The public road explained

A public road is a road that is freely accessible to everyone. You do not have to explain why you want to use it.

A public area is a place you only use when you have a reason to be there, such as a shop car park.

A non-public area is a place you’re not allowed to enter freely: you need permission to be there. For example, this could be a restricted company site that is only accessible to suppliers.

A private road or private property belongs to a person or company and may only be used by certain people. It is therefore not a public road.

In exceptional cases, the owner may allow everyone to use the road, for example when it is a slow road. In that case, it is considered a public road.

The traffic regulations, or Highway Code, apply on public roads.

In principle, they do not apply to public or non-public areas, although courts have sometimes ruled differently in the past.

In any case, you can still receive a fine for an offence committed on either a public or a non-public area.

The traffic regulations apply to all road users: drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and so on.

The only exception is rail vehicles using the public road, in other words, trams. They only have to obey traffic lights and orders given by an authorised person, such as a police officer.

The public road consists of different parts, such as the carriageway, cycle path, verge, pavement, and so on.

Put simply, the public road extends up to where the residents’ front gardens begin.

The carriageway is the surfaced part of the road used by cars.

Cyclists and pedestrians may also use the carriageway in certain situations, for example when there is no cycle path or pavement.

A continuous white line may sometimes be marked along either side of the carriageway. This indicates the edge of the carriageway.

The carriageway can be divided into lanes using road markings.

There may be one lane in each direction, as in this example, or several lanes in each direction, for example on a motorway.

A wider continuous white line may also be marked. This indicates the notional edge of the carriageway.

The area to the right of this line is reserved for stopping and parking, except on motorways and expressways.

A path is a narrow public road intended for pedestrians and for vehicles that take up no more space than pedestrians, such as bicycles.

An unsurfaced road, also known as a dirt road, is a public road that is wider than a path but does not have a paved surface. It is also not intended for motor traffic.

In this example, the first few metres are surfaced, but it is still considered an unsurfaced road rather than a carriageway.