rat-running

noun

1. the practice of driving through residential side streets to avoid congested main roads

Derived Forms

• ˈrat-ˌrunner, noun
• ˈrat-ˌrun, noun

Example Sentences

Chairman of Lenham Parish Council, John Britt, described seeing "rat-running along the county lanes to avoid the queues" with "forty tonne lorries going along single track roads with no passing places".

From BBC

The county council said its £198m project would tackle rat-running and help cut vehicles' overall carbon emissions, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

From BBC

Hackney council in east London is the first UK local authority openly planning to temporarily “filter” its streets, using bollards and planters to prevent rat-running while maintaining access for emergency vehicles and residents.

From The Guardian

With pedestrians crammed on to narrow pavements, and acres of empty asphalt on roads, lower speed limits, filtering residential streets to prevent rat-running, introducing emergency cycleways and expanding footpaths are among potential solutions.

From The Guardian

"We need this to happen. The A344 should never have been closed before they did something about the A303. "The rat-running is horrendous.

From BBC