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The Department for Transport has issuedan important update on box junction rules, following a petition calling for change to 'give drivers more leniency'. Box junctions are road markings of criss-cross yellow lines that help keep intersections clear, keep traffic flowing, and avoid gridlock.

Rule 174 of the Highway Code currently stipulates that you 'must not enter the box until your exit road or lane is clear' unless you are turning right or are only stopped from doing so by oncoming traffic or other vehicles turning right. However,a recent parliamentary petition claimed that some boxes are bigger than they need to be and rules may potentially 'be abused' to 'raise revenue' via fines.

In light of this, the petition called for several changes, including a 10-second 'grace period' before penalties are issued and a new requirement that yellow boxes be 'no bigger than necessary'. Now the UK Government has respondedafter more than 11,000 people signed the petition.

In an online message, the Department for Transport said: "Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to provide appropriate traffic management schemes for their roads, including yellow box markings. They have detailed knowledge of their road junctions and are best placed to model traffic flow improvements for a given box junction design.

"The Department has published guidance in Chapter 5 of the Traffic Signs Manual on the design, layout and suitability of these markings. While this can assist with complying with the mandatory requirements, it cannot provide a definitive legal interpretation, nor can it override them. This remains the prerogative of the courts in relation to the appearance and use of specific road markings at specific locations."

Beyond this, the Government department also argued that a '10-second grace period' before tickets are issued is 'a long period of time in traffic flow terms'. It believes this would only 'delay opposing arm traffic from crossing the junction' and effectively 'undermine the purpose of the yellow box marking'.

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Addressing another concern outlined in the petition, the department's response continued: "In relation to an exemption for turning vehicles that are not causing an obstruction, it would be difficult to determine when obstruction was not occurring, given the dynamic nature of traffic movements and signal phasing at junctions. It is likely that a turning vehicle stopped in the box would obstruct flow in the same way as a vehicle making a straight-ahead manoeuvre.

"Every junction is unique and only local authorities can assess how vehicle movements influence blocking back at a particular junction. Only they can determine what size constitutes necessary. It is therefore not possible to legislate for a minimum 'necessary' size. Half box markings are used at side road T-junctions which are not normally signalised.

"The request to only allow them at signalised junctions would prevent their use at these locations. This would have a detrimental effect on traffic turning in or out of the side road."

As of now, yellow box markings are prescribed in The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD), which include the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO). The department said it has 'no plans to change this arrangement' and reverting this system 'would place undue burden on local authorities'.

There are also no current plans to amend the wording in the Highway Code. "The Highway Code is intended to provide clear guidance to road users in plain language, while TSRGD sets out the legal requirements for traffic signs," the online response added.

"It uses precise legalese necessary for legislation and as a result uses different terminology to explain that a driver 'must not cause a vehicle to enter the box junction so that the vehicle has to stop within the box junction'. Whereas the Highway Code give guidance to achieve this by saying 'do not enter the box unless your exit is clear'.

"Concerning a change to the law to give drivers more leniency; application of the law is a matter for the enforcing authority and any citizen that believes there is a case for lenient application should make their appeal to the authority and ultimately the courts. The Department does not have any involvement in this process."

The petition entitled 'Change law around box junctions to give drivers more leniency' has garnered more than 11,000 signatures. Should it reach 100,000, it will be considered for a debate in Parliament.

You can read the petition and its response in full at Parliament's website here.