There's an easy solution to all these woes.
Buy a Hummer.........that way, you can just ignore roundabouts.
Problem solved.
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Driving up the RH lane to dodge the traffic and then turning L after a trip round the roundabout just leads to long queues in both lanes and on the roundabout. The favorite local spot for this is currently contraflowed to enable them to rebuild the whole roundabout. You can bet that the right hand lane dwellers find it quite hard to push back into the single coned off lane at the start of the contraflow. :-)
A friend of mine habitually approaches roundabout in the RH land for a slightly different reason, when navigating a new route, they whip round the roundabout to have a look at all the options before choosing an exit road.
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A friend of mine habitually approaches roundabout in the RH land for a slightly different reason, when navigating a new route, they whip round the roundabout to have a look at all the options before choosing an exit road.
Very wise - I do the same. Although it can be highly frustrating on a big roundabout with poorly phased traffic lights.
I think not knowing where you are is one source of indecisiveness that can lead to TrevorP's dreaded LH lane all the way 'kerbies'. Couple the indecision with the fact that they're looking at the map and the signs, not the road, and they'll T-bone you quicker than you can say "get back to the nursing home you senile old goat"
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I am severely phobic of roundabouts as they seem to be designed solely to underline all that is awful with the average driver.
To avoid ever having an accident on one of these l religiously adhere to the following.
1)Alway stick to left lane for 1st and 2nd exits. Otherwise you'll be cut up by a third exit left laner if you try to do the right lane straight on maneouvre.
2)Never assume that a car is leaving the roundabout via the same exit by which you are entering just because it is indicating left. The driver probably has this indicator on at all times to indicate that they will be leaving the roundabout eventually by steering left at some point.
3)In fact never pay any attention to any indicators and assume that any car near you will attempt to drive straight through you if possible.
4)Never assume that a car trying to enter will give way to you as you proceed around the roundabout, even if they are looking straight at you. Instead of this indicating awareness it is in fact some sort of odd animal behaviour as though that occupant were trying to somehow face down a rabid dog. Any eye contact will cause them to immediately launch themselves into your path.
5)Dont ty to utilise the inside lane on the roundabout in parallel with a left laner. Even if they don't turn right on you they will inevitable straighten the bend and push you into the centre island.
6)If in left lane, don't rely on right hand lane view blocking cars pulling out as a signal to go yourself unless they are a coach or an arctic. Even then wait until they have effectively blocked the roundabout right of you completely before moving off.
7)If a roundabout has lights to your right as you enter, do not expect cars on the roundabout to stop at the red. It appears people are only able to grasp the basic give-way rule of roundabouts OR the stop/go of traffic lights but never both at the same time.
8) Check your nearside for any vehicles, especially bikes, as you start to exit. Even if you are indicating, idiots may use any form of transpot badly and you may find someone trying to get in your driverside window as you turn.
9)Mini-roundabouts. Oddly utilising these correctly can lead to accidents. If you avoid driving straight over the top of them people will assume you are turning left.
For example you wish to turn right and are indicating as such as you enter the mini-roundabout. You nose the car slightly left to avoid treating the mini as though it doesn't exist and as you bring the car round to the right you'll most likely be treated by a wall of someone elses car door as they pull out in front of you. They will then look at you as if you are some kind of lunatic and treat you to several words of their limited vocabulary.
10)Major multi-exit roundabouts. These have no real structure. The people that designed them assume that having lane destinations that require some form of clairvoyance, and demarcations merging several lanes into one in the space of a few meters, is justification for a transport engineers salary.
Best avoided completely unless you have a dodgem car and 360degree unblinking vision.
Brought to you by the Ministry of Circular Safety.
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Love it Dan!
Except, it's all so horribly true.
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Very nice post Dan and all so true.
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ARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!
ROUNDABOUTS AND THE PEOPLE THAT USE THEM! Please excuse me while I have a rant but roundabouts are my pet-hate when they're used wrongly. I have had many a close shave because some idiot has decided to cut, ooooh I don't know - a whole minute off their journey and use the wrong lane!
To all who join a roundabout in the left hand lane to take the 3rd + exit ... you may not cut someone up but what do you do if the person in the right hand lane decides to take the 2nd exit and go straight accross? Do you slow down or stop, thus causing more traffic hold up, do you speed up a bit so that they have to slow, stop and cut behind you or do you glare at them as if they've done the wrong thing, like the swine did to me the other day?
I cannot undersand anyone who uses a roundabout in the wrong way and then makes excuses about it.
The left hand lane is for the first 2 exits and the right hand lane for the 3rd and anything more. Obviously three laned roundabouts are usually marked - but the common-a-garden roundabout is simply this.
What else makes my blood boil is someone joining the roundabout from the next exit, while you have just going it in the right hand lane. They just tuck in at the side of you as you pass their exit, in the left hand lane, and then you both find yourselves at the same 3rd exit, one-laned road at the same time! A prat did that to me on Monday night, but what made it worse was that he just sat right in my blind spot so it was a miracle I saw him at all! It was one of those last-second things and I still don't know how we didn't have a collision. Its so simple - if theres someone on the roundabout at your entrance point, don't join it! Don't piggy-back on the outside lane and coast round, don't turn right in the left and cut someone up who is going straight over in the right, and dont indicate that you're exiting until you've passed the penultimate exit.
And people who indicate with their right-hand indicator, while they're in the left lane to drive straight over and snap on the left hand indicator when they're approaching their exit. THe right sided indicator should only be used when you're taking the 3rd + exit. SOOO many people do this.
Phew! Rant over ... but, honestly, its my pet-hate thing.
Patricia
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Toad and Bill are right.
Roundabouts are fair game for creative driving.
As long as you ask to make that lane change after passing 30 cars...or make it with anticipation/acceleration and no cutting up then what's the harm.
There are loads of roundabouts in our local city with road markings that give priorities or filters that are not as per "standard".
Amazingly many many people drive them in the "standard" way with no regard for the road markings then look wounded when you pass the lot of them.
Many of these roundabouts are too tight for an artic to 100% maintain their lane. I am first to make eye contact with the driver or give them a flash so they know I understand what they are going to do......yet those in the "right" are very quick to drive up their inside and sit on the horn to make life ****** difficult for larger vehicles.
MM
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Roundabout just north of Grantham, A1, Sunday morning, I watched the driver of a Peugeot 205 pull out in front of an artic already on the roundabout, then do a very slow 360 degree circuit of the roundabout, sticking to the left hand kerb all the way round, before continuing in the direction he had been heading. How he managed to avoid getting run into still puzzles me.
Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com
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"The left hand lane is for the first 2 exits"
well, not necessarily.
Lane 1 is for straight on (or left).
On a huge roundabout, straight on MAY be 3rd exit.
Lane 2 CAN be used for straight on
IF going from dual carriageway to dual carriageway
OR if Lane 1 is blocked.
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I think people need to look at themselves here. My local Motorway exit is a bit confusing as well. To exit right i.e. at 3.00pm the correct lane is the left lane. However, because this is unusual, a lot of people who don't know the junction get into the right lane and when round the corner realise they are in the wrong lane and have to move across. I have noticed that there are then two types of people. The first type deliberately get as close to the car in front as possible and will almost mount the kerb rather than let somebody across. The same people also sound horns and generally get themselves very upset. The second type are not in the slightest bit bothered and just let people merge. I have adopted the latter policy and am a lot happier about it.
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It's a long time since I looked at the Highway Code, but I can remember the bit about roundabouts.
It is very clearly explained and those who, for example, indicate right when they are going straight on (aaarrrgggghhh!), don't indicate left when they exit, indicate left and go straight past an exit etc etc, either can't have read the Highway Code (how did they pass their test?) or have poor memories.
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"To exit right i.e. at 3.00pm the correct lane is the left lane"
PARDON?
Have we not agreed that THAT is frightening in the extreme?
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE drive according to the Highway Code.
Do NOT make up your own (frightening to to others) system -
and THEN say your own "interesting" system is "somehow" right.
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At that particular junction both the road markings and the overhead road signage puts you in the left lane to turn right. There is no question about that, although I of course understand that it is unusual and possibly confusing to people who don't know the junction. Have you looked at the signage at your particular junction? perhaps you have that wrong as well and all those other people that you spend your time fuming at could be in the right.
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"At that particular junction both the road markings and the overhead road signage puts you in the left lane to turn right. There is no question about that, although I of course understand that it is unusual"
UNUSUAL?
It is FRIGHTENING.
A petition to the appropriate LA is required.
The normal is lane 1 for left,
lane 2 for straight on,
lane 3 for right.
THe LA in question should be questioned as to why they deem it appropriate to go against HC advice.
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Please read my original post. the correct lane here is the left lane. All three lanes are dedicated to turning right. The junction is traffic light controlled and there is no danger. Two lanes go further right and the other - the offending one - goes straight on. It is the only lane you can be in to exit at 3.00 O'clock.
My original point is being missed but don't be concerned. I can deal with it.
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Now I know why I avoid motorways!
HF
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