agri traffic every day, I have no problem with that, the farmers were living and working in the area long before I moved there. My concern is about sharing whats supposed to be a high capacity, high speed motorway network with tractors that were never designed to use them. Plus there is also the concern of the age/driving skills profile of the people driving these thing as well.

Idleater

yellow012 wrote: »

Plus there is also the concern of the age/driving skills profile of the people driving these thing as well.

So not only are you anti tractor, you are ageist as well

Nah, seriously, I sort of agree with you, but there is nothing illegal being done so perhaps you are only angry because you get "caught" behind them.

You should in theory be able to manoeuvre around them using your observation to spot them in the distance, and position your vehicle accordingly and in time.

L.

MGrah

nereid wrote: »

So not only are you anti tractor, you are ageist as well

Nah, seriously, I sort of agree with you, but there is nothing illegal being done so perhaps you are only angry because you get "caught" behind them.

You should in theory be able to manoeuvre around them using your observation to spot them in the distance, and position your vehicle accordingly and in time.

L.

In fairness to you Nereid I think you're playing devil's advocate here a bit (correct me if I'm wrong) and pointing out that it's not just these guys, and technically they are allowed to use the road as much as anyone else, but yellow is right in that there is too much 'should' bandied around this site.

Saying that he/I 'should' be able to manouver around them is kind of just ignoring the issues, granted you 'should' be able to but technically 80% of the traffic that drives continuously in the overtaking lane on the M1 "should" be in the driving lane, in reality it's not tho. Just like technically a Artic that comes upon this situation 'should' just stay in the driving lane and have to deal with chugging along behind the tractor at 50kph until it gets off the motorway, but they won't. They will try to overtake as soon as there's an opportunity and chaos insues.

This morning I was held up for about 10 minutes on the M1 from the Naul exit or so because somebody had pulled a Golf into the medien and abandoned it, and everyone else decided to slow down and have a look. Now if a car pulled in off the road can cause that without reducing the capacity of the motorway, then a 'rolling road block' in one lane can too. I think in fairness from your posts you know that though.

Yellow is also right though about threads on this forum often being hijacked by 'one-pointers' as I call them. From people who continuously make the "if someone was able to undertake you, you should have been in the inside lane" point to people who make the "I have my/they have their/we have our rights" points, using the letter of the law. It doesn't make for very constructive debate.

Boggins127

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

This is a major problem in this forum - ignorance of the law!


MDTyKe - it is illegal to operate a flashing amber beacon on a tractor on a public road unless the tractor driver is operating hedge cutting equipment or involved in road construction/maintenance!

Bull**** a flashing amber is too show other drivers of a risk to them..i am a tractor driver and hate this kinda **** we have to drive these roads to reach our farms fields etc...The amber light shows that the vehicle is travelling slowly and be aware..If u actually drive u would notice this.. if u see an amber flasher what do u do????
Thanks,
Dave:cool:

Seth Brundle

Just because you disagree with it doen't mean that you are correct & that it is legal:

Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations 1963 wrote:

42. No lamp (other than direction indicators) fitted to a vehicle shall show or be constructed or adapted so as to be capable of showing a flashing light unless such light is invisible to persons outside the vehicle.

Exemptions:

(18) (a) The requirements of Parts II and VI of these Regulations shall not apply to a lamp which is carried on an ambulance, a fire brigade vehicle or a vehicle being used by a member of the Garda Síochána in the performance of his duties as such member and which complies with the provisions of this sub-article.
(b) (i) The lamp shall where possible be fitted on the roof of the vehicle on a point on its longitudinal axis.
(ii) No part of the illuminated surface of the lamp shall be less than 5 feet from the ground.
(iii) The power of the lamp shall not exceed 50 watts.
(iv) The area of the orthogonal projection on to any vertical plane of that part of the lamp through which light is shown shall be capable of lying wholly within a square having sides of 9 inches in length.
(v) The light shown by the lamp shall be blue.


In 1979,under the Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) (Ammendment) Regulations 1979 this was amended to include amber flashing lights on recovery vehicles, road works vehicles, snow ploughs, hedge cutters and road maintenance vehicles.

E@gle.

hmm i can seem to remember that there is a lane on the right called the overtaking lane

maidhc

kbannon wrote: »

Just because you disagree with it doen't mean that you are correct & that it is legal:

Inded, flashing amber lights on tractors are illegal, but I don't think anyone is going to get prosecuted anytime soon for it.

Lot of stupid comments on this tread tbh. Reality is that many tractors satisfy the 50cc and 50kph rule, and thus are allowed on motorways... end of story. if people can't pull out in ample time to overtake then it says something about the attention they are paying to what is going on ahead of them.

The truckers are left in a quandry alright, but, what can you do, they are just as likely to be stalled by a clown in an Almera or whatnot doing about 40mph.

yellow012

E@gle. wrote: »

hmm i can seem to remember that there is a lane on the right called the overtaking lane

Sorry mate have you actually read any of the previous posts in the thread?
If you’re too lazy to read it through, I’ll point you towards MGrah post #23 on why overtaking the slow moving vehicle is not always that straightforward.
If you think his reasoning is sh1te then come up a better contribution than this sarcastic :rolleyes:one liner.

L1011

kbannon wrote: »

Has someone stolen the overtaking lane from that section of the M1?

This is Ireland, half the drivers will be treating it as a second driving lane. :rolleyes:

If caught behind something slow on motorways here its usually nigh on impossible to get in to the overtaking lane - M4 seems to be the worst for this due to being 2 lane all the way and yet moving fast enough to have people at 120k in the o/taking lane.