Is poor lane discipline proportional to the number of lanes?

Is poor lane discipline proportional to the number of lanes?

Author
Discussion

Nigel_O

Original Poster:

3,298 posts

233 months

Saturday
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As a Midlander, I don't often go near the South East, but a few weeks ago, I needed to make a trip to Epsom. I picked my day and time carefully to avoid the worst of the traffic, so it wasn't the carpark it often is.

On the quiet M40, I found the usual number of MLM - utterly oblivious to the fact that they were overtaking fresh air. I had my usual 'doing laps' fun with some of them, overtaking in lane 3, cutting back to lane one, slowing down and then repeating it a couple of times until they moved over, or I got bored - usually the latter.

However, on sections of the M25, there were LOADS of lane three morons - people cruising along at 60 or less when the rest of the traffic was doing 70(ish). Quite a few drivers sailed past in lanes one or two, but many were too scared and either hung back, or crammed into lane four to pass the L3M. I even came across someone in lane four at one point, doing well under 60, when there was nothing in the first three lanes - I cruised past at 70 in lane one...

Is it an M25 thing? A London thing? Or is it simply that the more lanes there are, the worse the discipline becomes?

Rant over - breathe...

bern

1,297 posts

234 months

Saturday
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Yep, 4 Lane motorways have been rended almost completely pointless by the mouth breathing s who've swapped lane 2 for lane 3 and in some cases lane 4.

On recent trip to Woking and back, from Sheffield, I undertook 6 cars travelling in lane 4 whilst I was in lane 1. Majority were Tesla's presumably on autopilot whilst their owners were deciding what to flavour their tofu with.

John D.

19,213 posts

223 months

Saturday
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It's proportional to traffic density. The more crowded the roads get, the worse people drive.

Saudade

255 posts

84 months

Saturday
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Tbf whenever I drive the M25, I end up stuck in L1 behind a bunch of people trying to jump traffic on the slip road so L1 comes to a complete stop as they try and barge their way in. Repeat this every other mile and it soon gets tiring. Get in L3 and you don't have to worry about it.

However, no, I see poor lane discipline just as much in the north.

angoooose

51 posts

157 months

Saturday
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A few years ago, when 4 lanes were relatively unusual, it seemed that lanes 1 & 2 were mostly used by "local" traffic, just going 1 or 2 junctions, with lanes 3 & 4 used by traffic going further