On 18 December 2025 EastSheenMatters drew attention to the potential problems caused by the Yellow Box on the Upper Richmond Road outside Waitrose Car Park.
Some subscribers have suggested that the Highway Code only intends to catch number 2 below. So some further thinking.
Rule 174 states:
“You MUST NOT enter the box until your exit road or lane 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.”
Reconsider how many ways there are to get caught by the camera highup at the western end of Waitrose East Sheen.
- Exiting Waitrose Car Park to go West
- Exiting Waitrose Car Park to go East
- Entering Waitrose Car Park
- Driving West to East on the Upper Richmond Road
Take 1, What if you drive out to go West and a car you have been unable to see speeds from the East and blocks your exit. You’re stuck, straddled across the yellow box.
THEORETICALLY YOU SHOULD BE SAFE. BUT NEITHER OF THE EXCEPTIONS APPLY PRECISELY.
Take 2. Wanting to turn left exiting the car park, you see a space in the inside lane into which you can properly exit. But a car which was in the outside lane nips into the space, you were planning to enter. You can no longer exit. You’re stuck.
YOU MIGHT ARGUE THE CASE BUT ON THE FACE OF IT, YOU ARE STUCK AND STUFFED!
Take 3. You are driving West wanting to enter the car park. The traffic lights to your left are at red so there is plenty of time and space to cross. But out of your sight to the right comes a slow moving buggy, for which being a decent driver you stop, allowing it to pass in front of you. Disaster – you are stationery in the Yellow Box. Your exit was clear but it is no longer.
AGAIN NEITHER OF THE EXCEPTIONS APPLY PRECISELY.
Take 4. You are driving in a slow moving stream of traffic heading east and there is no obvious reason for it to stop so you anticipate that your exit should be clear. If the traffic did not continue its stream, everything would grind to a halt. For whatever reason, bus, lorry, pedestrian, the stream stops and you are caught a foot inside the box. Stuck again.
NO CHANCE!
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What I find interesting is the reason for these boxes, which do not appear to have that much effect on the flow of traffic. I believe that multiple requests have been made to have a yellow box at the URRW and Sheen Lane crossroads, so that Sheen Lane traffic is not prevented from crossing by cars queuing across the junction. These have been refused in the past by TfL, so why would they put boxes at Waitrose, where there is only one highway? This appears to be purely a money-making exercise. I believe that there is a review of the crossroads, so maybe TfL have decided that will bring them even more money.
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