If I bought a 3m wide strip of land across the UK, could I use it to travel at 200mph legally?
Posted by Yorkshire_Nan_Shagga@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 524 comments
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UnacceptableUse@reddit
Yes, otherwise race tracks and land speed records couldn't exist
MrVernonDursley@reddit
Significantly, race tracks are heavily fenced off and speed records aren't set by going through existing roads. If your land is readily accessible to the wider public, such as private car parks, you're still going to get in trouble for going 200mph outside of Tesco.
In the magical scenario where one could buy this impossible strip of land while still being subject to regular laws, it would cut through so many paths and roads that it would be as publicly accessible as any other road. If you sufficiently fenced off the ENTIRE area? Now you have a big race track.
ianjm@reddit
You could build bridges and tunnels to avoid existing rights of way that cross your new property I suppose.
Which is basically hHS2.
Ornery-Smoke9075@reddit
Pilots license is cheaper
MudgetBinge@reddit
And if you can't do that, chartering a private flight is still much cheaper.
Daisysalone@reddit
plus the tax
FullMetalBob@reddit
Me and my mate Ted could have that knocked out under budget and by the end of the week!
npeggsy@reddit
I here you're a racetrack builder now, Father. How did you get interested in that type of thing?
blackleydynamo@reddit
That would be an ecumenical matter.
Octocornhorn@reddit
It's not the F1, it's the Moto GP he's after
ExactEntertainment53@reddit
Dad, a high speed rail service from Birmingham to London? Yeh we can do that we can a bit of 4 be twobie left over
https://youtu.be/Gq-l07XmQVc?si=MJbhfvyRDYRbUzx1
Breoran@reddit
In the UK we say "four by two", not "two by four", that's American.
Clear-Ad-9825@reddit
Who is this "we"? Every Yorkshire i know says "two be four". Tha's gorrit wrong lad!
Breoran@reddit
I know Yorkshiremen think it's the only place in the country, but...
windtrees7791@reddit
Classic Harry Enfield
The good old days
ManTurnip@reddit
We've had the builders in at work for most of the past year. One of them asked the other where the 4x2 had been put and I did the old four be twobie bit and got blank stares. It's not even as if they were too young to remember it either. I was very disappointed.
Icy_Help_8380@reddit
Are you busy next weekend? My garden needs a clear out
WarzoneMENACE@reddit
Are you gypsies? š
Danwynjo@reddit
Can give u my pals number from pub if you want
jib_reddit@reddit
China has literally build 42,000 kilometers of high speed rail in the time it has taken us to build 52 kilometres.
malcolite@reddit
Thatās what HS2 Ltd saidā¦
ChipCob1@reddit
Tunnel Ted?
CalligrapherShort121@reddit
You must be Chinese. They manage similar every day š¤£
aIphadraig@reddit
Me and my mate ~~Ted~~ could have that knocked out under budget and by the end of the week!
Bob
Redditbrit@reddit
https://youtu.be/T8dB4YnLSsE?si=4QHkuN9kqIUBUJ54
Occidentally20@reddit
I hadn't seen this one, thanks for that!
WanderingEnigma@reddit
Doesn't that mean it would only get half built though?
GroundbreakingMain93@reddit
If they build HS2 for Ā£60bn, I'll send you a beer.. my guess is over Ā£100bn
William_Joyce@reddit
Sorry after this round of consultations has taken place, with the fees included it's now Ā£90bn.
Tonio_LTB@reddit
It's only Ā£60bn because it's government funded. If it was private it would've been about Ā£4,000, done in half the time and about Ā£10k a ticket
Business-Emu-6923@reddit
Itās private companies that build it. Government employees arenāt out there digging up the ground.
jimbobsqrpants@reddit
No but they are given contracts by people who are barely on minimum wage, and are they surprised when said contracts are full of holes and give the ability to add on extra charges.
S1337artichoke@reddit
These companies even hire highly paid quantity surveyors to find the holes where they can bend over the government on contracts they are putting out.
Splodge89@reddit
Itās still going to be about Ā£10k a ticket anyway. Itās a railway, in the UKā¦.
HerestheRules@reddit
Are private roads a thing there?
Sign it all up with a 200mph minimum speed and floor it?
sp1z99@reddit
Yeah, I hope OP has Ā£90bn saved up.
Tzunamitom@reddit
Absolutely hopeful that OP has Ā£120bn saved up.
real_Mini_geek@reddit
Sorry itās now Ā£240bn
-FantasticAdventure-@reddit
We found bats and newts. Itās now Ā£490bn
le-quack@reddit
Nimby's want you to put fake barns on top of your tunnels ventilation system it's Ā£670bn now
nojjers@reddit
Something musk finally canāt afford
Logical_Economist_87@reddit
The Tories have cancelled half of your plans. But the cost has doubled!Ā Ā£1.34tn now.Ā
ColdChancer@reddit
That sounds like a Monopoly Chance card :D
TreXeh@reddit
as some one who worked for one of the Ecology company that did those surveys ....I chuckled :D
coldazures@reddit
Itās the ongoing cost of securing it and upkeeping it that I was worried about š
YouKnowMoose@reddit
And the rest...
aperturephotography@reddit
Op has a mate that'll do it cheaper š¤£
iamabigtree@reddit
Yep. OP basically invented the railway.
Bat_Flaps@reddit
Watch out for bats
pinkwar@reddit
Nimbys would never allow this.
davidfalconer@reddit
Ā£60bn so far
escalinci@reddit
They do, but I hear Rishi Sunak just sold some of the middle part of the 3m strip off.
stumac85@reddit
Massive stonecutters tunnel
nomodsman@reddit
Triple that, and then add 10 years due to the inevitable artifacts that will cause delays when theyāre found.
V65Pilot@reddit
Ā£260bn by the time it's completed.....
Ophiochos@reddit
You can walk from Oxford to London to Cambridge only passing through land owned by one o ford college and one Cambridge college. Iām afraid I forget which ones. So someone working in engineering at Oxford needs one collaborator in Cambridge and itās more realistic than you might think;)
Eloth@reddit
The saying was that you could walk from Oxford to Cambridge without leaving St John's land.
St John's being the name of a college in each institution. I think it's no longer possible though!
blackleydynamo@reddit
St John's Cambridge is certainly minted, and owns half the town, iirc.
Eloth@reddit
Its counterpart is also the richest college in Oxford too.
Ophiochos@reddit
that was it, thanks! And I'm obviously too old to be repeating things I was told while a student, the world has moved on (which seems unfair, but that's how it is...can't even tell anecdotes any more, grumble grumble)
gagagagaNope@reddit
I remember auditing Eton - they own a ton of land too. Remember they oiwn a lot of the centre of Loughborough (I went to uni there) and some other random places.
unsubtlenerd@reddit
Also studied at Loughborough!
Can't say I particularly see why Eton would want to own the town centre, though, 'tis nowt special
(But I suspect it was much more valuable back in the day)
DeifniteProfessional@reddit
But, good news is you can still walk from Oxford to London
Bit of a trek though, would rather take a coach
Ophiochos@reddit
lol, some bits are nice. I live on the likely route;)
peterwillson@reddit
I'm calling bs on that. Lots and lots of it.
Ophiochos@reddit
I seem to be out of date with the info! When I was told it, I was told the specific colleges and there was some verification I found (but perhaps that was out of date too). It is true that some colleges quietly own lots of land and assets b
peterwillson@reddit
It is indeed true that some colleges own lots, it is also true that it is damned difficult to what is true and what is false. The extent of my knowledge diminishes steadily.
stewieatb@reddit
This hasn't been true for several decades, if it ever was at all, and if it was it included land from all the colleges, not just one from each university.
ParapateticMouse@reddit
Boring billionaire cunts buy football teams instead of making this shit happen.
Whatever else you can say about how they make their money, they clearly lack in creativity. I suppose the creative savants are all writing novels, making games and music instead of engineering corporate takeovers.
blackleydynamo@reddit
Yeah, what happened to Musk's Bond villain 300mph MagLev from NY to California? I'd have genuinely applauded him for getting that done. Buying Twitter? Decidedly less inspirational.
coastal_mage@reddit
Hell, just look at the marinas of Monaco/Nice to witness the terminal lack of creativity billionares have. White superyacht, white superyacht, bigger white superyacht and a white superyacht with black highlights. Seriously, when given the entire range of naval design through all human history, why does every single billionaire converge on the exact same superyacht design?
MudgetBinge@reddit
They all look the same outside but then different inside....then they have to park their main yacht which looks more or less the same out in the middle of the sea to avoid mooring fees.
It's quite hilarious really - I think last year someone was chucking paint at them during some protest.
Master_Block1302@reddit
Same reasons that you havenāt commissioned a one-off 7 metre high, 9 wheeled car made of pink bamboo.
A. The existing design is the right design. It works best.
B. Youāll want to sell it one day, and generic design will make that easier.
Anyway, yachts like Phillips Starkās Venus and Motor Yacht A, Sailing Yacht A, WallyPower118 etc do show immense creativity.
londonsocialite@reddit
What do you think of Riva? They make some nice boats too.
Master_Block1302@reddit
I wouldnāt turn it down if youāre offering me one!
colei_canis@reddit
If I were made of money my boat would be wooden, ketch-rigged, and the most beautiful thing moored within a fifty mile radius of it.
I would only buy a wooden yacht if I actually was made of money though, itās a pathway to suffering otherwise.
fireduck@reddit
I would build a regular house (maybe with a little more weather protection) on a barge and surround it with grass lawn and white picket fence. Maybe even a driveway with a car parked in it just for style.
ParapateticMouse@reddit
Yeah. Every interview with Peter Thiel or Elon Musk I've ever seen, the thing that stands out to me is how uncharismatic or interesting they are. How they dress, what they're interested in.
The fact that this extends to their conspicuous consumption, too. Idk. I feel like I've been way too hard on myself for not having a dad with shares in an emerald mine.
Huffers1010@reddit
This is what I never get about serious wealth.
I don't want a Ferrari. I don't want a huge house.
Dutch_Slim@reddit
No but you can have your Mondeo glitter pink if you want!
Tesourinh0923@reddit
The thing I don't get is ridiculously expensive clothes. Like paying a a couple of hundred pounds on a t-shirt or a trainers that people would bully you for if it didn't have a fancy Italian name printed on the front.
Like most expensive clothes people buy for status make them just look like total Gimps.
Straight_Agency_5690@reddit
Money talks- wealth whispers.
malcolite@reddit
Or a massive, stupendously ugly watch that cost at least five times a normal personās salary
londonsocialite@reddit
Some watches are nice though. Gimme a Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso with the moon phase complication any day!!!
londonsocialite@reddit
The T-shirts and trainers you refer to are not āridiculously expensiveā theyāre āluxury designed for the massesā. The real luxury houses can be counted on one hand and they donāt do logos or tags. Personally I love Loro Piana for the quality of their cashmere and because they make nice driving shoes for the summer lol
SubsequentBadger@reddit
The very wealthy get everything tailor made and any labels are strictly concealed. The people spending hundreds on noisy brands are morons playing status games.
Huffers1010@reddit
It was on the tip of my tongue to say something like this.
Not that Musk is any kind of reference for general behaviour, but he is the richest guy around, and you don't see him decked out in logos other than for the companies he owns.
Bill Gates is hardly a clotheshorse.
I'm a nerd. I wear a fleece and cargo pants.
AnselaJonla@reddit
Exactly.
I want my family to have decent, reliable cars in makes and models that they like. (Not me, I am unable to drive for various medical reasons), that will do the job of getting us to and from work on the daily. We don't need supercars or sports cars.
I'd like us to have somewhere to live with sufficient space for us, our belongings, and our pet(s). It doesn't need to be a hundred room mansion with fifty bathrooms, three kitchens, a ballroom, a state dining room, and a dozen miscellaneous rooms. Four or five bedrooms (three for sleeping in, one as a craft room for me and mum, one as a gaming room for my brother), at least two full bathrooms and a guest toilet, separate decent sized kitchen, dining, and living rooms, and a utility room, with a fully fenced garden, a decent sized shed with power and insulation, and off street parking for at least five cars (dad and brother have two each) would be ideal.
FunkagendaWeHo@reddit
I read that wrong and thought you didnāt want a huge horseā¦ I was thinking a) why not, that sounds brilliant, and b) how huge a horse are we talking? Like big as a T Rex? That would be epic.
Huffers1010@reddit
Imagine the mucking-out, though.
cheerfulviolet@reddit
I think that's why they spend all their time accumulating wealth and spouting off nonsense. They're not interesting or interested in other people enough to have real friends, meaningful family or a community. I mean, think about all those wealthy people whose plan for climate change is to live on high security compounds in New Zealand. What an utterly tedious way to live. But they'll have survived and got one up on the rest of us, so they'll have 'won'.
BritishBlitz87@reddit
If I become a billionaire, I'd be sailing around the Mediterranean in a full-scale, replica of HMS Warspite. I'd also bribe a third world country to allow me to shell some farmland occasionallyĀ
YourLizardOverlord@reddit
I'd buy a destroyer and bribe someone to write me a letter of marque .
Unusual_Entity@reddit
I want to see a billionaire turn up in Monaco aboard an attack submarine. Probably being infiltrated by James Bond.
peterwillson@reddit
Because when you are comparing Willie's, there must be a basic commonality they all share: compare like with like.
Luis__FIGO@reddit
in 1908 a Vanderbilt built the Long Island Motor Parkway so he and his rich friends could race on it and not kill peasants / crash into horse and buggies.
yardbirdtex@reddit
How is your velocity on a private property the governments concern? Maybe thatās why we left
multi_io@reddit
Excited to learn that you're allowed to go 200mph inside a Tesco
OppositeStrength@reddit
They are fenced off because of insurance and because there are other people than the owner racing there. Itās more that someone could sue you for endangering and because of noise limits, you donāt legally need the fence to do this.
welliedude@reddit
I mean technically if you paid some council enough money you can "hire" public roads and use them as a race track. That's what happens with rallys all the time. Just usually they're backroads and not major motorways. But if you've deep enough pockets I don't see why not.
garethchester@reddit
I've never understood how rallying is OK with council permission, but racing on a street circuit requires an Act of Parliament (i.e. the Birmingham Superprix)
BuiltInYorkshire@reddit
Oliver's Mount wanted to join this conversation in 1946...
welliedude@reddit
Iirc since 2014 local councils have had the authority to suspend the road traffic act for closed motorsport events.
TheFlyingHornet1881@reddit
Yeah it's done for the London ePrix. It's not been tried elsewhere yet because I don't think a good economic case yet exists for practically all cities.
welliedude@reddit
Yeah, im sure it's horrendously expensive to grease the right hands and meet all the safety rules and regs etc.
Proccito@reddit
I get it depends on local laws, but Nevada is used sometimes as speed records. Koenigsegg used it twice for their Regera RS I think.
They redirected the two lane highway making it single file in both directions, and used the other direction for the car.
UnderstandingSmall66@reddit
I donāt think reality has anything to do with anything here.
thehairyassgit2@reddit
If a member of public can gain access then it is a public place and the RTA applies, race circuits and Tesco car parks are subject to the same laws. However a race circuit has (usually) a permit of exemption from a governing body which disapplies section 1,2 and 3 of the RTA. The permit is subjective to the circuit having in place rules and regulations such as marshals and rescue teams incase there is a an incident.
Rooster_Entire@reddit
edinburghblue@reddit
Never gonna hit 200mph in 3 metres
hepheastus_87@reddit
Not sure a land speed record attempt has ever been made in the uk... not enough space!
tula23@reddit
A lot of the early records were set on beaches in the UK
hepheastus_87@reddit
Today I learned
swined@reddit
Are you saying that one can buy out a strip of land and build a road on it, declare it a race track and essentially have just a toll road with no speed limit?
UnacceptableUse@reddit
I think if you opened it to the public there would be other laws that would prevent you from doing that
Not_Sugden@reddit
land speed records would still exist, its just that it may not be as fast
Daveddozey@reddit
See the cannonball run, latest record during covid with little traffic.
DeifniteProfessional@reddit
What was that one in the UK where a dude went from John O to Land's End and they determined he was speeding because he was rapid, but he never once got caught on a speed camera so they dismissed the case?
Even-Big6189@reddit
Or legal. Smokey nagata had a good 200mph run up the a1 in the 90's before being caught and deported
isilanes@reddit
I don't think that's how it works, and you probably know that too. Race tracks allow for races in them not because they are private, but because they possess specific permits, granted only when certain prerequisites are met (such as guarantee of special security measures, etc.). You don't just get the right to do whatever you want on your road, simply because it's your road.
UnacceptableUse@reddit
They may require a permit for it being a public venue and therefore having to comply with specific health and safety requirements. But it's not illegal to drive a car over a certain speed. It's just illegal to do so on public roads. Race tracks do not require a permit for the going fast bit
isilanes@reddit
Reckless behavior that endangers one's life and/or that of others is still illegal, though. The speed limit itself needs not be obeyed, but the assurance that what you do is safe has to be provided. Going 200 mph on a road you own might not get you a speeding ticket, technically, but it would probably be punishable reckless behavior if no permits are obtained beforehand. But IANAL.
Dd_8630@reddit
I mean, places other than the UK exist (for now š¬š§š)
thebigchil73@reddit
To add to this, if you were raring up and down a 3m wide strip of land you would soon fall foul of local by-laws.
cosiestraptor@reddit
You just invented HS2
blackleydynamo@reddit
Speaking as someone who once drove home to North Wales from Dover with a boot full of malodorous French cheese, I'm already invested in seeing this happen.
phoeniks@reddit
Your line is pretty much the A5 - I doubt it's for sale!
blackleydynamo@reddit
That'd liven up the pensioners coming out of Edinburgh Woollen Mill in Betws-y-Coed. There's hardly any pavement, for a start.
mhoulden@reddit
I'd like to know how much it would cost if it was.
GotAnyNirnroot@reddit
You'd have to ask the Romans who built it
Suitable-Deal-121@reddit
Romans? Pretty sure it was Thomas Telford
CarpeCyprinidae@reddit
I'd want the potholes fixed first
Slimy-Squid@reddit
Donāt hold your breath
AnonymousOkapi@reddit
I don't think straight is an adjective that has ever been used to describe the A5
Thandoscovia@reddit
You donāt need to own a huge strip of land. If itās private, itās private and the usual road laws donāt apply
DiabeticPissingSyrup@reddit
Private in this context doesn't just mean privately owned. Otherwise we could do 200mph in Tesco car park.
blackleydynamo@reddit
Joe public, maybe not. But could Tesco shareholders?
(Cut to video of hedge fund operators doing burnouts in a 1.0 Nova with some Halfords arches and granny's tea tray welded to the hatch.)
Sirlacker@reddit
If you had Tesco's permission I think you could speed on their car park.
fussyfella@reddit
You likely would not get booked for speeding in the car park - but you might get booked for dangerous driving which has no "public road" proviso on the crime and comes with much more severe sentences anyway.
Speed limits can also be imposed on privately owned roads by the local authority or central government but it is rare (the M6(Toll) being an obvious exception).
Picasso131@reddit
You canāt do 200mph in the local Tesco car park ā¦? Now you tell me , should have told me earlierā¦..oooops.
flo-simon@reddit
He is teasing you. Of course you can as long as it is a Tesco Express.
lungbong@reddit
What if I own the Tesco car park?
DiabeticPissingSyrup@reddit
I know. It's the nanny state gone mad!
It's also the reason we all turn the engine off and take the key out the ignition when we use an app at a driver through. Honest officer.
(I think this is the first time the phrase "nanny state" has been used in a decade or more...)
Porntra420@reddit
Mate unless I'm not picking up on sarcasm, you've not been paying attention to basically any online community involving the UK when it comes to people complaining about the nanny state.
-LilyOfTheValley_@reddit
Using your phone to make a contactless payment in a stationary vehicle at a drive-through is a specific exemption to the usual phone use offence.
DiabeticPissingSyrup@reddit
Payment may be, but ordering and rewards apps aren't. Want to tell McDonald's your order number? You need to turn the engine off.
-LilyOfTheValley_@reddit
This is exactly the type of pedantic point I love - I think if it were litigated, I suspect that vis the legislation (The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 r.110 5b):
(5B)Ā A person does not contravene a provision of this regulation, if at the time of the alleged contraventionā
(a)that person is using the mobile telephone or other device to make a contactless payment;
(b)for a good or service which is received at the same time as, or after, the contactless payment is made; and
(c)the motor vehicle is stationary.
'mak[ing] a contactless payment' would be read as encompassing the use of an app to complete (as you might pay for a drink entirely with starbucks points) or assist in the payment of (scanning the QR code) the goods - particularly taking into account what behaviour the provision was intended to allow.
richdrich@reddit
I think it's around it being gated off from the public.
DiabeticPissingSyrup@reddit
I believe so. Iirc, private land can be a public space, or some such apparent legalese contradiction.
sjpllyon@reddit
The legalese contradiction your looking for is privately owned public space. Basically private land that the public has access to - shops, cafes, restaurants, car parks, even some squares and plazas, oh and a big one a lot of people forget about is town/city centres.
crow-magnon-69@reddit
although they will try and enforce stuff on you like no filming. Like this thing with Ken Livingstone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TuxOUGV6hE
its all bollocks. (this is different though from say stopping you selling a picture of canary wharf as happens because the image of the building is copyright).
again the whole of docklands is private land, but road laws apply.
richdrich@reddit
Interesting question would be if a company could build and open a toll road with no speed limit?
Adventurous_Rub_3059@reddit
Surely that is just the same as a race track legality wise. You pay to take your car in the track and have to follow their rules. It would purely down to insurance issues, both for the user and owner
CarpeCyprinidae@reddit
Sadly no - road traffic act applies to all roads used for transport purposes regardless of ownership, therefore so do speed limits and the right of the police to enforce
Zavodskoy@reddit
What if it's framed as a drag race but like Donnington where you can bring your own car?
Being a drag race it's an entirely straight line and for safety reasons only one car races at a time but your "lap" time is recorded and added to a leaderboard? Obviously you can't just turn round and drive back down the race track so it's much safer for you to exit at the other end
MrPogoUK@reddit
The key would probably be how accessible it is; Absolutely anyone can turn up at any time and simply pay the fee = thatās publicly accessible. Needs to be pre-booked for fixed sessions by registered customers who meet certain conditions = you might get away with it!
Zavodskoy@reddit
How does Donnington Race Track get away with it then? You can turn up to their "any car" race days and pay at the entrance
MrPogoUK@reddit
Aside from the fact theyāre actually a race track rather than a road trying to pretend itās technically a race track, thatās still an organised event, as per below, not a āuse your debit card to open a barrier at the entrance and drive inā set-up.
07:30 Sign On
08:25 Briefing
09:00 Track Time Starts
13:00 Lunch Time
14:00 Track Time Resumes
17:00 Track Time Ends
If you wanted to arrange it like this, then I guess itās cool, but I assume the original concept is the ādrag stripā being a 24/7 way of travelling at speed.
Born-Car-1410@reddit
Like the Nurburgring. You pay your ā¬35 (per 21km lap) and off you go.
thefooleryoftom@reddit
Like the Nurburgring?
DiabeticPissingSyrup@reddit
Isn't the Nurbergring technically a toll road not a race circuit?
Splodge89@reddit
Itās not in the UK though. Itās in Germany, where speed limits are optional on some of their roads anyway. Their legal system already has precedent for having no speed limit on their autobahn so itās not too difficult to make a race circuit a public road.
CarpeCyprinidae@reddit
Answer is no - road traffic act specifically applies to car parks whihc are private property and have a conditional right of access and to roads, however defined. Any new toll road will automatically be subject to road traffic law.
Difference between a road and a racetrack is that a road is used to travel as part of a juorney, whihc a racetrack isnt
Confident_As_Hell@reddit
Yeah because even as a store is privately owned, it's still public. Otherwise you could get fined for trespassing.
Hatanta@reddit
You canāt get fined for trespassing. The owner of the land can sue for a loss incurred due to you accessing the land without permission.
MakesALovelyBrew@reddit
If privately owned land (so tescos car park) is accessible to the public, it is treated as public land for the purposes of getting nicked for being a dickhead in a car. Basically the public can access it, ergo it's public. Can't remember if this continues to apply if it's barrier-ed off etc, i think not.
ScottOld@reddit
Yup police have been around to car parks dealing with morons doing doughnuts on one they could hear from the station (and was already on an s21 so got the car taken lol)
BuildingArmor@reddit
Broadly speaking, if the public generally have access to it then the road traffic laws apply.
Comprehensive_Fly89@reddit
Yeah but how closed off does it need to be in order for us to have what legally constitutes a private racetrack but for all practical purposes is actually a British autobahn?
A toll gate that only opens for members?
carlbandit@reddit
Not a lawyer, but I think it would depend on who can use the gate. So if you can just go to the gate and pay Ā£10, the road would be considered publically accesible and police could do you for careless drving. But if the gate required you to be a private member of a club, where not just anyone can pay for access, it would be deemend private and speeding would be fine.
Can't be 100% sure though, as some race tracks allow member of the public to just turn up and pay, yet you're fine to speed.
CarpeCyprinidae@reddit
Closed off in the sense that emmebers of the public were prevented from using it for transport.
the legal difference between a racetrack and a road is that by law a racetrack's users enter and leave the source at the same place. if they allowed transit across a site it would under road regulations
thehairyassgit2@reddit
Almost, a race track has a permit which disapplies section 1, 2 and 3 of the road traffic act subject to them running to a set of approved rules and regulations.
MrNogi@reddit
No, a toll gate would not be.
BuildingArmor@reddit
I think you would have to genuinely make an attempt to keep people off it. Membership would have to be somewhat limited, and enforced.
caniuserealname@reddit
Technically speaking it wouldn't necessarily be a criminal offense to do so. When on Tesco (or their landlords) property, you enter a presumed agreement to follow their rules. Breaking the rules of their carpark is a civil issue.
Of course, if you did so in a way that caused others to be in fear of bodily harm you could fall foul of other criminal offenses, but the speed itself isn't technically the issue.
InspectionWild6100@reddit
I did 88mph the other day. Ask me what happens in 50 years time.
AddictedToRugs@reddit
If you did 200mph in Tesco car park you would not be prosecuted for speeding. If you crash into someone while doing it that's a civil matter between the parties involved.
FlorianTheLynx@reddit
But Tesco can do 200mph in their own car parks.Ā
HachiTofu@reddit
Weirdly imagining the actual Tesco shop setting lap records round itās own disabled bays
DiabeticPissingSyrup@reddit
I'm not sure their vans can do 50mph.
Maybe you could tie four vans together...
WanderWomble@reddit
In series or parallel?
DiabeticPissingSyrup@reddit
Oh, series.
In parallel they wouldn't be able to make the turns at the end of the carpark. They'd be too wide.
ianjm@reddit
You don't need to make turns in parallel van drag racing
1995LexusLS400@reddit
If you could do 200mph in a Tesco car park without crashing, I think you deserve an award.Ā
Jacktheforkie@reddit
Wait I can't do 200 in my Linde H50D around the car park? Next you'll say I can't park on double yellow lines
XenonBOB@reddit
The thing is tho, there are no ārulesā to car parks, like I could park in the middle of the lane if I wanted too, you can drive around the wrong way, thereās no laws thatās imply your movement within one. Obviously it would be a dickhead move but still, speed limits are the only thing that apply
Even-Big6189@reddit
You could just get it closed for a few hours to try then have it open to the public normally. The same way things like the British rally and wrc work. They are on public roads closed for the event.
What op is describing is what smokey nagata did in the 90's. 200mph along the a1 then got deported.
Also when the ssc ultimate aero was tested for top speed it did almost 250mph on a closed freeway in America.
sanehamster@reddit
Rallying in mainland England and Wales has the competitive sections on private land, with the the public road bits in between subject to normal traffic regulations.
Even-Big6189@reddit
No it doesn't. It uses public roads closed for the purpose of rallying.
Not sure if you've ever seen the isle of Mann tt? That's public roads too.
https://britishrallychampionship.co.uk/probite-british-rally-championship-reveals-2025-calendar/
https://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/resident/travel-roads-parking/traffic-management/motor-rallies-on-public-highway/
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motorsport/closed-road-motorsport-mainland-britain-gets-green-light
sanehamster@reddit
Fair enough. Recentish change I wasn't aware of. And the isle of man (and Jersey, which used to host a tarmac rally) are not mainland Britain.
missingjigsawpiece@reddit
Private might be private but it doesnāt mean Parliament canāt legislate to stop it.
If I knife someone to death in a private residence, I donāt get away with it because it happened in a private area, now do I?
Thandoscovia@reddit
Youāre absolutely right, but notice how I said āroad lawsā not āroadman lawsā. Driving faster than 70 = maybe ok. Driving a Stanley knife into a 70 year old = not ok
Z-----@reddit
Build a hyperloop
Donethinking@reddit
Yes. Yes you could
saint-moxie@reddit
The answer is no. Even if land is privately owned, it's still only leased (99 years) from the crown and still falls under the law of the crown.
Miniman125@reddit
Aka HS2
Big_Yeash@reddit
We tried, it was called HS2, it was cancelled.
True_Dragonfruit681@reddit
You can travel - lawfully on any highway without restrictions. Just not legally
Thederangedmelon@reddit
Yeah but you might go a few billion over budget
Beartato4772@reddit
How is it you think the sport of motor racing works?
mrbullettuk@reddit
Wait until he finds out they let children drive those race cars.
ianjm@reddit
Max Verstappen made his debut in F1 before he could legally drive
LukasKhan_UK@reddit
Most of the kids have been racing cars before they could legally drive
It only became a thing because Verstappen missed a chunk of junior formula and went straight into F1
And there's been a number of drivers who couldn't legally drive in other countries, even though they were in F1 due to different driving laws.
PM-me-your-cuppa-tea@reddit
Don't forget his season in Formula 3. You can't take Ocon's victory over Verstappen away.
Though they've lowered it to 17 again for AntonelliĀ
MaleierMafketel@reddit
Provided context, Oconās victory in 2014 shouldnāt have been in as much doubt as it was.
Ocon was driving for Prema. The professional outfit and team to beat in European F3, winning 9 championships on the trot since they entered F3 until ART won it in 2022.
Verstappen drove for Van Amersfoort Racing. A team that had a single podium before 2014.
In 14 years, five other drivers managed a win with that team: * Charles Leclerc (4) * Franco Colapinto (2) * Callum Illot (2) * Antione Hubert (1) * Caio Collet (1)
Yet, Verstappen won as many races (10) in a single season as all of those combined, and more than Ocon during their season together.
PM-me-your-cuppa-tea@reddit
I'm a huge Verstappen fan. I think you've misread my tone slightly, it was tongue in cheek about it being the only time Ocon would ever best Max.Ā
MaleierMafketel@reddit
I see. Iāve seen people unironically using that single F3 season to back-up someā¦ Interesting claims.
Needless to say, Ocon is an amazing driver. Handily better than most.
PM-me-your-cuppa-tea@reddit
Oh 100% I think it's a shame we've never seen Ocon's full potential realised in F1, with the closest we've come being the Perez vs Ocon rivalry
I wonder if we'll ever see it or if he's missed his chance, still amazing obviously, but I think he could have been so much more in the right team.Ā
UpperLuck3836@reddit
I think heās probably aware of that bud.
Porntra420@reddit
And Lance Stroll can't drive in any capacity, yet they still let him.
buythedip0000@reddit
Man leave Yuki alone
StartersOrders@reddit
It's more complicated than you think.
The Road Traffic Act applies anywhere where the public may be realistically expected to be, even on private land. The only way to suspend this is with a permit from one of the few sport organising bodies that UK law allows. In the case of cars/karts this is Motorsport UK (MSUK), and for motorcycles it's the Auto Cycle Union (ACU). These permits come with lots of stipulations about safety, medical, manning and other requirements before aa permitted event can be allowed to proceed.
Even the British Grand Prix is a Motorsport UK event, it just happens that the F1 package is the only content.
When there is a fatal accident, the police still have ultimate authority, and track days are not exempt from the RTA.
I_Came_To_Goon@reddit
The term sport is used loosely here
aaaaaaaa1273@reddit
Spend some time away from gooning and look into what drivers have to do to prepare for races, especially in F1, and tell me itās not a sport. Also the rivalries and general drama going on in top seriesā are definitely on par with other sports.
I_Came_To_Goon@reddit
Wow neck and reflex training whoopty fucking doo, canāt wait to watch them drive in a fucking circle for hours on end XD
monkey_spanners@reddit
But you're happy to watch 22 people chasing a ball for hundreds of hours a year.
I_Came_To_Goon@reddit
Hoes mad
monkey_spanners@reddit
Huh?
BlokeyBlokeBloke@reddit
If one team had boots that made them almost impossible to beat while another team had to do it in plimsolls borrowed from lost property, I would find football as pointless as I find F1
Beartato4772@reddit
F1 is not Motor Sport, Motor Sport is not f1.
Also, how many championships have Manchester City won in the last 5 years again?
monkey_spanners@reddit
Ah yeah fair enough, football is well known for its financial fairness and equal team budgets
kickassjay@reddit
Sit on a sim racer for a hour long race and youāll see that has a toll on your body. Now sit in a race car exposed to all the G forces required and see how little youāll even manage.
phatboi23@reddit
yup, i did a 3 hour sped up 24hr race the other week in Assetto Corsa, half way through i was knackered.
modelvillager@reddit
Average heart rate for an F1 driver is 170 bpm, for just under 2 hrs. This is because it is intensely physical.
A 50 degree cockpit, a requirement for braking force by the driver of 200 kg, switching lateral and longitudinal G forces of 3 to 5Gs. All while demonstrating extremely fine motor control.
Whoopty fucking doo, indeed.
luciferslandlord@reddit
The same could be said for chess though and people often claim that isn't a sport.
abfgern_@reddit
Its not. Its intellectually based, not physicality or dexterity.
luciferslandlord@reddit
So are all esports? Snooker, pool and darts don't contain any physicality.
abfgern_@reddit
Correct. They are not sports
luciferslandlord@reddit
What about the esports? Is that a misnomer? Or what about three legged races or lion taning? These things aren't sports but require physicality and are competitive pursuits. The line of what is a sport and what isn't is not so clear to me.
You are entitled to be as certain as you want though.
Car-Nivore@reddit
If you draw blood, it's a sport.
merp1991@reddit
Is drawing blood a sport?
peterwillson@reddit
Is shuffling cards a sporting activity? Chopping vegetables? Knitting?
ThatNegro98@reddit
You could argue its dexterity based because if you knock over a piece you lose it. Or if the king, you lose the game.
But I'd say chess is a competitive game rather than competitive sport.
Beartato4772@reddit
When a chess player loses 7kg in weight during a match then maybe that becomes an equal debate.
therepublicof-reddit@reddit
Have you seen the training F1 drivers have to do because of the G-Forces they experience? No, Clearly not, they spend more time in the gym in a week than you have your entire life
scoringspuds@reddit
Chess is not a sport lol nice try though
Jebusura@reddit
The weakest F1 driver is fitter and stronger than you by an order of magnitude! You literally have no idea what you're talking about. The physical demands are possibly higher than football or maybe that isn't a sport?
UpperLuck3836@reddit
Tbf this is a dumb comment. Itās not just the case of owning a road lol
Beartato4772@reddit
It literally is, if it's private land there are not speed limits.
aspannerdarkly@reddit
Special permitsĀ
Great-Instruction919@reddit
Theyāre trying to answer this with hs2
Mental_Newspaper3812@reddit
3m would not be enough, youād need enough land on the sides to deal with runoff from your asphalt, fencing, and grading. When you encounter roads and waterways youāll need extra land to build bridges, but youāll also have a heck of a time getting permitting for your odd project.
youshouldbeelsweyr@reddit
No because you'd be blasing through houses and stuff.
AppointmentEast1290@reddit
Well, could you technically? Yes, but you'd be better heading north towards East Yorks with that line, your current trajectory crosses the Chilterns and a shit load of mountainous Welsh + Marches areas.
Upstairs-Shake9898@reddit
Why not build a bridge and say itās free once paid for then lease it to the French ? Thatās never been done before. O hang on
Marsof1@reddit
The HS2 project couldn't manage that so good luck š
fnanfne@reddit
What happens if you crash? You smash into property that you donāt own so the answer is no. Maybe if the 3m strip is like 30m
Blissfull_Bee@reddit
Do a better job then the government
dannyreillyboy@reddit
why not just buy 250 acres and build an amazing race course, and race as fast as you like! with the conveyancing money, get a helicopter for the cross country stuff
realhugo@reddit
yes, however you probably wouldn't be able to buy the land because it would cross over public roads and you would have to go the speed limit there.
Icy-Distribution-275@reddit
In NIMBYLAND?
Cosmooooooooooo@reddit
Could build a high speed train and travel at 360 kmh
No_Macaroon_1156@reddit
That line looks to be about 400 miles long.
Yesterbly@reddit
You would never get planning permission for it so no
Evening_Morning_1649@reddit
Shall we go halves?
7_Pillars_of_Wisdom@reddit
Buy an Apache gun ship instead
Chedderonehundred@reddit
I would use it to just put a random wall across the country like a belt. I would charge a fee to cross it as well bc Iām evil
polenstein@reddit
sure could, and it wold be simple to do too, just ask those happy girls and guys at HS2
cusnirandrei@reddit
Last time you worked?
SpecificFlatworm5107@reddit
One trick that Great Western hates!
afgan1984@reddit
Yes - It is private land, rules and license conditions do not apply. You can drive at any speed you want and if you want you can be under influnce as well in car that has no MOT not insurance.
There are some caveats like - it has to be closed to public. If it is publicly accesible then it can be considered public place.
Casing point - there are old aiports where they do drags racing etc. and go in excess of 200MPH in cars that are not road legal.
Raistlin-x@reddit
Does that mean I can legally do 200mph on my drive way?
michelleblanc@reddit
If you are planning HS3 you need to get elected and fuck a few other things up first.
SirEdwardBerry@reddit
No point asking, Thats impossible.
shrewdlogarithm@reddit
Have you ever heard of racetracks - drag strips - runway events??? They exist already - you can do any speed you like
Elvington - the place where Hammomnd almost died - regularly hosts a "drive you car as fast as you like for the lolz" events - lots of other places too
ThePumpk1nMaster@reddit
You say that like the issue here isnāt owning a 250 mile straight line of road across the UK
shrewdlogarithm@reddit
I'd love to discuss the realities of doing that too
For one thing, you'd find it really hard to find a strip where at least part of it doesn't belong to the Crown Estates, or worse, one of the Duchys - and they're not selling to you EVER
If we'd like to start a thread on FINDING a 200+miles straight piece of land which could be bought if you had the cash - that might be interesting ;0
drewcaveneyh@reddit
Easy enough, you just construct a ramp to jump over the railways and estates.
shrewdlogarithm@reddit
We're moving towards the Alpha release of this videogame at quite a pace!
Today: get over Birmingham without landing on a scrapyard!
Due-Point-911@reddit
I read this as āEllington, the where Hammond almost died regularly, hosts aā¦ā
shrewdlogarithm@reddit
Things change - that may yet happen...
Artistic_Data9398@reddit
Yes but you could also just take your car to a drag strip in the UK lol
Happytallperson@reddit
No.Ā
Construction of a private road is still subject to planning conditions, and the local Highways department will raise a safety issue with your 200mph bridge that is 3m wide and over their road.Ā
So you'll have to have a speed limit.
stagnantanus@reddit
Yeh probs
Due_Ad_4633@reddit
This question is so nuts and awesome at the same.
And that fact that you CAN drive at 200mph on your land like this equally nuts and awesome.
Available-Coconut-86@reddit
Donāt know about UK but got a pile of tickets on private land in US. Per judge all traffic laws apply on private property. Assume race tracks get some kind of special permit.
DRDRYLUNCH@reddit
HS2 is that you?
Bakurraa@reddit
You'd be selling the car and your house to buy the land
Randys-pangolin@reddit
I hope this is a one way road out of London.
DwarfUK@reddit
Nice try Elon
LLHandyman@reddit
Would be much easier to use an aeroplane
ElliotGrosvenor@reddit
I think your land includes some of the Chilterns - you'd take off at the top, or at the very least your steering would be very light. Remember to lightly tap your brakes just before the crest to dip the front of the car a bit.
Nrysis@reddit
Yes.
What you are on proposing is essentially creating a very long drag strip, or a very straight racetrack.
And similar to those, because they are on private land and not part of the public road network, the usual rules of the road will not be enforceable.
That is not to say there wouldn't be some real life consequences - standard insurance may not cover this sort of situation, and there could be concerns if you are doing too be negligent over the safety of any visitors...
Dry_Abbreviations258@reddit
This is incorrect. If you create a road or driveway on private land then the RTA applies. You would need special dispensation to remove the specific legislation. Any kind of public access would mean that national speed limits would apply at minimum. The police could not issue a speed ticket, but a court can still prosecute you under the RTA.
Dry_Abbreviations258@reddit
The National Speed Limits also apply to private roadways and driveways, so no you couldnāt.
Racetracks, Rally Routes and the like have to apply for dispensations from existing restrictions and have to comply with an entire different set of rules.
FarmerJohnOSRS@reddit
Speeding tickets would be cheaper.
TedSaladLightArtist@reddit
ššš
Boldboy72@reddit
you could buy an old disused air strip and drive as fast as you like on that. Can't see what the thrill would be though as you could always do a track day at Brands Hatch or somewhere like it.
On your own property, good luck getting the insurance cover if you do a Hammond.
abarr021@reddit
Why don't you use kilometers?
itsYaBoiga@reddit
Surely this would depend on many factors, not least of all the location and surroundings.
Infamous-Cycle5317@reddit
Does that mean we have to go all the way around your land to get across?
FoxPup99@reddit
High speed train lines spring to mind
TitleNecessary8707@reddit
So you want your own hs2 project to get somewhere quickly? Just get a helicopter
HeightAltruistic5193@reddit
Have you got a car that goes 200mph?
Southern-Injury7895@reddit
If you can buy 3m wide strip of land across the UK, you almost have the budget of building a railway.
Live_Astronaut_3425@reddit
you can build a train line on it and run a train at 200 mph
ledow@reddit
If theory yes.
In practice, I give it 30 miles before you wipe out and die.
Rickietee10@reddit
About 9 minutes. That sounds fair.
Masssive-@reddit
It's a perfectly straight line so pretty easy to drive at 200mph.
The biggest threat would be vandalism from the people whose homes were destroyed for the greater good.
ledow@reddit
I would give you 25 miles.
At 200mph, an ordinary car is inherently unstable, way beyond the rating of its tyres and the slightest bump, curve, stone or movement will see you off the road and into a ditch (and, at that speed, likely dead).
F1 only goes up to 233mph and that's on a regulated track with a BUNCH of technology keeping you on the road, ridiculously fast reactions from the driver, fingertip control of every aspect of the car (raising and lowering parts, changing braking balance, etc.), and the best drivers and car teams in the world, and they still spin out on straights sometimes.
In a commercially-available car? Not a chance. It's just not designed for that and at no point would an ordinary driver be able to guarantee they'll make the next mile (which you traverse in just 18 seconds at that speed).
I drove on the Autobahn once in a well-tested and excellent condition ordinary vehicle, at 3am, in the middle of nowhere, on a long straight, with literally not a car visible all the way to the horizon, and at 130mph, I decided to bug out. The car was shaking and rattling, the slightest movement of the wheel was amplified (twice the angle / response as at 70mph, if you think of it), my fingers were clamped onto the wheel, and it did not in any way feel safe.
At 200mph, you'll just die, straight or not. It doesn't matter who you are. Even a Formula 1 driver wouldn't do that in an ordinary vehicle. Just the sheer angles and forces at play mean you're effectively on a skidpan with the slightest rise of the road, wind gust or movement of the wheel. But a skidpan at a speed that you have literally no hope of recovering from - the slightest wobble and you'll cross all three lanes in a fraction of second.
Medium_Lab_200@reddit
Youād be fine in a Bugatti Chiron. Youād run out of petrol fairly soon but it would be as solid as a rock at 200mph.
Masssive-@reddit
Very good explanation thanks. So it sounds like we need to either: 1. Adapt a new high speed road vehicle and have surrounding barriers and covers all the way to guarantee zero road faults; or 2. Force the vehicle to follow guide rails.
I think #2 is far more practical. Opening up the vehicle design also means we can expand the size so instead of carry 4 people we could have a huge long vehicle that carries a thousand.
It's also worth considering the straight line. Guide rails would allow for some gentle curves even at high speeds, so we can make the route go around significant geographical blockers and existing structures.
The route itself also doesn't make much sense. It would be better to run directly between major population centres like London, Birmingham and Manchester.
We could also brand it something like High Speed One, but I think that's already taken so we will need to come up with something new.
ledow@reddit
This is Godwin's law of transport arguments, I believe. :-)
Jonathan13211@reddit
I give 500m before he runs out of money
marksmoke@reddit
Or he runs out of nos in his corsa
slideforfun21@reddit
That's more than I was giving him tbh
starliiv@reddit
Go around london, at least make it some sort of realistic
fiveprawns@reddit
HS2 tried this
Evening_Common2824@reddit
I have such a strip for sale...
just_some_guy65@reddit
Are you HS2?
UnsafestSpace@reddit
This was how the first railways were built, yes.
Maxo_Jaxo@reddit
It's a big 'if' but essentially, yes.
blacky1988@reddit
Just do the M74 from South Glasgow to Carlisle and speed limits don't matter like everyone else (except on a Friday 4-6pm)
Affectionate-Way-491@reddit
It would be easier to just move in with her mate tbh
Sam_iow@reddit
Your very own version of HS2.
MTBisLIFE@reddit
GeoWizard's Mission Across England comes to mind
ThurstonSonic@reddit
Simple answer is to build a 200 mile long tunnel - you own the earth u der the land you buy so you could. The Boring Company is about 6-7 million dollars per mile, but you do get a 10% discount for > 100 miles so roughly 1 to 1.2 billion dollars, but it will take a while as itās roughly a month a mile - so 16 years with one machine, but then again if you stop buying takeaway coffees and avocados you could maybe get a few more machines in to finish quicker.
Projected2009@reddit
Elon?
arrowsmith20@reddit
Why don't you go to Austria and sleep with all the looney tunes out there and keep the British public safe
Kristen242@reddit
Vanity project.
ProgressiveRox@reddit
A patch of land that length and near that many towns would mean you would probably have multiple points where it would be crossed by public rights of way, meaning you would be required to put up signs wherever that happened and not run over ramblers when doing your 200mph commute.
KingStevoI@reddit
Yes. If it's your private land then you can go whatever speed you want! Youd be liable for others but youd be fine. Might cost a bob or two though...
tmstms@reddit
DO IT!!!
The main problem will be getting it to be unbroken given how many road it will cross.
You would be better off buying it in a trackless bit of Northern Scotland.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaadam@reddit
Isn't there some sort of wandering anywhere is ok law in Scotland?
tmstms@reddit
Yes, there is (though you can't just wander round someone's back garden). Though I guess that would make the 200mph vehicle more dangerous to the public!
BMW_wulfi@reddit
OP, do you ask your partner for permission to go for a shit?
Viper31_1990@reddit
Probably not due to wildlife reserves and private land, you're better looking for an old airport runway, also you'll need fire and rescue and paramedics to hand Every hour will cost a fortune though keeping the emergency services there.
Lanky_midget@reddit
Why didn't I think of this
DennisTheConvict@reddit
"some degree of tarmac" and "200mph" are incredible together.
Start a go fund me and I'll chip in.
thealexweb@reddit
I see you DfT trying to could HS2 on the cheap
Electronic-Sun-8275@reddit
Yes I think so itās your land
BlueTrin2020@reddit
OP is the government project manager for HS3
Yorkshire_Nan_Shagga@reddit (OP)
Busted!š
RandyChavage@reddit
āYea sorry weāre gonna have to cancel the Euston extension again weāve accidentally purchased a stretch of land from North Wales to Kentā
BlueTrin2020@reddit
Sound legit š
BoneChillerz12@reddit
Just do it anyway, itās not England anymore. Most drive near 1000mph round anyway these days. As long as you say āenniii broooā youāll be fine
Duolingo7Fan@reddit
Maybe....it is legal
MLBPC@reddit
Cheeper to buy an aircraft
polaroidfloyd@reddit
Yeah but could you do it naked?
Mysterious_Living261@reddit
Get helicopter licence you twat šššš
heythere1136@reddit
Why would you want to travel at 200mph, what a clown. Anything above 60 and your dying on impact, speed limits are designed to give you the best chance
Longjumping_Ad_8474@reddit
just buy an aircraft
YogurtclosetOk8154@reddit
yes if its private land you can do what you like with it unless you wanted to build buildings on it - then u would have to apply for planning permission.
Constant-Dimension99@reddit
About this time would be to admit to your significant other that long distance relationships don't work.
Historical-Care9715@reddit
You could donate it to the Palestinians ffs
DifferentPeeple@reddit
No, 3m is not wide enough to not be a significant danger to others
Alpha_xxx_Omega@reddit
heavily depends on the car that you use .....
any speed ... no, cars probably max out somehwere 300-400 mph
but maybe could run a jet down the strip.
but why dont you got to Germany and drive there, top speed i've ever done in GER was around 145mph
Cartepostalelondon@reddit
š¤¦āāļø
GeologistJaded9047@reddit
Charge tolls on all the roads it crosses. Then buy yourself a racetrack with the income.
ObviousFox9528@reddit
Yes, you can do what ever you like on your own land legally I live on a farm and we rally cars and bikes all off the time to the highest point that we can reach
Butt_PlugLover@reddit
If there was no access to the public then yes.
PrincipleNo8733@reddit
Yes itās your land
Sea_Pass3792@reddit
Sky bridge?
Medium_Coach_4593@reddit
Itās called HS2
MrAjAnderson@reddit
Have you seen what the UK does to roads! There will be pot holes before it is finished. Better off with a hadron collider style wall of death a couple of miles long that can be soundproofed to muffle the engines and screams.
Brittfire@reddit
HS2, is that you?
__hyphen@reddit
Itās impossible to find a line like that for sale, and if you were rich enough to force buy then you still have to make right of way access to all people on the two sides of your path by British law, effectively rendering your ownership useless
Efficient-Junket6969@reddit
Yes, on private land you can drive what speed you like.
UK_Ekkie@reddit
Are you Elon?
BadMediaAnalysis@reddit
You'd need a lot more than 3 metres to get up to 200 miles per hour.
Depress-Mode@reddit
As long as itās not publicly accessible yes. Although 3m wouldnāt allow much room for error.
Tight_Atmosphere3239@reddit
HS3
weatherweer@reddit
HS3
ianhawdon@reddit
Thatās still only, like, half the length of the runway on Fast and Furious 6ā¦
TCristatus@reddit
Nice try, Elon
Catmanx@reddit
What's this for HS3?
RhythmicRampage@reddit
As long as it's not open to the public you'd be fine, of it's publicly accessible from the road then the rules of the public roads apply.
Nalyd217@reddit
Though with was fortnite with the line for the battle bus
FunkySideBurns@reddit
Actually that's a pretty good place to build a wall.
caniuserealname@reddit
Yes.
Although don't be surprised if your insurance isn't covering you while you do it.
SubstantialAlfalfa43@reddit
Watch out for badgers they have more rights than us. Also at full speed a aBugatti would run out of petrol in 15 minutes so you would need a petrol station or 2
sjpllyon@reddit
Yes, but you'd make a lot more money if instead of tarmac it was some train lines. Do it properly and you'll be able to go even faster than 200mph.
Also the public would thank you for it.
Rab_Legend@reddit
I think if this were to actually happen, then no. The government would most likely bring in a new law, as I think there would be the risk of running over any right-to-roamers
baxterfront@reddit
You may need more than 300 centimeters to reach the desired speed.
rottingpigcarcass@reddit
Depends. What car you got?
chief_padua@reddit
Oh yes an intercity train.
GlobalRonin@reddit
Only if your drivers/engineers weren't on strike, there were no leaves on the line, and there wasn't a major sporting event anywhere in the UK.
Natural-Geologist-46@reddit
You couldn't get done for speeding, but dangerous driving, careless driving and causing death by dangerous driving can be committed anywhere.
Cookebyname@reddit
Can I have a go when you buy it please?
superpandapear@reddit
https://youtu.be/XMKE9H1_pJo?feature=shared
Yeraze@reddit
Yes.. that's called High Speed Rail.
Deep_Banana_6521@reddit
yes, the laws only refer to the king's highways. You can't break every law on your own land, but driving dangerously is fine as you'll likely just be endangering your own life, not others.
EnderBoy@reddit
No. But you could use it to travel 321.869 KPH across it.
Sir_Chonkalot@reddit
New HS2 CEO going back to basics?
Remote-Pool7787@reddit
Yes you could. But even a billionaire has no realistic chance of doing this
PaxtiAlba@reddit
Why would you need that much to go 200 mph? Does your car have really, really low acceleration?!
Bacon___Wizard@reddit
I feel like moving to the Isle of White would be an easier option
FastSimple6902@reddit
I'd buy a jet plane
ChocolateAndCustard@reddit
It would be tricky to get up to speed within 3 meters but I suppose technically yes
BTWIuseArchWithI3@reddit
Yes, but it would be a lot more practical to just take the ferry to France and then drive on German Autobahns. Entirely legal and significantly cheaper
FunPie4305@reddit
Most likely no. No way you will get change of use and planning permissions to build it.
timlnolan@reddit
Possibly not. The neighbors might complain about the noise.
ShortGuitar7207@reddit
Electric propulsion should help keep the noise down and be way more efficient. Also if you could get the vehicle inside a tube with the air pressure reduced then that would further reduce the noise and you could probably get the speed way up too. Maglev instead of wheels to reduce friction. I think this was the idea of the hyperloop. You could be in Snowdonia in a few minutes.
timlnolan@reddit
Reducing the air pressure to any meaningful extent inside a 200 mile long tube would be an almost insurmountable engineering challenge. It's why no one has ever done it.
You might as well use the enormous amount of energy that would require to power the vehicle
YsoL8@reddit
The noise? All the neighbours need do is complain that you have not put the fence up without magically managing to not disturb the soil and harming the common earth worm.
_J0hnD0e_@reddit
Is it open to the general public? If so, no.
And by that I mean whether anybody can just wander/drive in.
yaolin_guai@reddit
Yeah you should do it. Start a go fund me
pinkwar@reddit
Sorry mate your first problem would be dealing with nimbys.
Apicalis_@reddit
Elon is that you?
JLB_cleanshirt@reddit
Could you build a private road, charge people to use it and set your own speed limits?
Golfclashmrn200170@reddit
And your point is ā¦ā¦.
PitifulSpecial1836@reddit
Owning the land isn't enough I'm afraid. You'll need to comply with any third-party rights along the route
Tobax@reddit
Even if you managed to buy land like that, and it was separated so that it didn't cross any roads, rail crossing, paths, or anything (some how), then still no, as they'd say that 3m wide is still too dangerous for such speeds with a high chance of crashing through a fence onto public land
svecccc@reddit
You can do 200mph on your driveway if you like. Nightmare mode.
Most-Cat-5849@reddit
Are your trying to build a competing railway š¤£š«” the government wonāt be happy
spectrumero@reddit
Better still make the road out of steel rails, and then you can have hundreds of people at once safely travel at 200 mph
Cirias@reddit
They could call it "rail... way", wow amazing innovation
YsoL8@reddit
Don't be so fucking ridiculous. Productive active in this country?
arnie580@reddit
You could sell tickets!
PsneakyPseudonym@reddit
You should start a kickstarter, people can buy a MĀ² of it
Cirias@reddit
I mean you could, but who's in that much of a rush to go to Birmingham? ;)
YetAnotherInterneter@reddit
Yes. Speed limits specifically apply to public designated roads. Outside of these there are no laws to say you canāt physically travel a certain speed.
Reasonable-Horse1552@reddit
We did 200mph on the A1M on our Hayabusa
beerforbears@reddit
Go back to Twitter Elon and leave the UK alone
acarine-@reddit
Have you heard of these places called race tracks?
winning1992@reddit
You would run out of fuel in about 15 mins doing a consistent 200mph. You would cover roughly 80 miles. Even with refuelling a couple of time for your line, you would probably need a new set of tyres at the end. š
ThomasRedstone@reddit
Yes, but no.
You may own a 3m strip off land, but the chance that it doesn't have any public rights of way across it are zero.
So, you couldn't really drive at 200mph for any significant distance.
Also, 3m is likely far too narrow, your neighbours will likely take you to court for endangering them and they're property.
iamnotasheep@reddit
Not to mention planning for tarmacking hundreds of miles across the country. Hell you have to go through the whole planning process for getting 200m of new cycle path put inā¦
Crispy_Nuggets_999@reddit
What if it's an elevated track like a bridge thingy ... ?
ThomasRedstone@reddit
A 3m wide bridge that has foundations entirely within that 3m space?
I'm not sure that'll be structurally sound, but I'm no civil engineer.
At that point you'll need planning permission across many planning authorities, and unlike HS2 you've got no public benefit.
You might fare better with a tunnel, but 3m wide is going to be challenging again.
Crispy_Nuggets_999@reddit
Yup yup pretty much like an aquaduct.. planning and other stuff might be a problem but can't be that different from building @OP s dream track. Only thing is my plan has zero interference from public crossing and noise complaints if you build it high enough and enclose it with HS Sound Barriers. Overall I still think best is to just drive the car back in my country and do whatever as repercussions seems less.
PatserGrey@reddit
What kind of toll are you charging on that , OP? It could really help for my drives from Essex back to Dublin
notayeti@reddit
Is this the new HS2 planning committee ?
Wizzardchimp@reddit
If you call it HS3, I canāt see why not
Slow_Apricot8670@reddit
Whatās more surprising is that someone like a Middle East sheik hasnāt done this.
flappyflangeflowers@reddit
Would go for at least a 3.65m strip.
welliedude@reddit
Just noticed the question suggest a 3 metre wide road. Uk motorways have a lane width of 3.65m (12 feet) and even then you're pretty brave to do 200mph plus in a single lane with no margin for error. Assuming you only have this strip of land and there are safety barriers either side. And depending on the car you could have only about 50cm (1.64ft) either side.
Zavodskoy@reddit
Yes but with some caveats, you'd have to fence off the entire thing and make it impossible for the public to access on purpose or by accident. If there's any way the public could reasonably access it then it counts as a public roadway. EG if you decided to park at tesco, go in and buy a bottle of vodka, drink the entire thing then drive your car round the car park you'd still be guilty of drink driving on a public roadway.
OneEmptyHead@reddit
I think it would be easier and cheaper to build two airports, buy a plane and learn to fly
Time_Substance_4429@reddit
3 metres to reach 200mphā¦..
Time_Substance_4429@reddit
3 metres to reach 200mphā¦..
rmp604@reddit
Yes but it would be hard pedaling !
ShAlMoNsHaKeYjAkE@reddit
The real question is why would you want to travel anywhere along that line or end at either side. Just use the money to build a house in Yorkshire and build a wall across the South of the county.
ShutItYouSlice@reddit
No you could never buy the land under the red line or any other red line you care to draw unless its contained in a bit of land thats not cutting through things like motorways or towns and cities you know little things like that š but if your red line is on your property drive however fast you want.
FidelityBob@reddit
This is exactly what the railways did 200 years ago.
PineappleEquivalent@reddit
Technically yes.
But you would also need to make sure that no one had access to the area otherwise you could be liable for any accident or injury occurring on your land.
Leader_Bee@reddit
Eww, but Why'd you want to go to London, though?
Cielo11@reddit
If you manage to pull this off, could you please apply for a lead role at HS2. Thanks.
Marlon_Brendo@reddit
Think you've just invented the train, mate.
toy57@reddit
This man has a plan
Memphite@reddit
Yes, as long you do not allow public access to it or you advise the public about the Highway Code not being in effect.
Jet2work@reddit
only if you paint it bright red
AddictedToRugs@reddit
In a hypothetical scenario where you are able to acquire that land with no problems, then yes. There are no speed limits on private property.
georgialucy@reddit
You would have to take into account noise pollution and what's around the road, like schools or woodlands with animals that could get disturbed.
Maybe you could build it underground? A long tunnel that no one knows about? Maybe someone's already done that and we all just haven't found out yet lol.
0xSnib@reddit
I see the Crossrail plans are going great
Nadnewb@reddit
Love that this line passes within 20 miles of Silverstone.
Round_Caregiver2380@reddit
Not without fencing it in.
I don't know the law exactly but if any part of it can be publicly accessed, they can still do you. It's why you can get charged with drink driving in a car park.
probablyaythrowaway@reddit
What youāve drawn there is HS2
Fantastic_Deer_3772@reddit
Ah but this one goes to Wales- the real hs2 is only fraudulently classed as Wales, it doesn't actually go near it
No-Consideration2809@reddit
Youāve just invented train lines!
Fantastic_Deer_3772@reddit
Legally, sure. Over that bit of Wales, logistically? The hills'll slow you down
Original_Bad_3416@reddit
My colourblind eyes donāt see a red like
Tallman_james420@reddit
I'd recommend at least 5 metres just to be on the safe side
Interesting_Buy_5039@reddit
Better off buying 5km at each end, and chartering private jets.
AbuBenHaddock@reddit
Is OP some mental Welsh billionaire living in Eryri and wanting to get down to the South East so they can pop over to France for cheap wine and snails without flying?
cremedelapeng2@reddit
oddly specific , what you planning?
Great_Eye701@reddit
You could but it would be cheaper and easier to just buy a helicopter
sammy_zammy@reddit
No, you can't use HS2 as a racetrack.
YsoL8@reddit
You may as well. It sure as hell will never carry trains.
oldrichie@reddit
Hello Elon.
freebiscuit2002@reddit
Yes. Itās unlikely to be straight like on the map, though, because it wonāt be allowed to cross any existing public roads, train tracks, etc.
YsoL8@reddit
In within 20 miles of any house
LuinAelin@reddit
Good luck doing that in the bit that goes through Eryri.
sgurr_a@reddit
Geowizard?
azki25@reddit
I mean 3 meters accross 300+kmph is a bit sketchy but yeah sure!
_ImAScatman_@reddit
I donāt know, but I love where your headās at.
Perelin_Took@reddit
Someone tried that already and didnāt work. I think it was called HS2ā¦
I_am_Reddit_Tom@reddit
Yes it's private land.
CharringtonCross@reddit
Yes, but check how expensive/difficult the government found HS2/3
MetalGearSolidarity@reddit
Wish there was some mode of transport that did this. Maybe on a track or something
Car-Nivore@reddit
Apart from the prohibitive build costs but you have to factor in maintenance and cleaning costs. The physics behind hitting a piece of large debris @200mph, which has been tossed over the fence by a disgruntled ex-landowner your track passes through, would be interesting.
grantbey@reddit
Bro just invented HS3
Dedward5@reddit
How about 400m https://www.jurnileasing.co.uk/blog/the-m96-britains-secret-motorway
jaceinthebox@reddit
I think a tunnel would work best.
Sidebottle@reddit
You'd catch an injunction pretty damn quickly.
Toffeemanstan@reddit
There aren't any junctions on a straight line silly
Sidebottle@reddit
You really going to come between the landed gentry and their Waitrose?
CarpeCyprinidae@reddit
yes but apparently only very briefly
Lazy-Employment3621@reddit
Private toll road, charge other people to use your unrestricted road, make it a really broken, undulating surface with loads of corners, charge daft amounts to anyone that crashes, I don't know why nobody's ever thought of this before.
tobotic@reddit
Have you reinvented HS2?
FormerIntroduction23@reddit
Isn't this hs2? So hs3
Immediate_Hotel_1484@reddit
Gonna need to be bigger than 3 meters but yea that would work
THSprang@reddit
If you could afford that strip of land, you could probably afford to do it illegally.
BigPurpleBlob@reddit
You could buy 3 metres from London to Leeds, run trains on it, and call it HS3! ;-)
SnooSongs8782@reddit
3m wide isnāt leaving much room for wind drift, or passing (because you want to do this with a friend). You need at least 1 chain, maybe a 3-chain road to allow for safety zones.
ManufacturerFree5226@reddit
No. The Uk uses KPH. Freedom units are illegal there./s
panadwithonesugar@reddit
Isn't that pretty much the runway from 'Fast and Furious' Mr Shagger?
MintImperial2@reddit
As this strip of land includes Belgravia and Kensington, I'd have to add the caveat:-
"Even Elon Musk can't afford it!"
TheDreadfulCurtain@reddit
No, Elon
Legitimate-Credit-82@reddit
I don't see any reason why not
Sea_Collar4817@reddit
Are you planning on doing this op?
thinkmoreharder@reddit
Yes. But at that price, buy a fighter jet. Itās faster.
ElusiveDoodle@reddit
Only if you find a 3m wide strip that isn't already public highway.
Acceptable-Music-205@reddit
Thatās the concept of HS2 no?
stercus_uk@reddit
No. Any 300 mile strip across the UK would include big hills that would prevent safe travel at those speeds. You would fail or you would crash and likely die.
gaurabdhg@reddit
Why don't you just become a train driver. It's essentially the same....
mustangwallflower@reddit
Nice try, Elon ;-)
ThePumpk1nMaster@reddit
Everyoneās raising the āHow do you think race tracks work?ā argumentā¦
Nobody seems to be questioning the ability to buy a straight line of road from like Kent to Snowdonia
OutrageousCourse4172@reddit
This was the thinking behind HS2, I believe.
Greater_Logic@reddit
Why would you want to go to Birmingham faster
mightytonto@reddit
What a ridiculous question. I love it!!
Equivalent_Prize3444@reddit
If you have the money to buy this land, hell you can drive at 200mph even on normal roads!!š
DreamyTomato@reddit
You dont even need to buy that strip of land. Only last month I travelled at 400mph across England and Wales, following the line of that red strip quite closely.
I took the plane from Belfast to London Heathrow.
Eryeahmaybeok@reddit
Cowabunga!
juanito_f90@reddit
Cheaper to take your car to Germany.
Itās only 4 hours to the German border at Venlo and the A40 is derestricted.
db_2_k@reddit
A fleet of helicopters, private jets, and jetpacks would be far cheaper than trying to buy an uninterrupted 3m wide strip of land that crosses a country.
If you're one of the richest people in the world, you are generally welcome to travel at any speed you like!
StrangelyBrown@reddit
Or just, you know, go to Germany...
JimmyBallocks@reddit
also will there ever be born a boy who can swim faster than a shark
AskUK-ModTeam@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question.
sir__gummerz@reddit
Hs2
AskUK-ModTeam@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question.
ServerLost@reddit
Calm down Elon.
AskUK-ModTeam@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question.
Sir-Craven@reddit
Someones leaked the HS2 planning doc
AskUK-ModTeam@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question.
lrp1991@reddit
š
TunedOutPlugDin@reddit
Yes, as long as you don't say you're english.
Jezbod@reddit
I just got intrigued by the selective representation of the National Parks.
What's wrong with Exmoor, The New Forest, South Downs, The Broads (Authority) and the bottom edge of the Peak District?
Rocky-bar@reddit
I f you need to get from Kent to North Wales in an hour, it might work out cheaper to relocate, or get yourself a helicoptor.
fezzuk@reddit
Yes but could you move it south a couple of miles you just missed Croydon.
Legitimate_Finger_69@reddit
As long as you have fences/gates so there is no public access. Access only to your suddenly long list of friends.
Looks to me you pass about twenty speed camera vans on the M40 so I thoroughly endorse this project.
scouse_git@reddit
Yes, and you could do your 200mph on an unregulated electric bike or scooter
_Kathi__@reddit
Please just go to Germany. Rent a car and drive over the Autobahn. But follow all the rules like a true german.
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