Cheeky Driver's or Not?!

System

I do it quite often. Nothing wrong in 'queue jumping' like that.

Nixer

My OH and I do this sometimes but I rarely see other people do it. I don't understand the comments about people in the left lane not "expecting it" since they should be looking to their right as they join anyway. I don't even think it is particularly cheeky either - anyone has the option to do the same.

As the right lane fills it doesn't become optimal to do this so people use the left. As the left lane fills it becomes optimal to do it again so the right lane fills. So if more people did it it would probably help traffic flow. I doubt the police care but I haven't seen a police car since christmas anyway.

Something I do see far more often, almost daily, which is dangerous, is people in the right lane who want the left, which is moving but congested, barging into a small gap in the left lane at speed, forcing people to brake, because they are too stupid to realise that they can use the right lane instead (and weren't prepared enough to get in the left lane earlier).

Marvel1

Smart, I have done it before.

almillar

It's clever and cheeky, and yes I admit to doing it. Only when in a rush and when the queue is long. Don't do it unless there's a big saving, it's not illegal, but it IS impolite to other road users, you're bunking the queue, and causing the queue to give way to 1 extra vehicle (yourself) which makes the queue wait slightly longer.
At times it's better than sitting behind the dawdlers that can't use a roundabout and don't go when there's a (perfectly safe) gap, or when some [censored] isn't using indicators.

fivetide

Its not as bad as ignoring a queue at roadworks then shoving in but at the end of the day you are simply making the problem worse because you are holding up the traffic in the left hnd lane.

To those saying "everyone else could do it" that would really back the road up.

Stuff like this is for people who want to mark themselves out as selfish and impatient. Feel free to drive along feeling smug, but I suspect the polite members of society disagree with you.

5t.

Proc

It's good thinking. I do loads of driving and stuff like this is invaluable.

There used to be a roundabout just outside Worcester that was notorious for traffic turning right. You could easily be sat in a tailback for 30 mins because of the traffic light controls etc. I found it easier to go into the relatively empty straight-ahead lane then as soon I've come off the 12 o'clock exit just throw a quick three point turn back towards the roundabout and you're right at the front near the traffic lights...just from a different entrance.

Lum

I have to confess to doing this at my local Tesco, but for a slightly different reason.

There's two routes I can take home, straight on or right. Usually the right turn is the better route, but I check the traffic levels on both and if the straight ahead option is less congested then I loop around and go straight on instead.

There's also a roundabout (retail park just outside Caerphilly) where the roundabout only has straight on and left exits, buth single lane, but it has two lanes going into it. Everybody stupidly queues in the left lane, even if they are going straight on, so I just "assume" they're all turning left then if/when I get cut up by someone going straight on from the left turn lane I loop around and go straight on.

andygb

fivetide wrote: »

Its not as bad as ignoring a queue at roadworks then shoving in but at the end of the day you are simply making the problem worse because you are holding up the traffic in the left hnd lane.

To those saying "everyone else could do it" that would really back the road up.

Stuff like this is for people who want to mark themselves out as selfish and impatient. Feel free to drive along feeling smug, but I suspect the polite members of society disagree with you.

5t.

Actually, it is called anticipation, something which all drivers should have. It is neither illegal or bad manners, simply quick thinking on how to get around a problem without pushing in. If a driver went up the outside lane, and then tried to cut in, then they would really annoy people, and possibly hold up people in the outside lane as well. The clever drivers on the other hand, are enabling the traffic to move a lot more smoothly, and relieving the queue from the inside lane.

Lum

fivetide wrote: »

Its not as bad as ignoring a queue at roadworks then shoving in but at the end of the day you are simply making the problem worse because you are holding up the traffic in the left hnd lane.

To those saying "everyone else could do it" that would really back the road up.

Actually quite the opposite

At the typical two lanes into one roadworks merge, if everybody just stayed in their lane until the pinch point, then let in ONE car from the other lane, not only would both lanes flow smoothly at a matched speed, but the actual length of the queue would be halved.

This can have a significant effect when longer queues as it takes twice as many cars before the queue has stretched back far enough that it's blocking up the previous exit, and thus people who wanted that exit are not delayed at all.

But because everyone has to be oh so British and form one single queue in the left hand lane we are twice as likely to cause unnecessary delays for people who aren't even going to be passing through the roadworks.

asbokid

Lum wrote: »

But because everyone has to be oh so British and form one single queue

The Brits were born to queue.

Their willingness to stand in line is used to reinforce their poor self-esteem and their low social status in an oligarchic society.

The Brit is never happier than when he is lining up for his war-time food ration, his unemployment benefit or for his vaccination for venereal disease.