discouragement for hoggers

[Lotusgone]

Going back and forth to Heathrow on the M25 recently, it was good to see the info boards showing "keep left unless overtaking". That, at least, is a start. Now if only Plod would exercise the powers available, nick loads of the middle- and third-lane zombies and show the results on the boards, then the outside lane might not be so congested.

Except in Essex, of course. There should be signs on the county boundaries saying "Essex resents careful drivers". Is the M11 the only motorway that you join and then go slower?

[Tony1963]

You are, of course, a part of the problem: too many people and too many vehicles.

[DickyC]

Tony1963 said:

You are, of course, a part of the problem: too many people and too many vehicles.

The Qashqui advert makes me laugh.



If you have cars enforcing gaps like that, the whole road network of the UK seizes up.

[AlexRS2782]

They've been running the same message on the London bound M3 gantries on & off as well - unfortunately it would seem quite a few people ignore them and still sit in the outer 2 lanes before desperately trying to move left upon reaching the M25 interchange

A couple of weeks ago, when they were running the keep left message, it would probably have been more useful if they'd put up a message warning about the accident around the M4 stretch of the M25, that was causing a fair amount of crawling / stop & start traffic.

Edited by AlexRS2782 on Tuesday 17th September 23:11

[joropug]

A work colleague told me that he only uses the middle lane.

I explained it all to him and he said , "I know, but it's just easier and like sitting there doing 70"

He is a very intelligent and nice bloke just sucks at driving it seems.

Education and enforcement!

[Drumroll]

DickyC said:

The Qashqui advert makes me laugh.



If you have cars enforcing gaps like that, the whole road network of the UK seizes up.

Actually keeping a decent distance actually helps traffic flow, you get less bunching and it does allow for traffic to change lanes easier.

[Grrbang]

Drumroll said:

Actually keeping a decent distance actually helps traffic flow, you get less bunching and it does allow for traffic to change lanes easier.

I agree - I remember being told this in a road design module at uni.

Also that headway doesn’t look too far at all if you can’t see what’s in front of the lead car.

[anonymous-user]

Grrbang said:

Drumroll said:

Actually keeping a decent distance actually helps traffic flow, you get less bunching and it does allow for traffic to change lanes easier.

I agree - I remember being told this in a road design module at uni.

Also that headway doesn’t look too far at all if you can’t see what’s in front of the lead car.

But but but the idea of 'managed/smart motorways' is to do just that by gradually reducing speeds and smooth the flow avoiding the bunching effect.

But certain quarters think it's all about revenue raising rather than congestion management

[sim72]

Lotusgone said:

Going back and forth to Heathrow on the M25 recently, it was good to see the info boards showing "keep left unless overtaking".

I thought all the matrix signs were currently showing "Something might happen on November 1 if you're taking freight to the EU"? They all are round here anyway (and that's in the Midlands).

[Griffgrog]

It's high time that drivers had to be retrained and retested. Driving standards in the UK are spiraling downwards - or am I just becoming a grumpy old man.

[Flumpo]

The main problem is people just don’t understand how keeping left works. I’m going to put it at about 80% of drivers based on what I see.

Even on ph every few weeks someone will post a dash cam clip of someone cutting them up or doing something stupid. But the clip will show they had been hogging l1 or l2 which they will vehemently deny. If they don’t flounce immediately and do post the previous 10 mins, inevitably it show they are indeed a lane Hogg.

This will be followed by 10 pages of denial and accusations other people don’t understand how motorway queues or flows work. Before the inevitable flounce, still refusing to accept what keep left means.

If propels on a car/driving enthusiasts forum can’t get it then what hope have we got for the general public.

The only thing that amazes me is that there aren’t more fatal accidents on the roads. Thank god car design and safety has been improved so much.

[schmalex]

Griffgrog said:

It's high time that drivers had to be retrained and retested. Driving standards in the UK are spiraling downwards - or am I just becoming a grumpy old man.

Driving standards here are way, way better than 99% of countries

[jonwm]

I use the M6 toll every day and there is always someone just sat in the middle lane in a world of their own.

I just stay in lane 1 and undertake, they never even notice.

Very frustrating

[Flumpo]

Lotusgone said:

Going back and forth to Heathrow on the M25 recently, it was good to see the info boards showing "keep left unless overtaking". That, at least, is a start. Now if only Plod would exercise the powers available, nick loads of the middle- and third-lane zombies and show the results on the boards, then the outside lane might not be so congested.

Except in Essex, of course. There should be signs on the county boundaries saying "Essex resents careful drivers". Is the M11 the only motorway that you join and then go slower?

I’ve done a lot of driving from Heathrow to cobham stretch in the last 12 months. It’s very much a pick a lane you like the look of and stick to it doing 60mph for 99% of the users. Lane 1 is genuinely the fastest lane while you pass everyone oblivious to you or other users.

My take on that stretch is that it’s mostly commuters who have no other motorway experience other than maybe a jaunt up the m1 once a year to see family. They haven’t got a clue about lanes and just want to do 60 until they need to come off. That 60mph is likely the fastest they ever drive, throw in the noise and thuds from the concrete and they are in a world of their own.

[anonymous-user]

Surely what's worse than the lane hoggers is those idiots in perfectly capable (non classic) cars who do stick to Lane 1 doing a steady 1-2mph less than the trucks on their limiters, meaning that all the trucks are forced to crawl past in Lane 2 to overtake a car being driven unnecessarily slowly, blocking both lanes for other traffic in the process.

[HTP99]

Griffgrog said:

It's high time that drivers had to be retrained and retested. Driving standards in the UK are spiraling downwards - or am I just becoming a grumpy old man.

Was behind a learner on Sunday (proper learner as in a driving school), the road that we entered has a bus lane which isn't in operation on a Sunday (and between 7pm and 7am other days), were they in the correct (out of hours bus lane), course they weren't, my daughters ex failed his driving test for not using an out of hours bus lane; failed for not keeping left.

If a driving school gets that wrong then what's to say re-training to iron out; amongst other issues, keep left issues, will!

[ATG]

Andy20vt said:

Surely what's worse than the lane hoggers is those idiots in perfectly capable (non classic) cars who do stick to Lane 1 doing a steady 1-2mph less than the trucks on their limiters, meaning that all the trucks are forced to crawl past in Lane 2 to overtake a car being driven unnecessarily slowly, blocking both lanes for other traffic in the process.

The trucks are not forced to overtake. Their drivers choose to do so so that they can go a whopping 1 or 2 mph faster. So I'd add them to the list of inconsiderate idiots on the roads too.

[tinnitusjosh]

ATG said:

The trucks are not forced to overtake. Their drivers choose to do so so that they can go a whopping 1 or 2 mph faster. So I'd add them to the list of inconsiderate idiots on the roads too.

Oh jeez now you've done it... The truckers and their sob stories about deadlines and sleeping in the cab 1 mile from home will be along any minute, as is tradition

[Gee68]

My father-in-law is a MLH,asked why he does it and his explanation is the inside lane is full of debris so he sticks to the middle.
Very intelligent man,own business,etc,etc just sucks at driving.

[Over over under steer]

jonwm said:

I use the M6 toll every day and there is always someone just sat in the middle lane in a world of their own.

I just stay in lane 1 and undertake, they never even notice.

Very frustrating

What's the PH stance on this? I sometimes do the same. If I'm in L1 at 75 say, and the motorway is otherwise quiet except for a 70mph middle lane car. I've observed them not moving for the 30 seconds I'm approaching, do you carry on in L1?

I tend to if it's quiet, there is a hard shoulder, and I feel the driver is just sat there. - looking at myself in the mirror I do it mostly out of spite though which disappoints me a tad.