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

ontheroad1970

Close to where I live there is a road to a roundabout that is wide enough to fit two vehicles in comfortably.  No road markings separating them, but plenty of road wear showing it happens.  I'm usually turning right, so I will position myself in such a way that there is space to pass on the left - there is more traffic turning right as it is a multi junction to the M4/A48.  Why do people need to be spoon fed what they should do?  Why not read the situation in front of you and assess  the best course of action?  No good honking your horn at a wide vehicle that can't leave sufficient space for another vehicle to pass on the left, and equally no point in potentially causing a traffic jam onto the carriageway and potentially contributing to causing an accident on the main carriageway.  If there is NO marking, just because convention says use the clock face, doesn't mean you follow the convention blindly in every situation. 

Too many drivers don't know how  to read the road, and frequently the ones that drive the same route daily who should know that you can use both lanes that sit determinedly in the jam unnecessarily.

Supersonos

Grumpy_chap said:

Out of interest, how long (in time) is the queue if you follow in line?

No idea - I've never done it.  I use all available road to make good progress.

It's quite a long slip road so probably 2 or three minutes.

Sandtree

The highway code is fairly clear, unless road signs/markings say otherwise you should use left lane for first exit, right lane for last exit and best judgement for any other.

As the OP wants to take the last exist they should be in the right lane as there are no roadmarkings  to the contrary. Now clearly the road layout is a bit stupid and there probably should be signs/markings to allow both lanes to go right if the roundabout is wide enough to deal with HGVs etc but in the absence of those left hand is only for rejoining the road.


186
Signals and position. When taking the first exit, unless signs or markings indicate otherwise

• signal left and approach in the left-hand lane
• keep to the left on the roundabout and continue signalling left to leave.

When taking an exit to the right or going full circle, unless signs or markings indicate otherwise

• signal right and approach in the right-hand lane
• keep to the right on the roundabout until you need to change lanes to exit the roundabout
• signal left after you have passed the exit before the one you want.

Supersonos

ontheroad1970 said:

Close to where I live there is a road to a roundabout that is wide enough to fit two vehicles in comfortably.  No road markings separating them, but plenty of road wear showing it happens.  

Sounds like the same as where I live.

There are a lot of very wide roads (wide enough that people hoon down the middle expecting all traffic to push to the sides to let them do so) and quite wide roundabouts where you can fit two abreast, but there are no road markings to say the roundabout is two lanes.

I actually position myself in the middle to ensure there's no hiccups on the roundabouts as I wonder if the insurance would say there shouldn't have been two vehicles on the roundabout as the markings don't suggest it.

Money_Grabber13579

ontheroad1970 said:

If there is NO marking, just because convention says use the clock face, doesn't mean you follow the convention blindly

And when you don’t follow the convention, that’s when accidents happen because other motorists can no longer anticipate what you are going to do and this, drive into the side of you.

Username03725

Grumpy_chap said:

Out of interest, how long (in time) is the queue if you follow in line?

Minutes. I used to use the opposite side (off slip, southbound) and after it was resurfaced a couple of years ago the lane markings were changed from 2 lanes to one. Within a week everyone was using it as 2 lanes again and ignoring the ridiculous chevrons to a) save time and b) avoid being on the end of the queue sitting in a live lane at the top of the slip road with m/way speed traffic approaching over a limited view crest. The wait would often be lengthy at peak morning times.

People are wondering about how (or why should they have to) to deal with traffic on their left. You probably don't need to in reality as the distance from the off-slip g/w to the chevrons under the bridge is enough for mix & merge to happen before then with the limited numbers that can get away in between traffic coming from the right, but even so if you've set off with traffic on your left you can't really be surprised if that traffic is still on your left 150 yards further along. It's called awareness.

Username03725

Supersonos said:

I actually position myself in the middle to ensure there's no hiccups on the roundabouts as I wonder if the insurance would say there shouldn't have been two vehicles on the roundabout as the markings don't suggest it.

Oh no - a self-appointed Road Captain. Let's just repeat your statement: you position yourself in the centre of two lanes as there's nothing painted on the road to guide you or other drivers. 

Why not do it properly in the first place and follow the radius of the roundabout in the left lane space (even if it isn't marked), rather than approaching it from a left lane then moving to your right to 'help others to understand' and then presumably move left again as you exit it? Or in your view "I'll use just my one car to block the whole roundabout just in case."

Heck. Pls don't go to Milton Keynes. Maybe you have - I drive across it occasionally and have noticed people doing this occasionally, where they approach in the correct [left] lane then signal right onto a roundabout and move towards the centre (but not all the way as if turning right) and then indicate left, move back to the left and exit in the left lane. At first I thought it was someone lost or something but it happens often enough for me to realise that too many people are clueless.

ontheroad1970

Money_Grabber13579 said:

ontheroad1970 said:

If there is NO marking, just because convention says use the clock face, doesn't mean you follow the convention blindly

And when you don’t follow the convention, that’s when accidents happen because other motorists can no longer anticipate what you are going to do and this, drive into the side of you.

There aint no way I would ever sit on the edge of the dual carriageway waiting to get hit by a barely concentrating driver.  Most junctions like that that I have come across have the left lane dual signed for right and left in order to allow the road to be utilised fully.  I would make my intentions clear and not simply barge my way in.  I wonder if the local authority intends the left lane to be used by all traffic since it has only recently been laid out like this

sheramber

Has anybody queried it with the local authority.

There was a new roundabout built near us with two lanes onto the roundabout.

 One lane marked for left  and straight ahead

One  lane marked for straight on and also third exit.

Unfortunately, there was only one lane exiting onto straight on exit so there were a few near misses as two vehicles tried to enter the road at the same time.

A letter to the local authority resulted in the markings being changed to left and straight on for left lane and third exit only for other lane. 

user1977

sheramber said:

Has anybody queried it with the local authority.

Or checked whether there was anything published about it around the time they changed the markings?