Box junction

Box junction
A box junction at a busy intersection at Avenida Paulista, in São Paulo, Brazil.
Two vehicles in a yellow box junction in Guildford, England.

A box junction is a traffic control measure designed to prevent gridlock at busy road junctions. The surface of the junction is marked with a criss-cross grid of diagonal painted lines (or only two lines crossing each other in the box junction), and vehicles may not enter the area so marked unless their exit from the junction is clear (or, if turning, to await a gap in the oncoming traffic flow). In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (where, in both places, cars drive on the left), drivers may enter the box and wait when they want to turn right and are stopped from doing so only by oncoming traffic or by other vehicles waiting to turn right.[1]

Similar yellow boxes may be painted on other areas of roadway which must be kept free of queuing traffic such as the exits from emergency vehicle depots or level crossings.

Box junctions are currently used in the United Kingdom, New York City and its Tri-State region, some parts of Colorado, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the Republic of Ireland, Serbia, Malta, Portugal, South Africa, Taiwan, major cities in Brazil, Canada & Trinidad & Tobago.

Unmarked equivalents

In Australia, New Zealand and EU (excluding the United Kingdom and Ireland), the road rules state that every intersection is a box: that is, you may not enter any intersection unless there is clear space on the other side, whether it is marked or not. In the European Union this also applies to junctions with a minor road within the waiting area of a stoplight on the major road. This is generally respected, but the diagonal grid is still painted on some congested intersections to remind drivers of the rule and on rail crossings where blocking the intersection could cause a serious accident.

The same rule applies at every intersection in Russia.[2] Some states in Australia are now marking road / rail crossings due to a number of fatal accidents.

In many U.S. states, laws intending to decrease gridlocking at intersections, rail crossings, and marked crosswalks have been enacted which prohibit motorists from entering any of the three until they are certain their vehicle can clear it.[3] No special road markings are used to indicate this rule, but some governments post "DO NOT BLOCK INTERSECTION" signs to increase awareness of the law at problematic intersections.

References

  1. ^ "The Highway Code - Road junctions (170-183)". http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070332. Retrieved 2009-08-27. 
  2. ^ Section 13.2 of traffic code
  3. ^ See California Vehicle Code Section 22526.[1]

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • box junction — noun An area at a crossroads or other road junction, marked with yellow criss cross lines, into which a vehicle may not move unless its exit is clear • • • Main Entry: ↑box * * * box junction UK US noun [countable] [singular box junction …   Useful english dictionary

  • Box junction — à New York remplie de véhicules Une box junction est une zone à l intérieur d un carrefour où il est interdit de pénétrer si la voie n est pas dégagée au delà. Elle peut être mise en évidence à l aide de marquages au sol. On trouve des box… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • box junction — ► NOUN Brit. ▪ a road area at a junction marked with a yellow grid, which a vehicle should enter only if its exit is clear …   English terms dictionary

  • box junction — box .junction n BrE a place marked with yellow painted lines where two roads cross each other …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • box junction — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms box junction : singular box junction plural box junctions British a place where two roads cross each other, with a yellow box painted on the road surface where you must not stop …   English dictionary

  • box junction — /ˈbɒks dʒʌŋkʃən/ (say boks jungkshuhn) noun 1. Electricity a box of some non magnetic material as cast iron, containing a cable joint or joints. 2. British a road junction marked with crossed yellow lines on the road surface, which traffic may… …  

  • box junction — noun Brit. a road area at a junction marked with a yellow grid, which a vehicle should enter only if its exit is clear …   English new terms dictionary

  • box junction — noun (C) BrE a place marked with yellow painted lines where two roads cross each other …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • box — 1. n. & v. n. 1 a container, usu. with flat sides and of firm material such as wood or card, esp. for holding solids. 2 a the amount that will fill a box. b Brit. a gift of a kind formerly given to tradesmen etc. at Christmas. 3 a separate… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Box Elder County — Courthouse, gelistet im NRHP mit der Nr. 88000399[1] Verwaltung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”