I always get beeped at this jcn - is it me or every other driver on the road who is wrong?

Supersonos

This slip road coming off the A41 and going into Hemel splits into two lanes as it approaches a junction.  When busy, every single car sits in a long queue in the right-hand lane.  I use the always-empty left-hand lane and get angrily honked and flashed almost every time as I follow the road to the right.  Tonight a car almost drove into the side of me to show their anger that I'd "pushed-in".

There's no signs but surely both lanes follow the road to the right?  If not that means there's a lane just for traffic that comes off the A41 and wants to go straight back on again...

https://www.instantstreetview.com/@51.73584,-0.481261,310.17h,4.79p,0z,TGlIN5xx9egAsjBfsnFIlQ

Sky_

Right hand lane to turn right, left hand lane to go left or straight ahead. 

Them's the rules, unless the road markings, or signs, indicate otherwise.

Supersonos

Sky_ said:

Right hand lane to turn right, left hand lane to go left or straight ahead. 

Them's the rules, unless the road markings, or signs, indicate otherwise.

At a roundabout, yes.  But this isn't a roundabout.

And why is there a lane purely for traffic to join a road they've just exited?

AdrianC

I used to use that junction most days.

There are only two places to go from there - turn right into town, which almost everybody is doing, or straight back onto the A41, which almost nobody is doing.
There are two lanes.
There are no directional hints because, frankly, they aren't needed.

People unnecessarily queueing in the RH lane and then having a humph at those using half of the available road are idiots.

Sky_

I'd interpret it as being the same rules as a roundabout in the above situation--basic road manners. In my experience there are usually signs somewhere indicating that this is the case on similar dual carriageway exit roads.

I've no idea, I should imagine that only the road planners and/or highways department in the area can answer that.

ontheroad1970

"Basic road manners" is what makes the traffic jams at approach to lane closures ten times as long as they need to be.

Supersonos

ontheroad1970 said:

"Basic road manners" is what makes the traffic jams at approach to lane closures ten times as long as they need to be.

Exactly.  In my mind, it splits into two lanes to reduce the chance of the queuing traffic affecting the dual carriageway. 

It's nonsensical to think that the left-hand lane is for traffic wanting to join a dual carriageway they've just left, but everyone seems to think that is what it's for.

Jenni_D

The only comment I'd make is that the "roundabout" is only marked as a single lane, and only has a single lane "exit" under the bridge. Yes, there are two lanes as you exit the roundabout proper, but there's also another junction (A41 exit the other way) joining just before the exit.

facade

Looks to me as if it was intended as 2 lanes, so The Planners reduced the width with chevrons, I've no idea what goes on in their heads, probably affects the traffic 2 miles down the road if the cause a blockage here.

It could do with a bit of white paint on the road, either a turn right arrow and a straight on arrow, or some merge arrows.

doningtonphil

Hello.  I have never used thi junction.  On the google, it looks like the length of the slip road is single lane, with marking restricting the width.  There also seem to be markings on the road under the bridge to 'restrict the width' to single lane.  SO to me it looks like the general scenario is single lane in, single lane out, with the extra lane being made at the Give Way for people to proceed straight on- however unlikely.

In a world where Englands gighways are littered with all sorts of roadsigns I am surprised there is not either a 'use right hadn lane for Hemel' or 'use both lanes for Hemel' sign

theoretica

As above, if you use the left hand lane to turn right don't you need to merge back in at some point before going under the bridge, but no merge is marked?  It seems a case for setting a local councillor on to arranging better road marking to me.