Do you weave between lanes during motorway traffic?

TNGL

TNGL

TNGL

Soldato
Joined
2 Jul 2010
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During motorway traffic jams are you a weaver or do you remain in the same lane?

I used to be more of a weaver but recently I've been sticking to the middle lane and it seems to not be too disadvantageous to weavers I keep track of in the same jam...

What's your optimal solution to navigating motorway congestion?
 
Always seems to come out about the same on average in my experience.

I've not paid too much attention to it but done a few trips on the M25 recently in congestion with different drivers and unless there is something like an accident, etc. it is usually pretty close to the ETA on satnav regardless of how the driver approaches it.
 
In a jam it will usually end up give or take a few car lenths before you clear it to those around you.

In flowing but heavy traffic ive found sitting in the slow lane at 70mph usually gets me flying past all the middle lane morons and fast lane fanatics.
 
kindai said:
In a jam it will usually end up give or take a few car lenths before you clear it to those around you.

In flowing but heavy traffic ive found sitting in the slow lane at 70mph usually gets me flying past all the middle lane morons and fast lane fanatics.
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I used to do something similar but you have to move from the left lane before a major junction nears otherwise you'll end up sitting in a lane that is even more heavily congested than the rest, as people try to exit.

The real morons are the ones that don't use the hardshoulder on the smart motorways when the lane is open. You'd think having 3 or 4 lorries undertake you would trigger something.
 
Tingle said:
I used to do something similar but you have to move from the left lane before a major junction nears otherwise you'll end up sitting in a lane that is even more heavily congested than the rest, as people try to exit.

The real morons are the ones that don't use the hardshoulder on the smart motorways when the lane is open. You'd think having 3 or 4 lorries undertake you would trigger something.
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The M42 is brilliant for this, 4 lanes open, sit on the hardshoulder and just duck into lane 1 at each junction, or if standstill in lanes 1-3, come off, go around the islands and back on the hardshoulder.
 
If it’s a proper traffic jam I tend to just stick in the inside lane as it normally moves quicker.

If it’s just heavy traffic, I’ll weave if I can see far ahead enough to plan my route through it, taking into account the size of the gaps in each lane. Used to be able to make up a lot of time on the m25 like that due to people going slowly in random lanes and nobody passing them.
 
Same lane, only moving occasionally if there is a sustained flow in the other lane. But generally I just stay where I am.
 
Near side lane as much as possible, always use hard shoulder where applicable - it never ceases to amaze me how in heavy traffic I’ll clock something flash in lane 2/3/4 say an AMG Merc or the like and I’ll sail past it in my speed limited truck usually for it to eventually catch me up and pass way after the congestion has cleared, it’s a daily occurrence.
 
When it is "the usual" queues on my M27 commute, I make my way to the nearside lane as it is quicker to get going again, every single day. People seem to have an irrational fear of using the nearside lane and I'll pass 50 stationary vehicles in the middle lane! If it is an accident or I am on a road I don't know I'll stick in whatever lane I am in but wary of queue for a junction tailing back.

I went to Bath the other day, never been before, I was on a dead straight section of dual carriageway and moved out of the nearside lane to overtake a lorry, mid overtake we hit a queue (which I couldn't have seen before because the lorry was blocking my view) but in the nearside lane only. It turned out the dual carriageway went back to single lane about a mile up the road so everyone sat in the nearside lane. I got so many evil looks as I cruised down the empty offside lane at about 25mph past the stationary vehicles. It's not as if I would have forced myself back in front of the lorry whilst we're both braking from 60 to 0 to get into what they all think is the "correct" lane! Then one vigilante blocked me by sitting in both lanes. This might have been the approach to Salisbury actually. Anyway not really related but people don't know how to queue!

It's a weird psychology - there is a similar 2 lanes to 1 near my house and when it is "reasonably" busy everyone will queue in one lane for the whole section (meaning the queue will go back half a mile to the motorway!) and if I used the offside lane everyone will go out of their way to squish close and not let you in and the merge in turn. But recently roadworks elsewhere in the city have pushed it to be "very busy" and suddenly use of the offside lane has been acceptable to everyone else!
 
I sit in the outside lane most of the time, I always check a vehicle near me on the middle lane and keep a eye on it, 90% of the time you end up very close to it anyway.

I then watch the weavers who are probably a danger to others and themselves, they usually end up in the same place the non weavers do.

Its a bit of a game most mornings to keep me sane
 
It always amuses me to see some demented lunatic weaving in and out of traffic. Usually you catch up with them a few miles down the road just by sitting in the inside lane and cruising along.
Or the cretins who sit nose to tail in the outside lane going slower than both other lanes...
 
I try to stay in the middle, sometimes temptation gives to jump in the outside lane as lorries cannot move into that lane. But i tend to find the outside lane turns into the slowest as every other driver has the same mentality, and suddenly everyone's jumping into the outside lane.

Tingle said:
I used to do something similar but you have to move from the left lane before a major junction nears otherwise you'll end up sitting in a lane that is even more heavily congested than the rest, as people try to exit.
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This, and for people joining the motorway, you don't want to be stuck in the inside lane if you're approaching a junction.
 
Whenever the traffic slows I always try and get out of the outside lane as quick as possible, then stay in the middle or near.
 
Semple said:
I try to stay in the middle, sometimes temptation gives to jump in the outside lane as lorries cannot move into that lane. But i tend to find the outside lane turns into the slowest as every other driver has the same mentality, and suddenly everyone's jumping into the outside lane.

Tingle said:
I used to do something similar but you have to move from the left lane before a major junction nears otherwise you'll end up sitting in a lane that is even more heavily congested than the rest, as people try to exit.
Click to expand...

This, and for people joining the motorway, you don't want to be stuck in the inside lane if you're approaching a junction.
Click to expand...
but, dont you then notice the middle and outside lanes seem to slow down after the junction as the majority of drivers joining from the junction tend to swing into those lanes. It's almost as if the middle/outside are quicker approaching a junction and then the inside lane soon after... it's all madness...

personally find it more stressful to be constantly changing lanes, so just stick where I am (in heavy traffic. otherwise keep to left-most available lane per usual). Sometimes my lane is quicker, othertimes it's not, no point stressing about it... Make up time when the motorway is clear.
 
I don't commute by car anymore, but when I did, staying in the left lane was always the most efficient method. Every morning I'd watch people join the A2 then make a beeline for the "fast" lane, where they'd immediately be sat in traffic. I always just stayed on the left, allowed a bit gap in front of me and slowly crawled forward, and I always made more progress than those weaving around in the outer lanes.
 
Ive an AMG Merc so I just flash everyone out the way and they move. Especially those tattooed chip eating lorry drivers.
 
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