Joining/Leaving the Motorway

[Nasher]

Short slip roads? Come at me. I'm going to be using this most days when I buy my new house, maybe I shouldn't get rid of the ST after all

It's these kind of situations where a quick car really does make a difference. After downgrading you will find it a lot more frustrating at junctions like this.

 

[Orionaut]

This x100. Daily life for us out there. Having to slam on the brakes or swerve in behind a car in lane 2 to avoid some moron blindly joining from a slip road is a daily occurrence. From our point of view we're always checking for space to 'escape' into lane 2 on approach to an on slip, but some people just shouldn't be on the road clearly. The amount of times I've been beeped at by people joining in heavy traffic forcefully when there's no possible gap is astounding.

And there lies the problem.

Why is there "No Possible Gap"??

If L1 traffic made a point of leaving reasonable gaps (Say 3 seconds minimum) between vehicles on approaching on-slips for joining traffic to merge into instead of just going at it bumper to bumper, most of these issues would go away...

(It is a bit like the "Zip Merge" thing really)

 

[NooBish AbbZ]

I'm loving slip-roads recently See sig

 

[Captain]

The best ones are people who turn onto fast moving NSL A roads from minor roads and then almost come to a complete stop once they've pulled out or at least that's how it feels.

If your vehicle doesn't have the grunt to get up to speed before I die of old age then don't pull out in front of me!

These people get the finger as i overtake them.

 

[MassiveJim]

one of the sites I work at used to be a petrol station on the side of the A38, the lead in slip road is about half a mile long, however the one one leaving site is just long enough for me to reach about 60mph if I nail it (driving an ST220) but that is literally completely out of slip road, and to make it worse it is completely blind, you just have to gun it and hope for the best.

most people open up a gap for you, some try and race you (very dangerous) sometimes you can see heavy traffic so you take it slow and try and quickly squeeze in somewhere, but I try and avoid this as quite a few times I have had a car pretty much completely stop on the dual carriageway to let me in.

 

[gEd]

Is this a recent behavior (that people who have driven for many years) are seeing?

I've pounded the motorways of the UK over the last 32 years (I once did 52K in a year) and have never ever experienced this problem of doddering drivers when joining a motorway. Never. However, my motorway driving has been way less in the last 10 years so I wonder if this is a recent phenomena. (thank you spell chucker)

What I have seen which is scary, is cars NOT getting in the queue for a junction (such as M4J4 and M25JStaines) and then trying to push in right at the last moment, resulting in their arse hanging out in lane 1 whilst lorries thunder by at 60MPH. Terrifying.

 

[xs2man]

I must admit, I see many more "heroes" trying to force their way onto dual carriageways / motorways when there simply isn't room to safely do so, than I see people trying to join at a much slower speed. I see the initial occurrence almost every time I am on such a road. Usually with no regard for the person already in lane 1, who may very well have nowhere to go. It's almost as if some people forget THEY are joining the flow of traffic and have to give way to people already on the road.

 

[Biffa]

Agreed, people around here tend to forget that if they are on a slip road they do not have right of way to join the main road. If there is someone in the adjacent lane then they should slow down and slot in behind, not just indicate and merge expecting people to move over.

 

[Outcast]

Anyone live in Stoke?

The worst entrance slip I've ever seen is M6 southbound at J15. It's a sharp left turn then a very short downhill slip before turning uphill slightly to join the motorway.

Basically, when the motorway is busy, you need to gun it after the left turn to get up to speed but 99% of people trundle along without a care in the world and then suddenly find themselves trying to merge onto the motorway at 40mph when they run out of room.

The Northbound "On Ramp" aint very clever either. In a wagon you can't "Gun it" round there because you'll roll over !!

Coming off the A50 onto the A500 we carry on round to J16. Actually we have been coming off at the A34 Talke interchange and either joining at J17 or at Holmes Chapel !

 

[Nasher]

I must admit, I see many more "heroes" trying to force their way onto dual carriageways / motorways when there simply isn't room to safely do so, than I see people trying to join at a much slower speed. I see the initial occurrence almost every time I am on such a road. Usually with no regard for the person already in lane 1, who may very well have nowhere to go. It's almost as if some people forget THEY are joining the flow of traffic and have to give way to people already on the road.

But you also get people who will just sit in the left lane and not bother moving over when people are coming down the slip road, even when there is room :/

 

[Vertigo]

I think the basic problem is 90% of people are actually crap drivers

 

[[TW]Fox]

I think the basic problem is 90% of people are actually crap drivers

Yea I'm sure that's the case. Obviously you're in the 10% right?

 

[Lowe]

Anyone live in Stoke?

The worst entrance slip I've ever seen is M6 southbound at J15. It's a sharp left turn then a very short downhill slip before turning uphill slightly to join the motorway.

Basically, when the motorway is busy, you need to gun it after the left turn to get up to speed but 99% of people trundle along without a care in the world and then suddenly find themselves trying to merge onto the motorway at 40mph when they run out of room.

At least 6x a week. When I had a 1.1 Saxo for a while, that junction was nothing short of petrifying, especially given the bridge that makes the hard shoulder incredibly narrow about 100 yards up the motorway. If you were to overshoot because of lack of room you'd basically find yourself running into a gap not big enough for your car! Didn't they change the white lines about a year ago? If you find yourself behind a wagon or worse yet a crane, you're in all kinds of trouble if you're in a slow car. Glad I have my GT86 now.

@Outcast - yeah the northbound exit is bad, I regularly see tyre marks over the grass where people don't realise how sharp the initial left hander is. As you say it's not uncommon to see a lorry on it's side either. One day it'll be me, I use it as a racetrack.

 

[DereksDontRun]

But you also get people who will just sit in the left lane and not bother moving over when people are coming down the slip road, even when there is room :/

I know it helps a lot to move over (and I do, if/when safe to), but they don't have to. If they're on the motorway they have right of way and the car(s) on the slip road need to match speed and slot in without expecting/needing the cars in lane 1 to move. In a similar respect, if you're madly trying to accelerate down the slip to overtake the car in lane 1 and complain that they're "racing" you, just accept they have right of way and slot in behind them. It always seems to be the other drivers that are in the wrong, but statistically everyone is fallible at some point.

 

[bainbridge]

I've noticed lots of lorries do this, they stay on the sliproad right until the end, even if they're doing 50mph and the 1St lane is clear. Seems strange that they don't get over onto the proper motorway asap once they're up to speed and instead sit there right until the sliproad runs out.

Are they trained to do this?

 

[BusError]

Personally these days I always back away from cars in front at the top of the slip road, give myself quite a bit of space, then accelerate to match, often entering the traffic before the guys in front who were crawling up to speed. I found the space I get helps a lot, and doesn't prevent anyone behind to do the same.

Now all you can hope is that would don't find 3 lorries head-tails when you arrive, as it sometimes happen.

 

[soundb0y]

My ex used to stop at the end of a slop road before joining the motorway on more than one occasion. Used to drive me ape××××.

 

[blueboy2001]

Dawdling onto the motorway really annoys me. Even worse if they're in the outside lane not overtaking, I just stay in the left lane and fly past them now.

On a couple of occasions with a dawdler or a wagon ahead I've held back accelerating on the slip to leave room, only to have a following vehicle overtake and dive into the gap. On the old M6 J34 northbound slip - which was very short and with a 90 degree bend - a guy crossed the solid white lines into the off slip carriageway with no view to overtake me and drove about 2ft behind the wagon I was holding back from. I continued to hold back, joined and sailed past them in lane 2 within 100 yards because he had no room to accelerate from behind the wagon. No idea what he was thinking - he probably wasn't.

 

[Kaeo]

I've noticed lots of lorries do this, they stay on the sliproad right until the end, even if they're doing 50mph and the 1St lane is clear. Seems strange that they don't get over onto the proper motorway asap once they're up to speed and instead sit there right until the sliproad runs out.

Are they trained to do this?

Of course not, they're simply making use of the road to make sure it's clear. Do remember that we have a large blind area and a lot of vehicle to check space for. Making use of the whole slip road allows more space to accelerate or brake to fit into a gap. Also, you'd be surprised at how many lunatics move back into lane 1 from lane 2 while you're trying to join.

 

[MassiveJim]

Of course not, they're simply making use of the road to make sure it's clear. Do remember that we have a large blind area and a lot of vehicle to check space for. Making use of the whole slip road allows more space to accelerate or brake to fit into a gap. Also, you'd be surprised at how many lunatics move back into lane 1 from lane 2 while you're trying to join.

Yeh its not a job I could do. What is wrong with you truck drivers
15 hour days - check
massive vehicle, most of which you cant see - check
8/9 hours actual on road time dealing with all manner of idiots that comes with that - check
hated by most of the population simply because they don't understand the necessity of trucks - check
56mph max sleepfest everywhere - check
Every driver on road assuming you are an ***hat because they were once cut-up by a truck (probably their own fault anyway) - check

no, no, no and more no.

I work in transport and have many times told people I never want to drive a truck and most of the time they look surprised and say "why not ?"
see above please.