Another badly designed roundabout. Signage shows that exit as 12 o clock, I would take it in the left lane, watching the right lane carefully. Having no lane marking doesn't exactly help either. Looks like road has been resurfaced and lines not redrawn at some parts, and just worn off in others.
Roundabout Rules?
- Thread starter MarkeR
- Start date
That particular entrance road has only been there for a few years, whilst the roundabout existed long before. Really the road markings should be sorted and all would be well.
Despite the diagram on the signage that specific exit is absolutely beyond the mid point when you've come round to sit and wait to get on, plus the exit is nowhere near big enough to deal with two cars merging. I can see how it becomes a bit confusing
Despite the diagram on the signage that specific exit is absolutely beyond the mid point when you've come round to sit and wait to get on, plus the exit is nowhere near big enough to deal with two cars merging. I can see how it becomes a bit confusing
Caporegime
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Driving over them is 3 points fyi
I probably should have checked the highway code in the first place, found this on the NI gov page. As close as an example I could find!
Going by this diagram and the sign saying the exit was straight ahead then I’d be in the outside lane. In fact I know that if I was approaching this roundabout or any similar ones then I’d automatically position myself into the outside lane unless road markings/ signs said otherwise.
Never really understood what the problem is here, as long as you don't actually pass to the wrong side of the dot.
Mini-roundabouts are essentially to provide a "Priority to the right" structure at former "T" junctions to make it easier for traffic to emerge from minor roads (I am, sure there are 4 way mini-roundabouts out there somewhere, but I cant think of any I am familiar with)
I actually hate it when drivers actively try to drive round the circle. This combined with many (Most even) of today's drivers dismal indicator discipline makes it look as if they are taking the first exit, then Just as I am about to pull away, they jink right and come across my bows.
Either one, just be most aggressive. If you didn't know any better, this is the conclusion you'd reach about roundabout rules within a week.
Even when they're clearly marked or signposted, people seem to determine that 'local custom' wins the day.
I use the M27 J2 roundabout frequently, approaching from the A326 and exiting at the A36.
The lanes on approach are marked
1 - Left only (which is M27 East)
2 - Straight (which is A36)
3 - Straight or right (so A36 or M27 West)
You would need to be suicidal to try to reach the A36 from lane 3 because 'local custom' dictates that most people turning right will use Lane 2 on approach and carry on round to the right without a care in the world. It's rare that a week goes by that I don't see a near miss on this roundabout because of it.
Even when they're clearly marked or signposted, people seem to determine that 'local custom' wins the day.
I use the M27 J2 roundabout frequently, approaching from the A326 and exiting at the A36.
The lanes on approach are marked
1 - Left only (which is M27 East)
2 - Straight (which is A36)
3 - Straight or right (so A36 or M27 West)
You would need to be suicidal to try to reach the A36 from lane 3 because 'local custom' dictates that most people turning right will use Lane 2 on approach and carry on round to the right without a care in the world. It's rare that a week goes by that I don't see a near miss on this roundabout because of it.
Ultimately there is only one roundabout rule.
IT IS NOT A ******* TRACK DAY!
Just take it easy, allow for the possibility that some people may not have used this particular roundabout before and may wish to change lanes at short notice, Allow for the possibility that some people might get the lane discipline wrong. (Especially if they are entering from a DC road and exiting on an SC road)
Give yourself space and time to react and give other people the space and time to react too!
Oh and a particular note to Bikers.
Yes, I know your Hiabusa 1200cc bi-turbo Ninja Shogun, lying flat with your kneecap scraping on the tarmac, can go round to the third exit in the time it takes me to get the front wheels of my lorry over the give way line.
But that doesn't mean that my attempting to negotiate the roundabout before you even entered it means that I have somehow "Cut you Up"
IT IS NOT A ******* TRACK DAY!
Just take it easy, allow for the possibility that some people may not have used this particular roundabout before and may wish to change lanes at short notice, Allow for the possibility that some people might get the lane discipline wrong. (Especially if they are entering from a DC road and exiting on an SC road)
Give yourself space and time to react and give other people the space and time to react too!
Oh and a particular note to Bikers.
Yes, I know your Hiabusa 1200cc bi-turbo Ninja Shogun, lying flat with your kneecap scraping on the tarmac, can go round to the third exit in the time it takes me to get the front wheels of my lorry over the give way line.
But that doesn't mean that my attempting to negotiate the roundabout before you even entered it means that I have somehow "Cut you Up"
I think you would have a good chance of appealing if you can't even fit a car round it
Though I've never heard of someone actually getting fined for cutting a mini roundabout. Police frequent this road and they do it too.
Have a similar but smaller roundabout on my drive back from work. I would take lane 2 but the issue is most people take lane 1!
Also before joining the roundabout there is no markings , just an area on the right with horizontal lines but people use it to make two lanes.
I guess that should mean they're using the 4th exit but that's not always the case!
Also before joining the roundabout there is no markings , just an area on the right with horizontal lines but people use it to make two lanes.
I guess that should mean they're using the 4th exit but that's not always the case!
Caporegime
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Never really understood what the problem is here, as long as you don't actually pass to the wrong side of the dot.
Mini-roundabouts are essentially to provide a "Priority to the right" structure at former "T" junctions to make it easier for traffic to emerge from minor roads (I am, sure there are 4 way mini-roundabouts out there somewhere, but I cant think of any I am familiar with)
I actually hate it when drivers actively try to drive round the circle. This combined with many (Most even) of today's drivers dismal indicator discipline makes it look as if they are taking the first exit, then Just as I am about to pull away, they jink right and come across my bows.
Regardless I know a copper who has booked someone for driving over one. So I'd take care in future
Caporegime
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I think you would have a good chance of appealing if you can't even fit a car round it
Though I've never heard of someone actually getting fined for cutting a mini roundabout. Police frequent this road and they do it too.
I know a copper who has booked someone for doing it.
He was laughing as he told me so he realises how stupid it is but the rules are the rules
If there’s no road markings or signs saying otherwise then you go use the sign just before the roundabout, from 6 o’clock & upto + including 12 o’clock you need to be in the left lane, after 12 to 6 you go in the right lane
Sometimes roundabouts look odd but from that aerial view you’re going straight on so common practice is the left lane
People in the right lane should be looking in their mirrors and to their left to see if it is safe to exit , if it isn’t they should go around again or if there’s enough time and it’s safe then slow down signal and exit
I watch loads of dash cam vids on YouTube and quite a few are sent in by people in the middle or right hand lane trying to exit , then shouting and swearing at people in the left lane as they nearly drive into the back righthand side of them, but it’s their own fault, they should be checking their left and anticipating somebody doing this and taking appropriate action instead of trying to turn off anyways
Sometimes roundabouts look odd but from that aerial view you’re going straight on so common practice is the left lane
People in the right lane should be looking in their mirrors and to their left to see if it is safe to exit , if it isn’t they should go around again or if there’s enough time and it’s safe then slow down signal and exit
I watch loads of dash cam vids on YouTube and quite a few are sent in by people in the middle or right hand lane trying to exit , then shouting and swearing at people in the left lane as they nearly drive into the back righthand side of them, but it’s their own fault, they should be checking their left and anticipating somebody doing this and taking appropriate action instead of trying to turn off anyways
I use this up to 12 o clock rule myself but I don't think it's actually written down anywhere in the highway code.
I remember arguing with an old guy at work when I was a graduate, when I was adamant he was using the wrong lane on approach to the office. He asked me to show him this 12 o clock rule and I couldn't find it
The best I could find in the highway code was 'pick the appropriate lane'.
I remember arguing with an old guy at work when I was a graduate, when I was adamant he was using the wrong lane on approach to the office. He asked me to show him this 12 o clock rule and I couldn't find it
The best I could find in the highway code was 'pick the appropriate lane'.
Man of Honour
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You need to find a particularly anal traffic officer to give you a ticket for that (and traffic officers are more of an endangered species than pandas or mountain lions), or be a complete pillock where that's the easiest ticket to write for a wider set of circumstances. Technically it's failing to comply with a road sign.
Rule 186 explains how to use a roundabout, it’s not called the twelve o’clock rule in the Highway Code but the ‘12 o’clock ‘ rule is more or less what you need to do
If exiting right or going around then right hand lane signalling right
If exiting the first left exit then signal left
For any intermediate exits approach in the appropriate lane and don’t signal until you;re about to exit
So basically if you’re not exiting to the right then the appropriate lane would be left although if it was a dual carriage way roundabout the right lane would be appropriate too
If exiting right or going around then right hand lane signalling right
If exiting the first left exit then signal left
For any intermediate exits approach in the appropriate lane and don’t signal until you;re about to exit
So basically if you’re not exiting to the right then the appropriate lane would be left although if it was a dual carriage way roundabout the right lane would be appropriate too
That's exactly the bit that isn't explicit.
You're interpreting which is the 'appropriate lane' by the rule of thumb you and I both use but nowhere actually says that's correct
Amen to that.