Middle Lane Hogging - North/South divide..

stator

Middle lane hoggers may be annoying but on the other hand people who change lane excessively are dangerous. Most crashes are caused when someone changes lane. People either cut you up or don't check their blind spot for other vehicles when they change lane. Sometimes there isn't space to safely return to the left lane and then back to the middle for the next overtake.

almillar

I'm in NI, and we don't have a lot of 3 lane carraigeways - perhaps the south of England simply has more of them than the north?
Anyway, plenty of middle/outside lane hogs everywhere as far as I can see.
DoubleV - you're a bad driver, and the problem is you're effectively turning a 3 lane motorway into a 2 lane one. What's the problem with driving on the left like you're meant to, and overtaking when necssary? What's wrong with changing lanes?!

Yes indeed, instead of doing something useful like catching criminals!

I'd quite like them to get people off the road before they cause a motorway crash, pile up, injury or death.

“ Not sure about straight line roads like the M1 but I think I know why people prefer the middle lanes on the M25. There's so much traffic coming onto and getting off the M25 at any one junction, it's safer to travel in the middle lanes, to avoid impeding the arrivals and departures progress

I know this doesn't always work in practice, but remember that the people on the slip road are supposed to be matching the speed of the traffic and merging in. If everyone on the inside lane of the carraigeway left a decent gap, and lets one car each in, traffic would flow better (and yes, might slow down at each junction.
And if you are pulling out at a junction, when you see lots of cars 'slipping on', you're not a middle lane hog, as long as you go back in.

on the other hand people who change lane excessively are dangerous.

Define excessively. Weaving is bad and you certainly shouldn't enter a lane if there isn't space for you. So I think it's changing lane without checking properly.

Most crashes are caused when someone changes lane

...without looking.

Sometimes there isn't space to safely return to the left lane and then back to the middle for the next overtake.

That's fine if it's true. I get stuck behind people who have loads of space to move in and they don't. They're road hogs. If you can get in and back out without impeding yourself or others, just pull in, it does you no harm.

bazster

stator wrote: »

Middle lane hoggers may be annoying but on the other hand people who change lane excessively are dangerous. Most crashes are caused when someone changes lane. People either cut you up or don't check their blind spot for other vehicles when they change lane. Sometimes there isn't space to safely return to the left lane and then back to the middle for the next overtake.

Well duh, it's not a dichotomy between middle lane hogging on the one hand and changing lanes recklessly on the other, there is a middle way (you see what I did there?).

Double_V

mchale wrote: »

That's because your a bad driver.

I am not a bad driver.
As other member stated M25 has too many junctions cars joining in.
It's safer.
Left 2 lanes are always occupied. And past 3 weeks M25 is crazy busy. A lot of people driving 60 on those left lanes. Matter of fact that lane on whole is 60.
So it's easy to stay in middle (3rd lane) when you have to go in and out indicating left and right for constant lane changing.

On other motorways I stay on left.
And even on M25 at night I prefer to travel after 22:00 as its clear and I can actually enjoy driving then.

EdGasket

bazster wrote: »

Ensuring that our expensively-built and economically-essential motorways revert to the three or four lanes they were designed with instead of the two or three lanes the CLOC reduces them to would be an extremely worthwhile use of police time.

Nah the police just want to get their stats up and motorists are always the soft, easy target. I've actually had police cars tailgating me in the past to try and make me go over the speed limit; pathetic.

bazster

You are a bad driver.

bazster

EdGasket wrote: »

Nah the police just want to get their stats up and motorists are always the soft, easy target. I've actually had police cars tailgating me in the past to try and make me go over the speed limit; pathetic.

Regardless of the motivation of the police it is a massive problem that the Centre Lane Owners' Club insists on reducing our three-lane motorways to dual carriageways. If the police want to fix that problem then more power to their elbow say I. However, given that the problem is endemic, the fact that there's only been one prosecution suggest that they're not actually that interested.

benjus

I do believe in (and practise) lane discipline and do think that drivers that sit in the middle lane on an empty road are idiots.

However, many roads in this country are just so busy that you can't drive for more than a couple of hundred yards in the left lane before having to move out again. People often comment that lane discipline on the Continent is much better than here - but then the roads (especially the toll roads) are often far quieter. It's easy to have good lane discipline on a quiet road.

I don't think there's anything wrong with staying in the middle lane if you can see there's only a fairly short distance to the next thing you're going to need to overtake in the left lane.

theatretony

I have heard the general rule is that if you can drive in the left hand lane for over 20 seconds - do it !!

The M6 toll is also good for Middle Lane Hoggers - I think they think that if they pay for it - it belongs to them!!

Also, on a side note - why does it cost £5.50 one way and only £4 to go the other!!!!

EssexExile

theatretony wrote: »

Also, on a side note - why does it cost £5.50 one way and only £4 to go the other!!!!

It doesn't, it depends on the time of day. Anyway, keep off it, I like it this quiet.;)