I wouldn't class it as undertaking at all. 70 is a good speed to merge imo, slip into a space effortlessly, quick dab on the brake and your speed matches. Trying to accelerate in this scenario isn't going to be easy unless you have a really fast car.
If the middle lane is clear move over eh?
- Thread starter campbell
- Start date
Had a bit of an issue with this myself this evening.
My old 106 only has 55bhp so has somewhat limited acceleration.
I was coming down the sliproad onto the Mway accelerating in fifth doing circa 60mph..
Car ahead of me already in lane one is doing similar.
Reasonable sized gap to get into behind him.
Looking in my mirrors I see a brown Combi van coming down lane 1 in excess of 60mph and my gap is disappearing fast.
I decide not to be an arse and pull out in front of him
so I ease off the currently nailed throttle and go for entering behind him
Only now he has realised he's catching up with the car I was going to slot in behind and braked or eased off himself.
Now I've got to slow down even more to get in behind the bloke.
Which I did, but not after surveying the fact that lane 2 was clear and he could have moved over, no, instead he decided to shut the door on me getting on the motorway safely.
Until of course I was on the motorway behind him, at which point he sped up again and pulled out into lane 2.
Utter ****
My old 106 only has 55bhp so has somewhat limited acceleration.
I was coming down the sliproad onto the Mway accelerating in fifth doing circa 60mph..
Car ahead of me already in lane one is doing similar.
Reasonable sized gap to get into behind him.
Looking in my mirrors I see a brown Combi van coming down lane 1 in excess of 60mph and my gap is disappearing fast.
I decide not to be an arse and pull out in front of him
so I ease off the currently nailed throttle and go for entering behind him
Only now he has realised he's catching up with the car I was going to slot in behind and braked or eased off himself.
Now I've got to slow down even more to get in behind the bloke.
Which I did, but not after surveying the fact that lane 2 was clear and he could have moved over, no, instead he decided to shut the door on me getting on the motorway safely.
Until of course I was on the motorway behind him, at which point he sped up again and pulled out into lane 2.
Utter ****
I've been joining a Dual-Carriageway and the car in my lane-to-be matched my speed. I accelerated from 50 to about 75 in the slip lane and he did too. I then pushed further to about 100 and then had a safe gap - although they were still accelerating.
Moments later, blue lights and sirens. Oh crap I thought...
Turned out the guy blocking me was pulled, for as far as I could tell as I disappeared into the traffic-filled distance.
Moments later, blue lights and sirens. Oh crap I thought...
Turned out the guy blocking me was pulled, for as far as I could tell as I disappeared into the traffic-filled distance.
This and this. 55mph is too slow to be merging unless there's lorries in the nearside lane IMO. If merging too close to a vehicle, accelerating out of danger is generally a better option than braking if there's space ahead because very few drivers will accelerate out of the way on the main carriageway at a meaningful rate (everyone's driving 2L diesels in 6th or 1.xL petrols in 5th and generally seem to be afraid of the loud pedal, let alone downshifting
) whereas any car can brake very rapidly without drama.
Had a similar experience and squeaky bum moment!
I was merging on a motorway and there was a car infront, it was uphill and there were 2 lorries and there was enough space for both of us as we were doing about 60-70. However, the car ahead decided to not join until the very end of the slip road and was maintaining a speed at 55? meanwhile the gap between these 2 lorries are now closing and im getting closer to the car infront. I was tempted to pull across onto the motorway quickly but I didnt fearing for an accident as the lorry was continuing at 60 and the slip road ahead was narrowing down so if I merged on I could forsee the car ahead pulling out and forcing me to break with only little space between myself and the 2nd lorry. The space ran out and I pulled onto the motorway and the car ahead was on the very last of the slip road but because I was going faster than him I was nearly at his bumper as he finally merged onto the motorway.
Meanwhile the lorry is pretty much up my bum and the car is moving over so I had already dropped to 3rd to get into this gap but then as I could either brake having the lorry go into the back of me or speed up and hit the car in front pulling over late. By this time I was parallel with the car in the overtaking lane and they seemed to be matching my speed and not much time so I dropped to 2nd and managed to overtake the car in the overtaking lane and the lorry.
It all felt a little surreal and very dangerous but I'm not sure what I could have done to avoid this situation? I didnt want to merge early as there was only 1 lane on the slip road and this would put the car infront and myself in danger? I was also running out of road to speed up.
I suppose I could have tried to slow down but as the vision wasnt very big I had already left a sufficient gap between myself and the car infront buit their approach was very slow I could have ended up joining at 40-50 in rush hour traffic. Behind the lorry which I dont think was much space.
I was merging on a motorway and there was a car infront, it was uphill and there were 2 lorries and there was enough space for both of us as we were doing about 60-70. However, the car ahead decided to not join until the very end of the slip road and was maintaining a speed at 55? meanwhile the gap between these 2 lorries are now closing and im getting closer to the car infront. I was tempted to pull across onto the motorway quickly but I didnt fearing for an accident as the lorry was continuing at 60 and the slip road ahead was narrowing down so if I merged on I could forsee the car ahead pulling out and forcing me to break with only little space between myself and the 2nd lorry. The space ran out and I pulled onto the motorway and the car ahead was on the very last of the slip road but because I was going faster than him I was nearly at his bumper as he finally merged onto the motorway.
Meanwhile the lorry is pretty much up my bum and the car is moving over so I had already dropped to 3rd to get into this gap but then as I could either brake having the lorry go into the back of me or speed up and hit the car in front pulling over late. By this time I was parallel with the car in the overtaking lane and they seemed to be matching my speed and not much time so I dropped to 2nd and managed to overtake the car in the overtaking lane and the lorry.
It all felt a little surreal and very dangerous but I'm not sure what I could have done to avoid this situation? I didnt want to merge early as there was only 1 lane on the slip road and this would put the car infront and myself in danger? I was also running out of road to speed up.
I suppose I could have tried to slow down but as the vision wasnt very big I had already left a sufficient gap between myself and the car infront buit their approach was very slow I could have ended up joining at 40-50 in rush hour traffic. Behind the lorry which I dont think was much space.
I drive the road everyday, 55 is too slow to merge. I agree. But I know that people will happily sit on the inside lane doing 60 when its dark and wet.
So what?
Btw I have the misfortune of driving on it every day too, towards the centre of town at rush hour so it's far from my favourite road
There's your problem. Should be doing at least 80mph
Exactly this, should have just gone faster to start with.
I find if you hit the speed limit before merging it is easy to join. Plus its quicker to brake to match speed than have to speed up.
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Aug 2012
- Posts
- 4,551
- Location
- Wales
I think, as a community, we should all get an old Volvo 960 or something similar, and teach the nation if you won't let us out, we'll force our way out, Could possibly start getting the message across to em 
.
.Why do so many drivers in the inside lane pull over to the middle lane each time they come to a slip road, the onus is on the driver joining to slip into the line of traffic, but they don't seem to teach that to new drivers. What is needed are signs on the slipways to "merge in with traffic".
The main problem with most of the slip roads is that they are too short and need extending
The main problem with most of the slip roads is that they are too short and need extending
People know you don't have to, but they do because it means avoiding drivers who don't know how to merge.
I regularly get stuck behind a woman in an old Escort estate that thinks it is acceptable to do 35mph to join the A14 at this speed, lorries have to take avoiding action and if you're behind her it's actually worse for you because you take the brunt of it.
They are downhill for a reason.... push that pedal on the right!
They are downhill for a reason.... push that pedal on the right!
Associate
- Joined
- 9 Feb 2004
- Posts
- 595
- Location
- derbyshire
i see no end of people joining duel carriage ways at 40mph around me, then only once they join speed up, its crazy and dangerous.
I'm fairly sure I've encountered her!
Fwiw, I regularly pull into lane 2 when I see traffic on the slip road, despite my size (44t HGV) I find I'm apparently invisible to a lot of them and this course of action helps me avoid the cretins!
Something I just read on Jalopnik has reminded me about driving home on the last day of work earlier this week that I forgot to post.
Pull onto the sliproad to enter the motorway, 6pm, dark, ****ing with rain..
3 cars in front of me all of us on the left lane of the sliproad.
We speed up from "roundabout" speed but start to bunch up as the leading car hasn't..
I note the mph... 40 mph and we are nearly at the bottom of the slip/give way lines.
Motorway is plenty busy
We've all pretty much missed the opportunity to overtake the slow **** so are now sat at 40mph bumper to bumper at the bottom of the slip.
I'm thinking this is a bit dicey now so I stay left with no right indicator as there's a HGV coming...
the 40mph idiot at the front is now onto the motorway into the first lane (just)
when the second car for absolutely **** knows what reason, brake checks the car behind him because "he's too close" (as we all were really)
So now I'm slingshoting up the inside of the pair of them STOPPED... yes STOPPED straddling the giveway lines in a pile of tyre smoke and horn blasts.
I mean what the actual ****
I'm looking out my drivers window at them as I fly by with the throttle nailed trying to catch the next space at a reasonable speed..
Utter, Utter morons.
I actually felt like pulling over on the HS, running across and punching the bloke, clearly realising this would not only endanger my life in the conditions but others too and the ****storm it would create... so I drove on in disbelief..
Shortly after, I passed the half asleep **** in the inside lane still doing 40-45, totally and utterly oblivious of his surroundings
Pull onto the sliproad to enter the motorway, 6pm, dark, ****ing with rain..
3 cars in front of me all of us on the left lane of the sliproad.
We speed up from "roundabout" speed but start to bunch up as the leading car hasn't..
I note the mph... 40 mph and we are nearly at the bottom of the slip/give way lines.
Motorway is plenty busy
We've all pretty much missed the opportunity to overtake the slow **** so are now sat at 40mph bumper to bumper at the bottom of the slip.
I'm thinking this is a bit dicey now so I stay left with no right indicator as there's a HGV coming...
the 40mph idiot at the front is now onto the motorway into the first lane (just)
when the second car for absolutely **** knows what reason, brake checks the car behind him because "he's too close" (as we all were really)
So now I'm slingshoting up the inside of the pair of them STOPPED... yes STOPPED straddling the giveway lines in a pile of tyre smoke and horn blasts.
I mean what the actual ****
I'm looking out my drivers window at them as I fly by with the throttle nailed trying to catch the next space at a reasonable speed..
Utter, Utter morons.
I actually felt like pulling over on the HS, running across and punching the bloke, clearly realising this would not only endanger my life in the conditions but others too and the ****storm it would create... so I drove on in disbelief..
Shortly after, I passed the half asleep **** in the inside lane still doing 40-45, totally and utterly oblivious of his surroundings
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