Would you?

DRZ · 14 Apr 2006 at 03:33

Its late at night on a fairly unused strech of road (think dead at rush hour and you get the idea). You are giving it some serious beans because you think you are Senna and you know the road VERY well - you have been using both sides of the road etc up until now...

Up ahead is a roundabout, you want to take the 2nd exit on the roundabout. Its NSL, its fairly tight and you can see pretty much clearly in all directions - there isnt another road user to be seen.

The 'racing line' is the wrong way around the roundabout - would you take the racing line or would you conform to the rules of the road?

(If this gets heated enough, perhaps a poll?)

.SJ · 14 Apr 2006 at 03:42

DRZ · 14 Apr 2006 at 03:50

.SJ said:
In the dead of the night, when I'm driving home, I always wonder what it would be like to pass an obstacle (round-about/traffic island) on the wrong side of the road, but I leave it at that. I never act upon it, I conform to the rules of the road.

Traffic islands are rarely found on places where you would be giving it enough beans to consider passing it on the wrong side and usually they indicate some sort of hazard and so I generally pass them at reduced pace on the correct side of the road.

I cant think of one example where there is one on a road I know that I like to "press on" along.

Roundabouts could be a different matter though, hence the thread

benneh · 14 Apr 2006 at 04:08

I would definately go around the wrong way (if it was indeed a smoother line). I figure at night, if theres no-one around, and you can clearly see that. Then it's all fair game.

Trojan · 14 Apr 2006 at 04:10

I'd go round the roundabout the correct way. Not to conform to the rules of the road however, but because I like giving the car stick whilst going around roundabouts

Desmo · 14 Apr 2006 at 10:03

I'd take the best racing line around the obstacle, the correct way. I'd not go around the wrong way.

Jez · 14 Apr 2006 at 10:06

There are quite a few roundabouts around the henley area which i would pretty much always take the wrong way if there was no-one about. I dont see the issue, its no worse than using the racing line on other roads.

Matblack · 14 Apr 2006 at 10:07

I've done it, over taking the wrong side of a traffic island, I was young and dumb it felt VERY odd, I'd never bother again

MB

Durzel · 14 Apr 2006 at 10:09

Jez said:
There are quite a few roundabouts around the henley area which i would pretty much always take the wrong way if there was no-one about. I dont see the issue, its no worse than using the racing line on other roads.

Unless your view was somehow obstructed and you didn't see someone coming.

I would (and do) take the racing line on a roundabout if there is no one else on it (and its small) but I'd never go the wrong way around.

Jez · 14 Apr 2006 at 10:11

Durzel said:
Unless your view was somehow obstructed and you didn't see someone coming.

I would (and do) take the racing line on a roundabout if there is no one else on it (and its small) but I'd never go the wrong way around.

Obviously

Certainly would be foolish to do it on any other than obviously clear roundabouts, same applies to traffic islands, if there is definately no-one coming the other way then its no more dangerous than overtaking normally, and thus if the time when i wanted to overtake happened to co-incide with the placement of a traffic island, i would simply go round it.

Desmo · 14 Apr 2006 at 10:12

Jez said:
its no worse than using the racing line on other roads.

Apart from on a normal road you can move back across. On a roundabout, you can't.

Jez · 14 Apr 2006 at 10:17

It is not dangerous if you are sure no-one is coming the other way. I am sure most enthusiastic drivers have taken the odd roundabout the wrong way, not that it'd be admitted by many on here in fear of a grilling

Stinky · 14 Apr 2006 at 10:19

i would use the corrent side of the road

panthro · 14 Apr 2006 at 10:24

I wouldnt do that....its too risky.....there are such things as pedestrians and cyclists who are stupid enough to ride without lights. I have seen people do it and narrowly miss oncoming vehicles.

Pug · 14 Apr 2006 at 10:30

done it many a time before on a traffic island on my bike - they seem to offset them from the road to make ou have to drive round them... Screw that, i'll just drive through them thanks. Not really ever felt the need to in my car. If i felt i was 100% sure that no one would come near the roundabout, and i mean 100%, i probably might.

Freefaller · 14 Apr 2006 at 10:43

Desmo said:
I'd take the best racing line around the obstacle, the correct way. I'd not go around the wrong way.

Ditto. Why chance it any other way? If you did mess it up and had a bump they'd be able to tell you were on the wrong side of the road.

Besides if I want to take roundabouts and obstacles from the other way round I just go to France or Europe

Funnily enough though I've done it on my bike a couple of times....

(Traffic islands not roundabouts.)

Durzel · 14 Apr 2006 at 11:05

Plus, if the Police somehow saw you (maybe in a nearby layby, unmarked car behind or something) the offences would be regarded very differently....

You'd probably get a ticking off for taking the racing line the right way, but going across it the wrong way would probably be classed as Dangeous Driving, regardless of the time of day, other traffic, etc.

FincH · 14 Apr 2006 at 11:09

I'd stick to the correct side of the road.

What's the point of risking your life and other peoples just to get a stupid 'racing line'. It's a road, not a race track.

Gilly · 14 Apr 2006 at 11:36

Desmo said:
I'd take the best racing line around the obstacle, the correct way. I'd not go around the wrong way.

Pug said:
done it many a time before on a traffic island on my bike - they seem to offset them from the road to make ou have to drive round them... Screw that, i'll just drive through them thanks..

How do you drive through a traffic island? :confused:

Pug · 14 Apr 2006 at 12:28

well, depends on what i mean by traffic island i suppose.

I initially meant the white painted roundabouts that leicester-way they offset at an angle to the road. Imagine a straight road with a painted hump offset to the left a little bit. I assume its a traffic calming measure for a t junction. Well, the natural flow of the road before installation would be to take this on the wrong side of the "roundabout". But in a bid for traffic calming they offset it - which results in cars basically part moving over, and just driving over the hump - thats not an option on a bike, and so when there's good visibility, and no traffic i'll happily go straight over the 'bout, but due to the way its painted is actually the wrong side of it.

Another type of "island" i'd do it on are the keep left bollards in the road which seem to appear at some strange places, mounted to a kerb. On my bike, if no junctions are around, and there's no oncoming traffic i'd quite happily drop to the right hand side of these and overtake traffic rather than sneaking between the car and the kerb/bollard.

Hope it clarifies