Approaching and Negotiating a Box Junction

A box junction is a traffic measure that is used to keep busy road junctions flowing freely. You can tell a box junction from the road markings, the road is painted with a diagonal yellow criss-cross grid design.

Where are Box Junctions Located?

Normally you will find these traffic measures in towns or busy thoroughfares such as road junctions like ring roads. Yellow Box markings can also be found outside police, fire ambulance stations or hospitals but only where there is an access road forming a junction with the main road.

A Box Junction can be used according to the DfT to mark an area of carriageway that cannot be blocked unless the vehicle is turning right and then it must stop in the box until the traffic has passed and the road is clear to cross.

The Road Traffic Act claims that a box junction cannot be used as a traffic measure at roundabouts unless traffic entering the box is controlled by signals at all times.

According to the Road Traffic Act box Junctions should not be used where traffic merges, there are better traffic measures available to keep the flow of traffic moving in these conditions.

The RTA claims that in order to install yellow box junction the police must always be consulted. The marking is subject to section 36 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. This should improve traffic flows where previously there were delays due to vehicles blocking the junction and impeding the cross flow. At signal controlled junctions, the queues of traffic left at the end of a green phase have been significantly reduced and there have been marked reductions in injury accidents, especially those involving pedestrians.

Approaching a Box Junction

You should always be aware of the surrounding traffic conditions when approaching a box junction because you can receive a penalty notice if you get stuck in a box junction – even if your vehicle is only stationary for two seconds.

The correct procedure on how to negotiate a Box junction is:

You must not enter the box until your exit road is clear. However, you may enter the box and wait when you want to turn right, and are only stopped from doing so by oncoming traffic or by other vehicles waiting to turn right. At roundabouts you must not enter the box unless you can cross over it completely without stopping.

If your vehicle slightly intrudes onto a Box Junction, you should not get fined as along as this intrusion is only by a few inches and the other vehicles using the junction are unobstructed.

Drivers entering the box when their exit is obstructed by stationary vehicles, whether in the road ahead or to either side, are committing an offence. However you cannot be fined for slowly continuing through a Box Junction. If you are sent an NCP fine make sure that the relevant authority has evidence that your vehicle was stopped. A single still photo does not prove the vehicle was stopped.