Dual carriageway question?

Minstadave · 8 May 2012 at 20:28

On my way home from work there's a long stretch of dual carriage way that is currently undergoing roadworks, it narrows to one lane and there are signs starting from 800yds before the cones start.

At the start of the work it was pretty easy, everyone queued and merged as the cones started to narrow. Over the last few days a new fashion has cropped up where everyone queues in one lane for atleast a mile, well before any signs.

I've decided this is just stupid and just drive right down to the end and join at the cones, saving myself a good 10 minutes. However this has resulted in one of the cars in the queue pulling out to try and block both lanes, which seems a bit OTT.

Does this situation count as a merge in turn? Or am I in the wrong doing as I do?

Brookert · 8 May 2012 at 20:54

Your fine, I've seen these monkeys who block lanes, and they are the type to take driving very personally.

A task as simple as merging in turn is a concept beyond most motorists.

Amoeba · 8 May 2012 at 21:20

If they didn't want you to use the right hand lane at that point they would have coned off more of it..

Use it and let the morons queue.

Liquidfox · 8 May 2012 at 21:28

That happened round here for a week or so, people queuing in 1000 yards of traffic when Lane 1 was completely clear... Cue me driving down the lane and having people try and block you off, driving round them seems to annoy them quite a bit

Fuzz · 8 May 2012 at 21:33

Write on a large bit of cardboard ready for tomorrow...

MERGE IN TURN MORONS

Hang it out the window as you drive by them all.

Minstadave · 8 May 2012 at 21:49

Pretty much what I thought, cheers all!

TripleT · 8 May 2012 at 22:23

Yup, *****. Some women in work get all angry when people like me do this ojust before a bus lane while they sit there for 15mins just because a bus lane starts 1km down the road. I just chuckle.

cokecan · 8 May 2012 at 22:45

TripleT said:
Yup, *****. Some women in work get all angry when people like me do this ojust before a bus lane while they sit there for 15mins just because a bus lane starts 1km down the road. I just chuckle.

had something similar last saturday afternoon, 2 lane road with the left lane being a bus lane that is only in operation between 4-6pm mon-fri. Long queue in the 2nd lane of cars crawling at around 20mph, then a car 1 car infront of me turns right. The guy infront of me slows down to a stop and I just flick left into the bus lane to 'undertake' and go round while accelerating to 30 to merge back in, cue the guy that was infront of me getting very irritated and accelarating like crazy to stop me mergin with the 2nd lane again further up the road where the 2 lanes naturally merge.

I did manage to get infront of him but had him right up my ass almost all the way home (I couldnt even see the front grill of his car from my rear view mirror!). It irritated him that much that he actually followed me half way home like that, judging by how he was driving (cutting corners, driving close to me). All I could really do is continue to drive normally and occasionally dab on the brakes to make my brake lights pop on in an attempt to get him to **** off.

Meridian · 8 May 2012 at 22:50

Is there a big sign saying: "Merge in Turn"? If so, then it's merge in turn. If there is not, then it isn't. I'm not sure why people here struggle with this. "Merge" does not automatically mean "Merge in Turn", it just means merge. The former merely requires you to find a gap in the open lane, but it does not oblige the vehicles already there to let you in at the head of the queue. And as I have repeatedly pointed out, Merge in Turn only works when both lanes are at the same speed: which is why it is usually only ever applied in 30mph areas.

Minstadave · 8 May 2012 at 22:55

Nope no signs apart from the distance markers to the lane closure and a long slip road marked in cones.

daz87uk · 8 May 2012 at 23:01

Normally only happens when the traffic is so queued up that the merge is blocked by solid traffic. I can kinda see why people get frustrated when they queue in line and some guy whizzes past and try's to cram himself at the front. but otherwise in moving traffic I would ordinarily merge in turn.

Rotty · 8 May 2012 at 23:20

I had one move to outside lane to block traffic, so I cut inside him and didn't let him back in

ubersonic · 9 May 2012 at 08:41

Your in the wrong, the people blocking off the other lane to stop idiots trying to queue jump are just trying to help with the flow of traffic, you mostly see truckers doing it (two trucks side by side) but I have done it myself a few times. I hate it when people thing that they/their journey are more important than everyone else and just barrel down to the end and try to force their way in instead of merging properly in advance, blocking them actually gives a warm helpful feeling inside

guess its karma or something.

rossk26 · 9 May 2012 at 08:47

ubersonic said:
Your in the wrong, the people blocking off the other lane to stop idiots trying to queue jump are just trying to help with the flow of traffic, you mostly see truckers doing it (two trucks side by side) but I have done it myself a few times. I hate it when people thing that they/their journey are more important than everyone else and just barrel down to the end and try to force their way in instead of merging properly in advance, blocking them actually gives a warm helpful feeling inside guess its karma or something.

It's not that at all! There are 2 perfectly usable lanes, SO USE THEM!!

You are well within your rights to use the inside lane, until you are required to merge into the other lane. This would actually allow traffic to flow better. Rather than making a dual carriageway into a single carriageway...

Stop being a moron and blocking lanes

Minstadave · 9 May 2012 at 09:06

ubersonic said:
Your in the wrong, the people blocking off the other lane to stop idiots trying to queue jump are just trying to help with the flow of traffic, you mostly see truckers doing it (two trucks side by side) but I have done it myself a few times. I hate it when people thing that they/their journey are more important than everyone else and just barrel down to the end and try to force their way in instead of merging properly in advance, blocking them actually gives a warm helpful feeling inside guess its karma or something.

You're not helping the traffic flow by blocking a mile of empty road, you're just making the traffic back up further and snarl up roundabouts and junction further back, causing problems for people on other roads. Pretty sure it's just the herd mentality - "look a queue, must get in it".

ubersonic · 9 May 2012 at 09:07

rossk26 said:
It's not that at all! There are 2 perfectly usable lanes, SO USE THEM!!

You are well within your rights to use the inside lane, until you are required to merge into the other lane. This would actually allow traffic to flow better. Rather than making a dual carriageway into a single carriageway...

Stop being a moron and blocking lanes

Wrong, by barrelling to the end and forcing their way in people cause others to break and the traffic slows, by merging in properly before the lane reduction traffic continues smoother.

Not aimed at anyone in this thread but sometimes I think pass plus should just be incorporated into the normal test, it would make it a lot harder but at least a driving licence would mean knowing how to drive not just operate a car.

rossk26 · 9 May 2012 at 09:12

ubersonic said:
Wrong, by barrelling to the end and forcing their way in people cause others to break and the traffic slows, by merging in properly before the lane reduction traffic continues smoother.

Not aimed at anyone in this thread but sometimes I think pass plus should just be incorporated into the normal test, it would make it a lot harder but at least a driving licence would mean knowing how to drive not just operate a car.

Yes, you should probably get yourself on a pass plus course.

Haggisman · 9 May 2012 at 09:40

ubersonic said:
Wrong, by barrelling to the end and forcing their way in people cause others to break and the traffic slows, by merging in properly before the lane reduction traffic continues smoother.

If the sheep in the "queue" weren't right up each other's exhaust pipes, there would be space for the merge without having to break, thus aiding flow of traffic and preventing congestion further back up the road. :rolleyes:

Minstadave · 9 May 2012 at 09:42

I looked it up in The Highway Code:

134

You should follow the signs and road markings and get into the lane as directed. In congested road conditions do not change lanes unnecessarily. Merging in turn is recommended but only if safe and appropriate when vehicles are travelling at a very low speed, e.g. when approaching road works or a road traffic incident. It is not recommended at high speed.

Suggests that merging in turn is recommended, not queuing in one lane.

rossk26 · 9 May 2012 at 09:47

Minstadave said:
I looked it up in The Highway Code:

Suggests that merging in turn is recommended, not queuing in one lane.

It was fairly common sense to start with. Just a shame there are road users like ubersonic who feel it necessary to BLOCK a lane of a dual carriageway!!