Roundabout markings??

[Demon]

So, there are a few threads every now and again about lane discipline and how bad people are at roundabouts..

Well, I noticed on the weekend that a couple of roundabouts have gone from very obvious/clear lane markings to something that seems to cause confusion, and to be honest, I'm not 100% sure how to properly read the new lane guidance markings they've put down which seem to cause no end of problems and I've had 2 cars cut me up in their confusion..

As a prime example, here is one on the A40 in cheltenham.. Entering from the top..
This is the before image..

If you are travelling from the top of the image on the A40 and want to go around to the B4063, you have a dedicated right hand lane when coming up to the roundabout, and clear destination markings on the road (in green), I've shown the obvious path you take as a motorist, and if you look at the blue circled area, you can see that you have a nice clear path to the B4063 exit..


So, the council decided to repaint the markings on the road last year, and google's vans have been through the newly marked roundabout, so comparing how it is today, you get this..
Entering the roundabout (from the top of the above pics)

All Looks the same, the right hand lane is clearly marked B4063

But they've added some lane guidance markers..

And this is where the problem starts, obviously I'm heading for the B4063, the right hand lane, so cross the lane guidance markings and things aren't too bad..

Until a little bit further around:

You can start to see some lane guidance markings on the right.. Now I know that the B4063 exit means I'd have to cross those to be in the left hand lane when exiting the roundabout, however, moving a little further on,

Two things seem to happen with alarming frequency..
1. Some people follow the lane guidance marks, and end up in the middle lane when needing to exit left, so have to cut across you (Brown line)
Or
2. The people in the middle lane signposted A40 think the lane guidance marks are for them to go to the right for the B4063 (blue line), queue some very near misses for those of use actually in what I think is the 'right' lane..

I've not given any one grief for making this mistake, and to be honest, since the lane guidance markings appeared, they do lead you around to the wrong lane for your exit so not sure what the hell people are supposed to do..

So experts, what is going on?

 

[miniyazz]

Council in fail shocker

 

[Skeeter]

I must admit there's a lot of road markings that seem completely unintuitive. The guidance markings are terrible as people blindly follow them and end up in the wrong lane.

Back near my parents there's a roundabout that's been newly painted and there is a lane marked straight on when you approach, but half way round it turns into a lane that goes right only. Cue everyone cutting in.

 

[bitslice]

In the 5th picture it looks like they expect people to move from an exit lane (for the A40) back onto the roundabout lanes, just to get to their exit lane again (the blue line)?

That's really unintuitive,
if I'm on an exit road I expect to stay on it, not hop off it again in 10 yards.


It's a known fact that people in the councils transport department don't drive a car.

 

[LeeUK]

I hate roundabouts that now have all these lane markings for different directions and exits.

If you're not a regular user you have no chance getting round some of them without a few mistakes.

 

[Camalot]

Same thing happened on a big island by where i used to live, they put traffic lights all over it to. Problem is the back log in cars from the traffic light blocks your exit lane, so everyone is cutting into your lane to get past.

Think there have been many accidents on that island since they re-done it.

 

[Skeeter]

I've got a mate who works on designing roundabouts and road layouts and things and they aren't just slapped together. Roundabouts like this are modelled and simulated before being built or modified. So the only conclusion must be that their simulation techniques are a very poor reprisentation of real life.

 

[Westyfield2]

Council are stupid.

 

[snips86x]

Council are stupid.

+1

What makes them think that a roundabout or set of traffic lights is the best solution of issues of traffic congestions!!! TARDS!!

Here is another example:

The left hand lane is for going straight on to use the left & right lane on the 2nd roundabout. The right lane is for turning right. How stupid are people!!!

Council doesn't help either. There are more stupid setups where i live!!

 

[Sasso]

urgh, hate it when new road layouts are painted. turns into a cluster **** for ages. if I remember I'll post up a lovely one here in swansea


and that green punto... "what round about?" looks like it's one with the slightly raised center, sure he must have noticed when his LEFT wheels went over the top of it xD

 

[andythelandy]

urgh, hate it when new road layouts are painted. turns into a cluster **** for ages. if I remember I'll post up a lovely one here in swansea


and that green punto... "what round about?" looks like it's one with the slightly raised center, sure he must have noticed when his LEFT wheels went over the top of it xD

Be interested to see which one you post of Swansea it's a terrible city to drive in, the roundabout by the stadium springs to mind terrible lay out.

 

[Sasso]

Be interested to see which one you post of Swansea it's a terrible city to drive in, the roundabout by the stadium springs to mind terrible lay out.

ah they're all pretty bad to be fair xD but was going to post the giant twin bridge one way trafficlight roundabout system down by SA1.

one by the stadium is just stupid because when there's a football match on everyone is queuing to get off the one exit so on every road leading up to it has massive tail backs, once past the round about.... open roads (till you get to the traffic light crossing and then have hundreds of ****ed up fans crossing the road no giving a single **** what colour the lights are. our lights go green but they just keep crossing... edging forwards with a bit of rev usually gets the ones about to cross to have a look at their lights to see the red man... but then they cross anyway as "oh well there's others crossing so I will too..." /sigh

 

[Diesel]

There used to be a pair of silly mini roundabouts when I drove up to Townhill.

Newport is littered with terrible road markings. The dual carriageway built to carry traffic from one side of the city to the other has plenty of roundabouts where the road on is marked as 3 lanes but the roundabout itself only has 2. One roundabout is shaped like an egg and it's virtually impossible for anything longer than a Smart to stay in the markings.

They put 2 mini roundabouts on a main road, everybody ignored them and they removed them about 3 weeks later.

 

[andythelandy]

ah they're all pretty bad to be fair xD but was going to post the giant twin bridge one way trafficlight roundabout system down by SA1.

one by the stadium is just stupid because when there's a football match on everyone is queuing to get off the one exit so on every road leading up to it has massive tail backs, once past the round about.... open roads (till you get to the traffic light crossing and then have hundreds of ****ed up fans crossing the road no giving a single **** what colour the lights are. our lights go green but they just keep crossing... edging forwards with a bit of rev usually gets the ones about to cross to have a look at their lights to see the red man... but then they cross anyway as "oh well there's others crossing so I will too..." /sigh

Haha I agree the twin bridges are terrible especially with road works like at the moment to be honest there are always roadworks on there! I've never had the misfortune to be by the stadium after a game but even in rush hour its impossible to get in the left lane to get back to the town centre! Hopeless!

 

[Sasso]

There used to be a pair of silly mini roundabouts when I drove up to Townhill.

you on about the two by tycoch college, going from sketty up the massive hill towards town hill...? yeah... they are a pain too xD so many people just don't indicate or forget to reapply them after going over the first round about...always really cautious on those as anyone could be going anywhere really

 

[Diesel]

you on about the two by tycoch college, going from sketty up the massive hill towards town hill...? yeah... they are a pain too xD so many people just don't indicate or forget to reapply them after going over the first round about...always really cautious on those as anyone could be going anywhere really

Yeah them's the ones!

 

[Outcast]

Looks to me like someone in the traffic department has struck a deal with a local crash repair garage !

Nothing wrong with the original markings !

 

[robj20]

One thing i hate with these designated lanes for certain exits is, its all well and good when its clear and you can see them but if its busy you haven't a clue which lane goes where. Trafford centre ones catch a few people out.