Am I a right-hand lane hog?

iamana1ias

michpotts wrote: »

I still don't understand why people feel the need to over/undertake someone doing the speed limit (you wouldn't do it on a single carriageway would you?) but I'm willing to accept that if that's their perogative, fine. .

I wouldn't be able to undertake on a single carriageway, but if it's safe yes I'll absolutely overtake. Why on earth wouldn't you?

michpotts

iamana1ias wrote: »

I wouldn't be able to undertake on a single carriageway, but if it's safe yes I'll absolutely overtake. Why on earth wouldn't you?

But if they're going AT the speed limit you'd have to be going OVER the speed limit to overtake them. And if you are directly behind them you'd be going at the speed limit too so why would you need/want to overtake? Just wondering.

HouseHuntr

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?

Obviously whoever passed you fit to be out alone needs their head examining (was it a troll), secondly you should be made to resit your test if you think you need to ask if you're doing something wrong!

Maybe the Trollway Code will help you out ?

michpotts

HouseHuntr wrote: »

Obviously whoever passed you fit to be out alone needs their head examining (was it a troll), secondly you should be made to resit your test if you think you need to ask if you're doing something wrong!

Maybe the Trollway Code will help you out ?

I come on here genuinely asking for advice and just get insulted. !!!! the lot of you!:mad::mad::mad:

flyingscotno1

michpotts wrote: »

The Leeds Inner Ring Road is not a typical road- there are blind sliproads and some people just pull out onto it right in front of you at speed and frankly I feel safer on the right hand side! I genuinely thought I was making the road safer by giving these people more space. And despite the 40mph speed limit people drive it at 70mph and above.

Best advice given is that if there is enough room for someone to undertake you there was enough space for you to move over.

If everyone stuck to the outside lane the road capacity is halved. Stick to the left hand lane, and pull out if you see someone joining. You have right of way anyway at slip-roads, and whist you have to be considerate it is up to the joining driver to give way and merge properly.

Oh ignore what everyone else wants to do. If they want to drive at 70mph let them, by sitting at 40mph even if it is the speed limit you'll just aggravate folks.

I had a similar situation recently where someone sat in the outside lane of the duel carriageway at 55mph (70 limit!). 10-15 cars bottled up behind, nothing was in the left lane and I just moved over and passed on the left. Still didn't move and I never saw them or the queue again!

HouseHuntr

michpotts wrote: »

I come on here genuinely asking for advice and just get insulted. !!!! the lot of you!:mad::mad::mad:

And you drive on the road most probably comitting an offence of 'driving without due care and attention' to other road users !!

ellay864

michpotts wrote: »

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.

I can understand you wouldn't go on the A58 (M) as a learner but find it hard to believe that your lessons, if not your actual test, didn't cover dual carriageway driving. If it didn't then that's something else against your instructor for not preparing you properly. And if he did but forgot to mention that the outside/middle lanes are for overtaking only then he's also failed on that score.
Yes speeding is wrong in the eyes of UK road law, as is undertaking but lane hogging is also wrong and directly impedes other motorists. Planning for your turning right at the gyratory means being aware of the road in the approach to it and moving at the appropriate time...not staying there for the duration to save yourself the hassle

iamana1ias

michpotts wrote: »

But if they're going AT the speed limit you'd have to be going OVER the speed limit to overtake them. And if you are directly behind them you'd be going at the speed limit too so why would you need/want to overtake? Just wondering.

You seem very naive. When your car says you are doing 40mph, you're actually doing around 36mph. When you think you're doing 70mph, you're really doing around 63mph. So I can happily go up to 85mph readout on the motorway before risking points (76.5mph in reality). If you're doing 63, and I'm doing 75, it's not going to take much to overtake you!

Don't be so fixated on speed limits - they are outdated, unrealistic and as you've proven, driving at the speed limit doesn't make you a good or even a safe driver!

BLT_2

michpotts wrote: »

I come on here genuinely asking for advice and just get insulted. !!!! the lot of you!:mad::mad::mad:

I would stick to a pushbike if I were you

Eton_Rifle

It sounds like you're still very nervous when changing lanes so you're avoiding doing it and are coming up with reasons to justify to yourself why it's a good idea to stay in that one lane.

Don't worry - it's all perfectly normal, probably half of us are like this when we are new to drivng and most of us overcome it once we've become confident of our abilities.