Am I a right-hand lane hog?

michpotts

On nearly every journey home from work I get other drivers tailgating me, papping their horns and undertaking me. I'm new to this driving lark- passed my test a year ago and the part of the road where this happens is classed as an urban motorway so I never got to practice it with my driving instructor. Frankly I'm a bit clueless. Just want to know if I'm doing something really bad and these people are justified OR am I in the right and all these people are idiots.

I drive from East Leeds, along the Inner Ring Road towards West Leeds. The Inner Ring Road is a 2-lane road with a 40mph speed limit and numerous short sliproads joining it. it brings you through the centre of Leeds and out onto a giant roundabout (Armley Gyratory).

I join the Inner Ring Road in the right hand lane and I stay in it, because it makes sense to keep the left hand lane reasonably clear for people to join it off the slip roads. I also turn right at the gyratory and it also makes sense to me to be in the right lane in plently of time (there is a lot of lane swopping and changing just before the gyratory as it turns into 5 lanes and people join it from the city centre and I don't want to add to the chaos IYSWIM?) Despite the fact that I am driving at (admittedly slightly over) the speed limit I constantly get other drivers up my backside, papping, even swearing at me until they undertake and whoosh off they go (it doesn't seem to get them very far because I end up alongside them at the gyratory!). What I don't understand is how this can be justified if there's a 40mph speed limit. Surely you shouldn't go faster than it or what's the point?

Any ideas on how best to handle this. What should I be doing?

Kilty_2

Drive in the left hand lane at all times unless overtaking or road markings indicate otherwise.

mikey72

michpotts wrote: »

On nearly every journey home from work I get other drivers tailgating me, papping their horns and undertaking me. I'm new to this driving lark- passed my test a year ago and the part of the road where this happens is classed as an urban motorway so I never got to practice it with my driving instructor. Frankly I'm a bit clueless. Just want to know if I'm doing something really bad and these people are justified OR am I in the right and all these people are idiots.

I drive from East Leeds, along the Inner Ring Road towards West Leeds. The Inner Ring Road is a 2-lane road with a 40mph speed limit and numerous short sliproads joining it. it brings you through the centre of Leeds and out onto a giant roundabout (Armley Gyratory).

I join the Inner Ring Road in the right hand lane and I stay in it, because it makes sense to keep the left hand lane reasonably clear for people to join it off the slip roads. I also turn right at the gyratory and it also makes sense to me to be in the right lane in plently of time (there is a lot of lane swopping and changing just before the gyratory as it turns into 5 lanes and people join it from the city centre and I don't want to add to the chaos IYSWIM?) Despite the fact that I am driving at (admittedly slightly over) the speed limit I constantly get other drivers up my backside, papping, even swearing at me until they undertake and whoosh off they go (it doesn't seem to get them very far because I end up alongside them at the gyratory!). What I don't understand is how this can be justified if there's a 40mph speed limit. Surely you shouldn't go faster than it or what's the point?

Any ideas on how best to handle this. What should I be doing?

If you've only been driving a year, it's a good rule to assume it's you, and not everyone else on the road.

Keep left, let them pass you, they'll get the speeding ticket eventually.

McKneff

I hope you got a discount/refund from your driving school.

michpotts

When people are joining it they are going slower than the speed limit (these slip roads are so short they are nearly blind so sometimes it's from a standing start) so I am overtaking in a way, and a few hundred yards down the road it will happen again. I compare it to being in the middle lane on a motorway and seeing a lorry further down that you know you're going to overtake soon so you stay in that lane rather than constantly weaving in and out. Don't know if I'm making sense.

michpotts

McKneff wrote: »

I hope you got a discount/refund from your driving school.

That was a bit rude. I had a very good driving instructor and I will not have a word said against him.

The driving test in my area doesn't even cover dual carriageways and as I mentioned this is classed as a motorway so you don't get to drive it with L plates under instruction.

mikey72

michpotts wrote: »

When people are joining it they are going slower than the speed limit (these slip roads are so short they are nearly blind so sometimes it's from a standing start) so I am overtaking in a way, and a few hundred yards down the road it will happen again. I compare it to being in the middle lane on a motorway and seeing a lorry further down that you know you're going to overtake soon so you stay in that lane rather than constantly weaving in and out. Don't know if I'm making sense.

If there's enough time for the rest of Leeds to go past you on the inside, there's enough time for you to pull in, and pull out again when you need to.

Kilty_2

It's classed as a motorway?

I find it hard to believe that a dual carriageway ring road with a 40mph speed limit has an 'M' classification...

What's the road number?

michpotts

mikey72 wrote: »

If you've only been driving a year, it's a good rule to assume it's you, and not everyone else on the road.

Keep left, let them pass you, they'll get the speeding ticket eventually.

They've put a new speed camera in so it's very likely.

michpotts

Kilty wrote: »

It's classed as a motorway?

I find it hard to believe that a dual carriageway ring road with a 40mph speed limit has an 'M' classification...

What's the road number?

A58(M)

I do not live under a bridge.

michpotts

mikey72 wrote: »

If there's enough time for the rest of Leeds to go past you on the inside, there's enough time for you to pull in, and pull out again when you need to.

That's fair enough. Seems a lot of faffing about on a mere mile of road just to keep a few speed freaks happy though. Oh well!