There is a business park with 7+ companies and I’d guess 1500+ employees in total. Midlands town and the business park connects two roads. I’ve used this road infrequently for years. Just after 5pm today about 100m in I was flagged down by a security person. He asked if I was an employee and said it was a private road, I replied I wasn’t an employee, hadn’t seen any private road sign, wound up window before he could reply and drove on.
What’s the legal position here? No barriers etc and I haven’t seen any private road signs.
Try a search for ‘taken in charge’ with the road name and the relevant Council. Unless it’s very old it should crop up from public notices if it’s public
Didn’t find anything, what’s the legal position even if it is private? I presume it’s still covered under road traffic act, can you be prevented from using it?
The road traffic act describes your responsibilities as a motorist, it does not convey any access rights to you.
You can.
Mostly guessing here but if it’s private they can stop you using it (unless there’s an old right of way maybe?) and if it’s public they can’t.
I’m just going off how industrial estates are supposedy good for learning to drive as they’re not a public road so you don’t need to be fully insured & licenced (a terrible idea, don’t do this, kids) … so possibly the road traffic act wouldn’t apply either?
The RTA generally applies to any locations that are accessible by vehicle to the public, including private roads like in business parks or housing estates and commercial car parks:
Industrial estates might be "good for learning" because they tend to be quiet and empty outside of business hours, but the laws still apply in them.
Good to know. Have you an answer for the OP?
They can tell you not to use it but unless they put up barriers there's nothing they can do to stop you.
So, when Douglas Village Shopping Centre went on fire a few years ago, it turned out that the small "link road" which is the access to their carpark, hadn't been taken in charge. This road is used as a link between the west and east side of Douglas. So the contractors could use that road as part of the construction site for the rebuild. They closed the road for the whole time of the rebuilding. Nobody locally had realised that it was actually a private road - no signs stating it - but they it was, and they closed it for over a year. (Soon after the reopening, the council did take it in charge)
So you have no reason to be on that road other than to be a nuisance
Besides getting from one place to another.
The entire idea behind a road.
It’s the shortest distance between schools, shops and houses and google maps and Waze will bring you this route
If it's private property, you're trespassing. Doesn't matter how much time it saves, if you're not permitted to be on the road then they have every right to remove/forbid./exclude you.
Whether or not it actually IS private is another question. An industrial estate near me used to be great for learners. Empty wide open roads, lots of junctions and lights etc. All the locals used it for teaching their kids to drive. Then some numpty kerbed his alloys, claimed it was due to the height of the speed bumps and took an action against them. First thing next day, they erected a barrier to prevent people using it. This is the sort of shite they're trying to prevent.
Jumped up security guard just ignore him.
He seemed pretty cold and bored to be honest and didn’t really care when I drove on, presume some high up forced him to be out there