Roundabout Etiquette

All_eBayed_Out

Please can someone give me their opinion & think about this scenario.

You are approching this roundabout from the bottom right of the picture. You want to take the 3rd exit. (Please note that exits 1, 3 and 4 are all single road and not dual as shown in pic). The road markings on the approch to the round about are ..

Left lane = straight on arrow AND an arrow pointing to the 3rd exit.

Right lane = a right arrow only ( 4th exit ) .

The 1st exit is not on the road markings for some reason. Maybe because it is a more minor road.

Anyway....You get in the left lane and go around the roundabout in the outside lane and signal left after the 2nd exit to show you are taking the 3rd exit.

My question.... Is it ok to signal right whilst going around the round about in the outside lane to show I am going past the 2nd exit?

redpete

Looks like the roundabout near the entrance to our close.

I usually enter from the lh lane, and signal right until past the 2nd exit - like you suggest.

Just mentioning what I consider reasonable.

jaydeeuk1

All_eBayed_Out wrote: »

Anyway....You get in the left lane and go around the roundabout in the outside lane and signal left after the 2nd exit to show you are taking the 3rd exit.

If you did that in front of me, I'd ram you off the road

All_eBayed_Out

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

If you did that in front of me, I'd ram you off the road

This is exactly my issue. My near death experiences are that I have been ramed off the road towards the 2nd exit by a white van that was supposed to be in the inside lane and today a bmw came aross from the inside lane to push me onto exit 3 (which I wanted anyway. Ha!).

victor2

From a survival point of view, you're probably safer using the right hand lane, even though the road markings dictate otherwise.
You'd have to watch for someone being "correctly" postioned to your left before exiting, but you could always do another lap round if necessary. Beats getting wiped out by someone who thinks he's in the right.

andygb

If you are using the left hand lane in order to take the third exit, then the very least that you can do is indicate right until you have passed the second exit, then indicate left for the third exit. This will let all the other traffic know what you are doing. CFommon sense however, would dictate that you approach from the right hand lane, indicate right and then do as before. However, if this goes against what everyone else is used to doing or disobeys the road markings, then it could cause confusion all round.
We have a roundabout near us with no markings (a medium sized roundabout not a mini), and everyone seems to take the right hand lane to go straight on (the second exit), not quite sure why?

grimsalve

Just buy a big Audi and drive in whatever lane you choose and don't bother indicating :mad:

flyingscotno1

All_eBayed_Out wrote: »

The 1st exit is not on the road markings for some reason. Maybe because it is a more minor road.

Anyway....You get in the left lane and go around the roundabout in the outside lane and signal left after the 2nd exit to show you are taking the 3rd exit.

My question.... Is it ok to signal right whilst going around the round about in the outside lane to show I am going past the 2nd exit?

Couple of points.

1st exit won't be on the markings because you are not allowed to put more than 2 directions on a arrow at a roundabout. If you need to, omit an obvious one or provide no arrow, engineers judgement.

It's one of our classic terminology points in the office in that second paragraph as people can get confused by it.

When they hear outside lane that means the one nearest the middle of the road on the approach, and they also think that is the same lane they'd get into when on the roundabout (i.e it is the one nearest the roundabout circle island), not the outside of the circumference.

For consistency we keep the same terms, for approach as on the roundabout! Mute point but I suspect some people might think you entered in the left hand lane then moved to the right hand lane next to the roundabout island by the description outside lane!

As for the answer- if there are an ahead arrow and a right hand arrow then yes fine for 3rd exit esp if the 3rd exit has 2 lanes on exit.

Mobeer

All_eBayed_Out wrote: »

My question.... Is it ok to signal right whilst going around the round about in the outside lane to show I am going past the 2nd exit?

I would think you were in the wrong lane (assuming "outside" means left most lane). If it were the rush hour I would assume you do this on purpose to overtake other cars. I would go in the right lane and swing as wide around the roundabout as possible to give you difficulty, but I would not actually cause a collision.

mikey72

Just me that would avoid other traffic then, and use whichever lane wasn't full of mad max wannabees?

scheming_gypsy

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

If you did that in front of me, I'd ram you off the road

me too. If i attempted to go round a roundabout in the outside lane i'd expect to be rammed into and then get dragged out of the car and be stamped on.
It's the 12 o'clock rule

Even the highway code puts you on the right
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070338