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This is yet another sign of the frustration people feel about overcrowded roads. It is difficult to complete any journey now without someone getting the umbridge and flashing or showing you their various variations on the V sign. All you can do is drive carefully and considerately keep a wary eye for problems.
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I often have trouble when going across a roundabout with two entry lanes and one exit. The right entry lane is marked straight on and right turn. I sometimes use the right hand lane when there's lots of cars in the left, with many turning left. Trouble is when I come to exit the two lane roundabout, people in the left lane, and behind me invariably get very angry, acting as if I am 'pushing in', despite my correctly obeying the road markings.
Suprise suprise. Two into one doesn't go, they were also in the correct lane, you've come from behind them, they now have to stop and let you in. How would you respond if a driver came from behind you, then made you slow or stop to allow them in?
Sure the highway code says the RH lane can be used for going straight across. Fine if the cars in the LH lane are going left, or you have two lanes on the exit road. Most of our local roundabouts have the entry lanes specifically designated to exits to stop this situation. Still get the occassional driver who thinks road markings apply to others but not themselves though.
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Yes - lots of confusion re lanes 1-3 etc
I'm approaching the roundabout in the "offside" lane ie the one closest to the centre of the road. It's my intention to turn right, ie 270 degrees, in order to get to supermarket thats just after the roundabout.
I get on the roundabout indicating right. just as I have passed the "straight on" exit, I indicate left, and come across the lanes to leave the roundabout on the inside lane, f***hest from the centre. My left indicator then cancels itself, and I park and avail myself of the BOGOF offers.
If I enter the roundabout from the middle lane, I take the risk that the man on my right is not turning right, but is going straight on, as he is entitled to do - potential crash.
If I'm the man who's entering the roundabout intending to turn left despite the fact he can see I'm already on it indicating left then he's assuming that I will see him and make a decision to leave on the offside centremost lane. He dares me to leave on the lane I intended to. hence potential collision / horns blaring.
I guess I accept it is just another manifestation of congested roads and impatience.
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further to this, if I'm going round the roundabout as indicated, it's possible that the person entering the roundabout on my left is also turning right, as some roundabout entry lanes are indicated now. I have to watch on my left and if someone is on my left then he obviously has right of way to leave on the leftmost lane.
But if you're joining a roundabout the whole principle should be that you can't make people who are already on the roundabout move to avoid you, ie "give way to vehicles already on the roundabout". some motorway roundabouts now give left turners their own lane, entirely separate from the main roundabout, to make this clear
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John
Judging by your login name and area description at a wild guess you are approaching down Herringthorpe Valley Road towards traffic island with A630 and Alwarke Lane with the intention to avail yourself of some Asda price? (taps pocket x2) ;-)
I agree this island is a right pain from all angles, and is typical of many where the space and speeds on the island tend to be out of proportion to the access and exit roads.
I don't have a solution for you John apart from saying you clearly have thought about it, and also obviously maintain your observation levels all around you, before and during the manoeuvre. That alone must put you ahead of 98% of the other denizens of Rotherham as far as I can see.
When in the area visiting the outlaws my usual route at that island is straight ahead, and its no less complicated from Aldwarke Lane into HVR, what with 3 lanes on island into two and immediately into one as the right lane quickly becomes turn right only at the Mushroom garage.
If it's another island, then sorry I'll go and get my coat.
As for general rules it is clear in the highway code www.highwaycode.gov.uk/17.shtml#160
The diagram shows that if you are leaving on the third exit you should keep close to the island and can then exit in either LH or RH lane on the exit road as indicated by the yellow arrows on the diagram.
Also note the wording in rule 161. It depends upon the specific road markings whether you should give way as shown by double dotted white lines, or merely give priority and fit in with other traffic as indicated by the more normal single dotted white lines. I can't remember off hand what they are on the ASDA island, shame on me, smacked wrist.
Having said all that, ref my comment in para 3 re the 98%, they wouldn't know the difference between the two markings anyway.
Hope all that helps,
FiF
PS the swear filter has now gone totally over the top, are we now no longer allowed to type a word similar to furthest (replace the u with an a) Barmy!!!!!!
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>Judging by your login name and area description at a wild guess you are approaching down Herringthorpe Valley Road towards traffic island with A630 and Alwarke Lane with the intention to avail yourself of some Asda price? (taps pocket x2) ;-)
snip
ah I know the roundabout well - always lots of fun. usually semi stationary - usually the left turning traffic blocking the route is crawling along and you have to take your turn.
but the roundabout I mean, as an example, is the one at the foot of Ecclesall Rd in Sheffield, turning into Safeway. I come down from the University area, and want to turn right into ecclesall rd, and immediately turn left into safeway. only the rightmost lane is marked as being for right turners, and you have to avoid collisons with people coming the opposite direction, from the Brammall lane roundabout area. Sometimes you have to give up and miss the exit to safeway and go to tesco instead.
What sacrifices we make...
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gotcha!
OK well not much more to be said really, different place, same stupidity.
As for us Waitrose customers.......
(adopts snooty expression and quietly sneaks into Co-op when thinks nobody looking......)
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As for general rules it is clear in the highway code www.highwaycode.gov.uk/17.shtml#160
this has it exactly - the blue car at 2 oclock as viewed is indicating left to exit. the adjacent red car, is indicating left to follow the yellow arrow. he MUST give way to the blue car, irrespective of the lane the blue car is in.
What is happening is that the red car ignores the give way, and assumes the blue car will see him and slow to let him on, or take the other lane.
I guess it might occasionally cause collisions, but I would guess the most common cause of collisions on roundabouts is where people assume that the car in front queuing to get on a roundabout has seen a gap, and gone, they look for their gap, and move and hit the car in front that bottled it whilst only half way onto the roundabout...
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Yes - lots of confusion re lanes 1-3 etc I'm approaching the roundabout in the "offside" lane ie the one closest to the centre of the road. It's my intention to turn right, ie 270 degrees, in order to get to supermarket thats just after the roundabout. I get on the roundabout indicating right. just as I have passed the "straight on" exit, I indicate left, and come across the lanes to leave the roundabout on the inside lane, f***hest from the centre. My left indicator then cancels itself, and I park and avail myself of the BOGOF offers.
John, AFAIK you're doing exactly what you should do, carry on. Just be wary of the ones that come from the left as you are exiting, that don't know what they are doing and wave and smile at the ones that honk and flash as if you are apologising whilst calling them a moron under your breath at the same time. The roundabout in question is another example of Sheffield's finest road planners, it's too big, meaning traffic goes around it too fast and hence it is difficult to enter the roundabout so people take chances. The other thing is, it has trafic lights on the approaches, about 25 yds from roundabout (what's that all about ??) and when people see the green light they think they can ignore the give way line at the roundabout entrance.
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Suprise suprise. Two into one doesn't go, they were also in the correct lane, you've come from behind them, they now have to stop and let you in. How would you respond if a driver came from behind you, then made you slow or stop to allow them in?
This is just pig-headedness - If the roundbout's got 2 available lanes into it then they should both be used. This gets traffic through quickly to minimise the buildup on the entry. The problem arises when people who think they've got some god-given right to 'their space' in the left-hand lane won't let other merge in smoothly. The resultant blocking battle ends up slowing the whole traffic flow.
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>> I often have trouble when going across a roundabout with two >> entry lanes and one exit. The right entry lane is marked >> straight on and right turn. I sometimes use the right hand >> lane when there's lots of cars in the left, with many >> turning left. Trouble is when I come to exit the two >> lane roundabout, people in the left lane, and behind me invariably >> get very angry, acting as if I am 'pushing in', despite >> my correctly obeying the road markings. >>
Suprise suprise. Two into one doesn't go, they were also in the correct lane, you've come from behind them, they now have to stop and let you in. How would you respond if a driver came from behind you, then made you slow or stop to allow them in?
I would rather that you did not make assumptions before giving a snotty reply. If you had asked I could have told you that I didn't come from behind and they didn't have to stop to let me in. The tail of my car was in front of their car, but they were not prepared to allow merging, which is what was required, and the exit was initially two lanes wide, but quickly narrowed. I think you are right that if two cars are roughly level, then common sense suggests the one in lane 1 has priority, though there is room for negotiation based on driver eye contact and hand gestures.
After all it only takes a little common sense and courtesy.
A similar thing happens when two lanes merge into one. Usually people are polite and considerate (and I try to be too) but sometimes if I am in lane 2, a car in lane 1, behind me, decides to accelerate, or sit nose to tail with the car to my left, to prevent me from 'pushing in'. I just think "Oh for goodness sake get a life!". Thankfully these uptight people are not the norm.
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