Idiots and merge in turn

MikeHiow · 2 May 2011 at 00:01

So I was travelling down the A12 today, and there is a small stretch of dual carriage way where at the end there is a merge-in-turn. I opt to use all of this merge in turn, until some idiot decides he's going to accelerate when I'm pretty much already past him.

Not usually an issue, the Clio was a fair bit faster, the real annoyance came when I discovered a speed camera at the end. I slowed down back to the speed limit after that encounter, but where the camera is on single carriageway, the limit is 60 - so not only would I have had to shave off the speed from the overtake, but an additional 10MPH as well. There is seconds in it, but my gut feeling is that I was still over.

I require no sympathy - I was just having a rant. That'll be my first speeding ticket in 6 years

stulid · 2 May 2011 at 00:05

Speeding = child killer.

[TW]Fox · 2 May 2011 at 00:12

There is a merge in turn? What?

You mean there were two lanes which went into one and you decided to merge in turn? I thought merge in turn was a concept/manevour rather than a physical thing you'd find on a road? Merge in turn is what you do when two lanes go into one, it isn't a special bit of road?

Am I missing something here?

Is there a google maps view of the road perhaps?

Fett · 2 May 2011 at 00:18

MikeHiow said:
So I was travelling down the A12 today, and there is a small stretch of dual carriage way where at the end there is a merge-in-turn. I opt to use all of this merge in turn, until some idiot decides he's going to accelerate when I'm pretty much already past him.

Didn't you used to moan about drivers who understood the concept of merge in turn?

MikeHiow · 2 May 2011 at 00:19

Stop being pedantic, you know exactly what I mean

Yes, two lanes filter down to one. I've been driving for 5 hours today (after doing the same yesterday), I'm tired :/

MikeHiow · 2 May 2011 at 00:20

Fett said:
Didn't you used to moan about drivers who understood the concept of merge in turn?

Possibly but I've since been educated in that respect. The merge in turn possibly wasn't the right wording, I just used it to describe the road. I guess it was more an issue of someone accelerating while I was overtaking :/

stulid · 2 May 2011 at 00:21

5hrs? Isle of Wight isn't that big.

lordrobs · 2 May 2011 at 00:21

MikeHiow said:
So I was travelling down the A12 today, and there is a small stretch of dual carriage way where at the end there is a merge-in-turn. I opt to use all of this merge in turn, until some idiot decides he's going to accelerate when I'm pretty much already past him.

Not usually an issue, the Clio was a fair bit faster, the real annoyance came when I discovered a speed camera at the end. I slowed down back to the speed limit after that encounter, but where the camera is on single carriageway, the limit is 60 - so not only would I have had to shave off the speed from the overtake, but an additional 10MPH as well. There is seconds in it, but my gut feeling is that I was still over.

I require no sympathy - I was just having a rant. That'll be my first speeding ticket in 6 years

Merge in turn must be the single most misunderstood rule on the roads. Had three morons in a row the other day who decided to drive bumper to bumper to stop me merging in slow traffic. Thankfully the guy I let out of a junction half a mile earlier saw that I was being forced out towards the barriers by the MPV driving ****'s and waved me infront of him. The look of rage as I sailed past was priceless.

Scania · 2 May 2011 at 00:22

Perhaps the idiot who put his foot down thought "oh dear, I have a potential idiot on my off side who seems to not know what merge in turn means, I had better get out of his way!" - he tries to accelerate away, as do you, then the two happy idiots both get a ticket?

or had you got past him & kept your clog down anyway?

[TW]Fox · 2 May 2011 at 00:22

Fett said:
Didn't you used to moan about drivers who understood the concept of merge in turn?

Oh dear

I guess its just impossible for him to keep up with what he says these days.

Fett · 2 May 2011 at 00:23

MikeHiow said:
I was heading into Hindhead the other week (south bound), I pull into single file traffic as it wasn't that busy and there was plenty of time - then people continue to creep up the outside to get 20 meters in front - something I'm convinced is half the problem - having a queue is one thing, having a queue that is having to let stationary cars in the outside lane filter in is going to be worse than twice as slow!

MikeHiow said:
When the rest of the traffic is merging in advance, does it not strike you as idiotic that the select few carry on that little bit further, squeezing every inch out of the outside line they can, only causing more delay as they try to merge in

You just encountered yourself.

SlyReaper · 2 May 2011 at 00:24

MikeHiow said:
Possibly but I've since been educated in that respect. The merge in turn possibly wasn't the right wording, I just used it to describe the road. I guess it was more an issue of someone accelerating while I was overtaking :/

This is something I don't understand. If he accelerates while you're overtaking, why do you have to accelerate too? Is it a matter of saving face to complete the overtake or something? That coming back in behind him after you've started the overtake is somehow pussying out? Just let them get on with it. At least he's going faster now, which means you don't have to overtake him now.

MikeHiow · 2 May 2011 at 00:27

To be fair, what is important is that I've educated myself on the ways of merge in turn since that.

But to add contrast, that was in a queue and I was talking about people jumping past the natural merging flow to gain 20 meters on the queue. Today's incident was with moving traffic, at the speed limit

[TW]Fox · 2 May 2011 at 00:28

At the speed limit?

Nothing to worry about from the cameras then

MikeHiow · 2 May 2011 at 00:30

SlyReaper said:
This is something I don't understand. If he accelerates while you're overtaking, why do you have to accelerate too? Is it a matter of saving face to complete the overtake or something? That coming back in behind him after you've started the overtake is somehow pussying out? Just let them get on with it. At least he's going faster now, which means you don't have to overtake him now.

A few reasons really;

1. The Law/Highway Code/Whatever says I can overtake and the person being overtaken should maintain a steady speed to allow me to finish my overtake.

2. I was already half-way past him and accelerating, albeit slowly - I'm not sure slowing in the outside lane and pulling in behind would have been completely safe either.

3. The fact that he decided to act like an idiot annoyed me.

MikeHiow · 2 May 2011 at 00:32

[TW]Fox;19033493 said:
At the speed limit?

Nothing to worry about from the cameras then

Perhaps I should give up on this thread now - I was at the speed limit (and for a very good reason - I don't know the A12), the whole point of this thread was that I was breaking it to complete my manoeuvre after the idiot decided he didn't want to let me past.

Scania · 2 May 2011 at 00:32

You should allow for what the other driver should do and for what if he does not - you didn't.

SlyReaper · 2 May 2011 at 00:32

MikeHiow said:
1. The Law/Highway Code/Whatever says I can overtake and the person being overtaken should maintain a steady speed to allow me to finish my overtake.

The saddest thing that can be written on a grave stone is "He died defending his right of way".

ZG002 · 2 May 2011 at 00:36

Why didn't you just slow and pull in behind?

Or is that logic not something of use to you?

Scania · 2 May 2011 at 00:37

MikeHiow said:
Perhaps I should give up on this thread now

Why did you not think that prior to writing it?