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Tractors on roads
Why are tractors and other farm vehicles allowed on the road, travel at an increasingly slow rate, hold up lines of traffic (which in my view tractors and the like are often the cause of traffic accidents due to drivers getting annoyed at these vehicles) are they not supposed to pull over when they have over 6 vehicles behind them (by law) ????
Personally if they are going to use the road more often as they are doing, they ought to pay taxes, insurance, mot etc like the rest of us!!! rather than using our roads for slowing everyone down and creating a hazard spilling mud etc over the said roads!
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I had a summer job driving tractors for a forestry company. The tractors were taxed and insured, I used to pull over on a regular basis, but it was not easy to get back out again. On some roads if you pulled over every time there were six cars behind you, you would be parked all day.
My colleagues increasingly got annoyed with the idiots who hooted and flashed within 5 seconds of coming up behind, and so tended to not pull over if such an idiot was behind.
If it causes you so such stress, why don't you boycott all food from the farm?
Drisgirl. I too am a rural dweller and I agree with your comments. Most tractor drivers just couldn't care a jot. In fact, I think that it's the farm managers' attitude that rubs off on them. Personally, I think they should pay higher road tax because they do a lot of damage to the roads, often dragging equipment along (which shouldn't be necessary, and the mud at this time of the year is dreadful.
Farmers would say that without them the country wouldn't survive; but they wouldn't survive themselves without the hauliers that support them and hundreds of other occupations. The hauliers have to pay high road tax and create far less of a problem - why not the farmers. And don't forget they pay less for fuel too!! I am not talking about the small farms, but most farmers in East Anglia are filthy rich - they can afford to pay more tax.
Sorry to rant, but it's a subject close to my heart!
Quote from Norfolk County Council's website
Farming and the Public Highway
INTRODUCTION
Agriculture is a significant industry in Norfolk and farmers use the public highway regularly in the course of their work. Modern farming methods and consolidation within the industry have led to an increase in the use of heavy agricultural vehicles on minor rural roads. Not surprisingly many of these roads are now showing signs of wear and tear. It is important that you are aware of your responsibilities and rights as far as the highway is concerned and Norfolk County Council, which is the Highways Authority, is keen to work in partnership with all those involved in agriculture to keep rural roads in a reasonable and safe condition. This benefits you and other users of the highway.
Our local roads are far from safe because of agriculatural machinery. We have lost 2/3 of our front verge (we have no pavement), due to tractors and when the Highways Dept. come to mend the road they tarmac over where our verge used to be!! Highways have to come out so often. What is this costing the ratepayers?
I would be in favour of a minimum speed limit. As for tractors, if they need to go miles they should be put on the back of a low-loader, just like caterpillar machinery has to. If the farmers don't like it, they should be forced to use the verges inside their fields, and keep off public roads. If their prices rise because of it, there are loads of farmers in europe who'll appreciate the business.
Oh just remembered something else which irritates me a tad the tractors who pull lorry flat bed trailers.How the heck are you meant to get past that.Plus as gessoo has stated lorry drivers have to pay fotr the same privelage.Just to conclude 'mud on road' - I've lost count of the accidents - some fatal,where there hasnt been a warning and people come round a corner,not at speed and hit the equivelent of black ice.I have and its pretty damn scary.
Back to the question then. Tractors are exempt from certain laws because they spend most of their working lives in the fields. They are not exempt from the law of driving with reasonable consideration for other road users. I live in a rural county that has several trunk roads passing through it. In general tractors are driven with consideration and are stopped for a few seconds to allow queues to pass. The drivers appreciate a wave of thanks, and this tends to encourage them to do it again. On the other hand, a few tractor drivers get the others a bad reputation by forcing traffic to follow them slowly for mile after mile. They can be, and have been, prosecuted for driving without reasonable consideration.
A tractor pulling a flat bed in the middle of the road on a corner forced me off the road a few years ago, cost over a grand to get my car put right. His mate travelling behing didn't even stop, despite my car being in the ditch ...
And look at the mud they leave on the road - if you or I left a hazard like that on the road, we'd soon be in trouble.
We all seem to be forgetting that the roads are for everyone to use. If it was a mini metro doing 20 mph you probably wouldn't complain. If people think they should be warned about mud on road then then they need to take more care and expect the unexpected, especially in rural areas. Tractors need to use the roads unlike a lot of car car drivers who quite often just go for a drive in the country. Then complain about farm vehicles, the smell of manure and the lack of tescos. It's the countryside it's what happens there,don't try and change it.SLOW DOWN
