Red Routes and Red Route Clearways

Where urban roads are heavily trafficked, there is a need to control parking and stopping to maintain the free flow of vehicles.

A Red Route and a Red Route Clearway are types of Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) that we are able to introduce to regulate where vehicles can park or stop on the highway. Other types of TRO include:

• No waiting at any time’ (double yellow lines)
• ‘No waiting and no loading/unloading’ (double yellow lines with kerb marks)
• waiting restricted to specific lengths of time (single yellow line)
• parking permissible at certain times of the day or by specific users, e.g. residents only (white bay markings)

We must undertake a statutory consultation process before any TRO can be implemented. This includes consultation with statutory bodies, a public advertisement, and consideration of any objections received. A final Notice will be published to announce the making of the Legal Order.

Red Route

A Red Route is a ‘no stopping’ restriction which has worked well on major routes in London for many years. Red Routes keep traffic and public transport moving to prevent delays for everyone, including bus passengers, and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

Double red lines are installed instead of yellow lines and kerb markings. Double red lines mean a vehicle cannot stop at any time, not even to load or unload. This applies to the whole width of the highway, for example, to the footway and verge as well as the carriageway.

There are some exceptions, such as buses, hackney carriages, private hire vehicles and vehicles displaying a blue badge, that are allowed to stop only to let passengers in and out.

Blue badge holders are not allowed to park for up to three hours. That is the same restriction that already applies where there are double yellow lines and kerb markings (No loading/unloading).

Single red lines can be used to prohibit stopping on part of a day or different days of the week.

Signs and road markings along the red routes tell you what you can and cannot do. If you don't follow signs and markings, you may be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).

Red routes are identified by solid red lines along the edge of the carriageway, therefore repeater traffic signs may not be present within the restricted area.

Bus stop clearway

Bus stop clearway markings are installed to allow buses to stop on a red route. Other vehicles, including taxis cannot stop at these locations where the broad continuous line at the edge of the carriageway, as in the example, is red.

Parking or loading bay

There may be locations marked on the road where a parking or loading bay is available for use during the entire period of operation of the red route (marked with a white bay marking).

There may be locations marked on the road where a parking or loading bay is available for use only during a part of the period of operation of the red route, or outside of the period of the operation of the red route, with no stopping at other times (marked with a red bay marking). 

Signage

Some other examples of the types of sign that may apply:

Red Route Clearway

A Red Route Clearway has the same no stopping restriction as a Red Route, but the start and end of the Clearway is marked by the following traffic signs, with repeater signs throughout and there are no double red lines. Again, the ‘no stopping’ restriction applies to footways and verges as well as the carriageway.

The exception applies that allows hackney carriages, private hire vehicles and vehicles displaying a blue badge, to stop only to let passengers in and out.

Contact us

If you have any questions or comments, contact us by email traffordtraffic@amey.co.uk