Merge in turn - a forgotten rule.

[mmm-five]

ironictwist said:

What happened next?!

Nothing yet, as it only happened this week.

Waiting for authorisation for repairs and then see whether my insurance company simply bends over and accepts it as a 50:50. Then I've got to do some 'negotiation' down the phone with them - I've even got a 14 page document showing diagrams, photos and commentary of what happened.

There was even a HATO vehicle nearby that must have seen it all but didn't stop - well nobody did actually, so there's no witnesses other than maybe the CCTV in that area.

Unfortunately for what I assume will be a relatively small claim, I can't see them wanting to get the BIB involved to get that evidence, unless 'someone' makes a complaint about DWDCA or dangerous driving.

[grumbledoak]

It's the way we sign and mark them.

Just coneing both lanes into one without much notice would cause the traffic to slow for the obstruction. A big sign stating "Zipper" or similar would probably do the job.

But we give a lot of notice, which would work well if everyone got in lane in good time at normal speed - we would not have to slow for the obstruction at all. But, here human nature gets involved. Some will try to game it, resulting in the worst of both worlds- 90% get in lane in time and could carry on at speed, except we still have to slow to merge as 10% are doing it right at the cones.

Edited by grumbledoak on Friday 26th March 19:04

[Munter]

mmm-five said:

"had by a truck playing god"

All those miles in the 5 series...you get a new car...bugger.

[jagracer]

mmm-five said:

ironictwist said:

What happened next?!

Nothing yet, as it only happened this week.

Waiting for authorisation for repairs and then see whether my insurance company simply bends over and accepts it as a 50:50. Then I've got to do some 'negotiation' down the phone with them - I've even got a 14 page document showing diagrams, photos and commentary of what happened.

There was even a HATO vehicle nearby that must have seen it all but didn't stop - well nobody did actually, so there's no witnesses other than maybe the CCTV in that area.

Unfortunately for what I assume will be a relatively small claim, I can't see them wanting to get the BIB involved to get that evidence, unless 'someone' makes a complaint about DWDCA or dangerous driving.

Did he pull out while you were along side or did you play chicken and lose? The thing is that he's not going to worry about your damage or be affected as someone else will be sorting it all out. I had alorry driver try the same thing with me on the A1 a few months back but it's easier to let them get on with it.

[Seez]

You can and should use the outside lane to even up the queue as this prevents the queue disrupting other areas unnecessarily especially where there are previous roundabouts etc.

Funny one I remember, I was in lane 1 waiting , couldnt be bothered to anything other than wait, when the truck in front decides to go into lane two to block other people moving along lane two.

SO what to do - yep I drive past him in lane one, to say he wasnt happy was a understatement!

[saaby93]

highway code rule 134 said:

You should follow the signs and road markings and get into the lane as directed. In congested road conditions do not change lanes unnecessarily. Merging in turn is recommended but only if safe and appropriate when vehicles are travelling at a very low speed, e.g. when approaching road works or a road traffic incident. It is not recommended at high speed.

[MC Bodge]

Mr Gear said:

A bad (British) merge sign:

The clue is in the 800yards bit, though. It doesn't say get in lane NOW

With 800yads to go, using a little bit of the central reservation grass to pass the person partially blocking 2 lanes may work well......

Edited by MC Bodge on Friday 26th March 19:17

[mmm-five]

jagracer said:

Did he pull out while you were along side or did you play chicken and lose? The thing is that he's not going to worry about your damage or be affected as someone else will be sorting it all out. I had alorry driver try the same thing with me on the A1 a few months back but it's easier to let them get on with it.

I wasn't alongside when he started to 'wander' over into my lane without indication, but as I was doing 10mph faster than him (he was probably initially only doing 5mph) by the time he'd actually crossed the white line and covered enough of my lane to stop me actually passing I was level with his 3 sets of rear wheels, so I slammed on and stopped. He continued at the same angle for another couple of metres, scraping my wing, before straightening up and stopping.

Edited by mmm-five on Friday 26th March 19:21

[Scraggles]

tend to merge in turn and often when am letting people in, they seem puzzled that am doing it, so have to flash and point hand....

had the odd trucker try and block me, they usually have a phone number or name, the solo truckers with the mobile numbers might get left on bog doors with a suggestion....

not get too wound up with it, even with the silver sports car on the a1, undertook me at around 100 even though was overtaking a fuel tanker at the time, cant have been more than 3-4 car lengths gap...

[ironictwist]

mmm-five said:

jagracer said:

Did he pull out while you were along side or did you play chicken and lose? The thing is that he's not going to worry about your damage or be affected as someone else will be sorting it all out. I had alorry driver try the same thing with me on the A1 a few months back but it's easier to let them get on with it.

I wasn't alongside when he started to 'wander' over into my lane without indication, but as I was doing 10mph faster than him (he was probably initially only doing 5mph) by the time he'd actually crossed the white line and covered enough of my lane to stop me actually passing I was level with his 3 sets of rear wheels, so I slammed on and stopped. He continued at the same angle for another couple of metres, scraping my wing, before straightening up and stopping.

What a ...Seriously. & it's not often I use that word either :/

[MondeoMan1981]

I pass two merge in turns each day.

The one northbound at the Forth Road Bridge from 3 to 2 lanes is awful. Those in lane 2 seem to just block everyone in lane 3, from well before any signs !

I have seen a total cock in an Audi pull out to straddle both lanes at the 800yds to stop me overtaking, total knob.

Personally I apply common sense - I merge in with moving traffic - I dont go right to the end and force people to let me in, I'm quite happy to come in from about 400yds-200yds - just where theres a gap.

[jagracer]

mmm-five said:

jagracer said:

Did he pull out while you were along side or did you play chicken and lose? The thing is that he's not going to worry about your damage or be affected as someone else will be sorting it all out. I had a lorry driver try the same thing with me on the A1 a few months back but it's easier to let them get on with it.

I wasn't alongside when he started to 'wander' over into my lane without indication, but as I was doing 10mph faster than him (he was probably initially only doing 5mph) by the time he'd actually crossed the white line and covered enough of my lane to stop me actually passing I was level with his 3 sets of rear wheels, so I slammed on and stopped. He continued at the same angle for another couple of metres, scraping my wing, before straightening up and stopping.

Fair enough. When I'm in my lorry I often get people play chicken with me, often up the nearside when you can't see them. I always give way as I can't be arsed with the accident forms but I really wonder why people do it, they are the ones that get the damage and the hassle of getting it repaired no matter who's at fault.

edited; Just seen the other pic, it looks even worse positioning than the first and agree with the other poster, he's a .

Edited by jagracer on Friday 26th March 19:24

[lionrampant]

Merge in turn is one of those traffic concepts that doesn't translate well into the British belief in queueing.

Everyone else waits their turn, why should someone else who knows that lane closes get to go ahead of them? Right or wrong, that's the perception.

[eztiger]

MondeoMan1981 said:

I pass two merge in turns each day.

The one northbound at the Forth Road Bridge from 3 to 2 lanes is awful. Those in lane 2 seem to just block everyone in lane 3, from well before any signs !

I have seen a total cock in an Audi pull out to straddle both lanes at the 800yds to stop me overtaking, total knob.

Personally I apply common sense - I merge in with moving traffic - I dont go right to the end and force people to let me in, I'm quite happy to come in from about 400yds-200yds - just where theres a gap.

I go through this every day too and am constantly amazed at how any sort of lane discipline goes out the window just because the traffic is moving slowly.

3 lanes. Inside lane flowing freely. Outside lane flowing freely to a merge in turn.

• Middle* lane static with everyone sitting there in it not bothering to change lane to one of either of the two free flowing lanes.

I find it quite interesting in a strange way. I always avoid the middle lane as I know exactly what's going to happen. If the middle lane traffic spread itself over all three lanes up to the merge point everything would flow very smoothly.

[LuS1fer]

Given only one vehicle can get through the gap, most seem to have forgotten the "wait your f*ckin* turn" rule.

[XTR2Turbo]

the worst is on the M25 when they close lanes at night for road works.

After a few gantries with arrows and warnings they normally close the lane with a red cross on the gantry hundreds of meters before the merge point.

You should never pass a red cross so can only merge. But half the world seem to ignore the red cross or wonder what it means and go past. End result it can take tens of minutes to filter through if you follow the rule of the road ot a few minutes if you don't.

I'm quite happy when trucks block the lane in that situation. Although perhaps surprisingly for supposedly professional drivers trucks seem as bad as others at driving through the red crosses. I wonder why they can't turn the speed cameras into red cross cameras in that situation.

[saaby93]

mmm-five said:

I wasn't alongside when he started to 'wander' over into my lane without indication, but as I was doing 10mph faster than him (he was probably initially only doing 5mph) by the time he'd actually crossed the white line and covered enough of my lane to stop me actually passing I was level with his 3 sets of rear wheels, so I slammed on and stopped. He continued at the same angle for another couple of metres, scraping my wing, before straightening up and stopping.

Would this count as a road rage incident?

[heebeegeetee]

eztiger said:

3 lanes.

When you've got a mixture of 3 lanes and some vehicles being the length of 3 others, how does merge in turn work?

[Dr.Doofenshmirtz]

There is a part of my commute that includes a god forsaken merge-in-turn.
This was by far the most stressful part of my journey.
If I sat in the inside lane it used to annoy me being so far back having to watch all the chancers go past me and filter (read:cut) in at the head of the queue.
If I went down the outside I felt a bit of a cock cutting in...but the final straw came when someone deliberately scraped the side of my car like the BMW above. I've seen a handful of similar incidents where people haven't let the car in and ended up colliding deliberately.

I then switched to commuting by motorbike and now I filter past both lanes all the way past the merge in turn point - it's bloody wonderful.

[eztiger]

heebeegeetee said:

eztiger said:

3 lanes.

When you've got a mixture of 3 lanes and some vehicles being the length of 3 others, how does merge in turn work?

Only two lanes merge, not all three.

That pinch point discussed works exceptionally poorly. The irony is, immediately afterwards at the entrance to the bridge, there is another merge to the two lanes from a third sliproad coming from another access route.

That part seems to go much more smoothly than the previous merger, possibly because it can be viewed as a more 'traditional' motorway style joining procedure which people I guess are more comfortable with.

Take a trip northbound over the Forth bridge sometime, it's truly fascinating stuff!