U-turns on narrow lane - legal?

jaydeeuk1

Billy-no-Money wrote: »

What gives you the right to ignore a no U-turn sign just because you're in a small car? They're usually put there because the act of doing a U-turn is a hazard to others - it's not nice riding a motorbike innocently and carefully along a road only to find that the parked car ahead wasn't actually parked and is now in your path.

Because I prefer to use common sense rather than blindly follow whatever is on the sign. Of course I'm not going to do a u turn on a road with cyclists/kids etc running around, hence if you bothered to read my post properly before going in to a keyboard bashing frenzy. I've got this amazing ability to be able to look where I'm going, spot hazards and think for myself - its a gift. Road signs, speed limits etc are targeted at the lowest skilled drivers who are completely unable to think for themselves. If I stuck a no u turn sign down a T junction because I didn't want someone turning round outside my house, no doubt you'd still be sat there scratching your head 2 weeks later.

Sgt_Pepper_2

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

Because I prefer to use common sense rather than blindly follow whatever is on the sign. Of course I'm not going to do a u turn on a road with cyclists/kids etc running around, hence if you bothered to read my post properly before going in to a keyboard bashing frenzy. I've got this amazing ability to be able to look where I'm going, spot hazards and think for myself - its a gift. Road signs, speed limits etc are targeted at the lowest skilled drivers who are completely unable to think for themselves. If I stuck a no u turn sign down a T junction because I didn't want someone turning round outside my house, no doubt you'd still be sat there scratching your head 2 weeks later.

So how come you got to be so highly skilled to be exempt from the road traffic act?

Rotor

It's the "others make mistakes ; i don't " syndrome.

It's a cousin of the "Ive done this a hundred times and it's been ok - what could possibly go wrong" syndrome for people who overtake when they can't see whats coming

somethingcorporate

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

I ignore U turn signs, they're a piece of p*ss to do in an IQ.

I love your logic, I ignore speed limit signs because my car can do 100mph

Lum

Also the other reason for no U-turn signs is areas where doing a U-turn disrupts traffic flow. You may be able to do the manoeuvre perfectly safely in one move but while you are waiting for a gap in the oncoming traffic you are creating a big queue and holding everybody up.

There are loads of no U-turn signs (and no right turn signs) outside the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport for this reason, because while you are creating a queue waiting 5 minutes to turn around, some idiot 10 cars back is queueing in the box junction blocking the ambulances from getting out, and even if the box junction is actually clear for once the ambulance can't get through the queue you have created.

That said, one of the possible U-turn places doesn't have the sign so people just queue there to do it instead.

Idiophreak

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

Because I prefer to use common sense rather than blindly follow whatever is on the sign. Of course I'm not going to do a u turn on a road with cyclists/kids etc running around, hence if you bothered to read my post properly before going in to a keyboard bashing frenzy. I've got this amazing ability to be able to look where I'm going, spot hazards and think for myself - its a gift. Road signs, speed limits etc are targeted at the lowest skilled drivers who are completely unable to think for themselves. If I stuck a no u turn sign down a T junction because I didn't want someone turning round outside my house, no doubt you'd still be sat there scratching your head 2 weeks later.

Bit torn on this...on the one hand, I get quite tired with people thinking the worst of others on this site and laying into them without crediting with them any common sense.

...But on the other hand, I'm fairly sure that plenty of drivers that have hit and killed cyclists doing U-turns would have written the above post before they did so...

dggar

Norma_Desmond wrote: »

My house fronts on to the verge of a narrow country lane leading to next door's farm and I'm having problems with drivers almost hitting the house when they attempt to u-turn; one yesterday literally came within an inch of my front wall.

I'm not clear in my own mind whether it is possible to do a U turn on a narrow country lane (unless driving a Black Taxi..)

Are we talking about a turn in the road or are drivers using the verge as an extention of the metalled road surface.

jaydeeuk1

Idiophreak wrote: »

Bit torn on this...on the one hand, I get quite tired with people thinking the worst of others on this site and laying into them without crediting with them any common sense.

...But on the other hand, I'm fairly sure that plenty of drivers that have hit and killed cyclists doing U-turns would have written the above post before they did so...

I do get your point, and I'm not trying to be all arrogant about it, but I stand by my quote. Sometimes I even do 75 on the motorway when, IMO, it's safe to do so :eek:

You can put as many road/warning signs up as you like, but they never account for road conditions and just treat all motorists as idiots, when I'm sure there are at least a handful out there, like me, who are able to decide for themselves.

Lum

I can see where jaydee is coming from on this one actually.

In my above example where the no U-turn sign is to stop people from screwing up the traffic flow around the hospital. Does anybody really care if somebody does a U-turn there at 3AM when the only other car in the vicinity is a police car parked on a double yellow line.

jaydeeuk1

Exactly, plus most people also seemed to have missed the fact I have an IQ - turning circle is smaller than the majority of UK roads, and smallest of any production car, so no need to stop then look, turn full lock move forward and come to a stop, look again, change lock, reverse, stop and look again etc, just look behind and around, swing steering wheel on full lock and you're going the opposite way in a matter of seconds.

If you drive a Mitsubushi Evo which has the turning circle of an oil tanker, then you can't obviously do the same manoeuvres, and you will be more of a hazard, but then if you're capable of working that out, you probably won't be doing it.