Rules of the road - opinions please

Now, obviously I am going to believe that I am in the right here as I wouldn't have made the manoeuvre if I didn't - however, I am willing to be corrected (nobody is perfect, not even me )

As I was exiting work today, I did as I have done for many years and pulled out of the gates (turning right) across into the 'Keep Clear' area that is all but directly opposite the gates for our premises; (see below):



Now, as you can see the keep clear is there purely so that vehicles exiting the garage are not left either waiting years for traffic to let them out, or worse left blocking the carriageway in the other direction if they have moved out to make their presence known to get traffic to let them in. Indeed, I remember the traffic order being arranged for the Keep Clear to be created, and this was the basis for that traffic order.

As I arrived at the exit, there was a line of standing traffic, and at the 'back' of the keep clear area was a police van. I waited for a moped to pass (travelling down the offside of the standing traffic) and then once clear I pulled out into the Keep Clear and sat waiting for the traffic to move. One of the officers got out of the van, knocked on my window and remonstrated with me for pulling into the keep clear area - I explained to the officer that the keep clear was there to allow vehicles to pull out of the garage safely and that is where I had come from, but he was adamant that I was in the wrong and that I shouldn't have done it because I was in a car and not a bus (inferring that if a bus had made the same manoeuvre that it would have been OK). Now, I was in a bit of a hurry so decided best not to argue too much, so simply said fair enough, I'll turn left out of the garage in future and do a turn around up the road.

However, besides the fact that it was somewhat petty (or trivial to use the officer's own words), I remain convinced that the keep clear is there to allow vehicles to pull safely out of the garage without causing obstruction - exactly what I did - and by its very nature, that manoeuvre would then mean that the vehicle was subsequently left sitting in the keep clear momentarily until the traffic moves. I am not aware of any restriction on vehicle type, and if the manoeuvre is illegal as the officer is inferring, then that surely either negates the keep clear being there or it means that each and every bus that uses it is also committing an illegal manoeuvre?

Opinions please?

 

But surely if the traffic is moving, then the keep clear wouldn't be being kept clear (traffic moving through it) and if vehicles had to wait for traffic to be moving before pulling out, then the keep clear becomes redundant?

PS - not all bus drivers are arseholes; as with all professions, there are good and bad, and invariably its the bad ones that get remembered. My colleagues and I work hard to try and ensure that all of our drivers behave well on the road, however when you have nearly 400 staff, you cannot be upsides with each of them all the time.

Thanks Zigs - I was sure I was in the right; in fact, he did recoil a little when I stated that it was for vehicles pulling out of the bus garage which is where I had just come from, and then came back with the 'but you're not in a bus' argument. I wonder if he realised at that point he was on a non-starter.

In some respects its a shame I was in a bit of a rush, or I could have invited him into my office to justify his reasoning.

 

I would also argue the fact that the 'Keep Clear' is written so that traffic in the stream of flow are able to read it, hence if you are pulling into the Keep Clear box from the station, it shouldn't matter what vehicle you are in, you can enter the box, I am also guessing there is no sign as you exit the station saying 'No right hand turns' or 'turn left only' ?

In which case, I would have been happy to escort the officer back to base and point this out to them

I would also like to add, I am seriously considering adding a video camera to my work van, as it would be nice to have video evidence of idiots .... I've been thinking Hero GoPro2 ..... This type of thing would have caught out the officer

You may like this ..... Policeman caught out

 

I'm not sure if its simply that the power goes to their head when the don the uniform, or that they simply have so much to remember that it becomes a bit fuzzy at times - I'd like to think its the latter.