straight on at roundabouts

[homerjay]

following on from previous left lane indication thread, what are your thoughts on the above.

i was alway taught "youre going straight on, so dont indicate", so thats what i do.

i can understand left only when exiting, but indicating right when going straight on?

ive followed plenty of folk who do this, including learners who indicate right when entering the roundabout (confusing the fk out of everyone) then indicate left when exiting.

thoughts?

note, im talking about perfect roundabouts here, with 4 exits opposite each other. i believe its good practice to indicate on exit if there is any doubt whatsoever.

Edited by homerjay on Tuesday 30th November 11:25

[Muzzer]

Left on exit.

When I was taught to drive, my instructor told me that some people indicate right to go straight on - it was an old-fashioned method apparently, that had since been moved on from.

[GadgeS3C]

This one's interesting.

I don't recall in my younger days very often seeing people indicating right to go straight on. These days I see it quite often, frequently from people my age or older.

So I'm puzzled as I can't see why people would start doing this.

Just wish people would understand the priority rules at roundabouts as we seem to be adopting "I got here first so sod anyone else"!
Gary

[JM]

Indicate left after the previous junction to the one you are taking, indicate right if going past '12 o'clock' or the obvious straight on.

Unless there are lanes marked on the roundabout, then just follow lane, and only indicate if the lane splits, e.g to go off r/bout or continue round, then I would either indicate left or right, if the indication will help another driver.

Edited by JM on Tuesday 30th November 11:30

[ShampooEfficient]

I'll indicate right if the exit is past 12'o'clock from where I'm going, if anyone's coming from the first exit. Otherwise no signal on approach, then left signal when I nose past the first exit.

[_bondy_]

JM said:

Indicate left after the previous junction to the one you are taking, indicate right if going past '12 o'clock' or the obvious straight on.

Not hard really.

this.

[anonymous-user]

Depends how big the roundabout. If it was a mini-roundabout I wouldn't bother, anything else just indicate left after you pass the exit before the one you want.

[Matt UK]

JM said:

Indicate left after the previous junction to the one you are taking, indicate right if going past '12 o'clock' or the obvious straight on.

Unless there are lanes marked on the roundabout, then just follow lane, and only indicate if the lane splits, e.g to go off r/bout or continue round, then I would either indicate left or right, if the indication will help another driver.

Yup

[PHmember]

Left before exiting.

Unlike the tard in front of me earlier, indicating right before careering straight over the humped bit of the mini-roundabout & continuing straight on without even slowing slightly.

[LukeBird]

Left before exiting just to aide others on the roundabout.

[Hip2Bsquare]

GadgeS3C said:

This one's interesting.

I don't recall in my younger days very often seeing people indicating right to go straight on. These days I see it quite often, frequently from people my age or older.

So I'm puzzled as I can't see why people would start doing this.

Just wish people would understand the priority rules at roundabouts as we seem to be adopting "I got here first so sod anyone else"!
Gary

The reason I have started to signal right is for the benefit of those I'm am just about to pass on my approach to pass the 1st exit.

So many people pull out in front of you now on roundabouts that I now feel it is essential to avoid a prang. People pull out for many reasons but one is because the majority of drivers taking the first exit (to turn to their left) give no indication at all which leaves some drivers annoyed as they have stopped to wait for them thinking they are going straight on.

After I pass the 1st exit, the right indication changes to left to take the second exit.

I don't do this for all roundabouts, just the ones that warrant it which are usually faster, large roundabouts.

[Mars]

homerjay said:

note, im talking about perfect roundabouts here, with 4 exits opposite each other. i believe its good practice to indicate on exit if there is any doubt whatsoever.

Yes, in these circumstances no "right" indication is necessary, however the rules for more complex roundabouts are just as simple. Suppose you have a 5 exit roundabout, where the 1st and 2nd exits are still "technically" to the left, and the 3rd is straight on? What would you do then?

In this circumstance I would indicate right to show the people at the 2nd exit that I am staying on the roundabout past their junction.

We have one of these roundabouts where I live - further complicated by there being a dual carriageway leading up to it from one exit and single carriageways on all of the other 4 exits.

Dual carriageway is coming in from about 5 o'clock:



In the outside lane of the DC there's a painted-on arrow indicating right, but the 3rd exit is slightly to the right (between 1 o'clock and 2 o'clock). I would have thought there would be all sorts of bad tempers around this roundabout but both lanes seem able to filter into the single lane 3rd exit without too much trouble, although few people in the inside lane actually indicate right to show those entering the roundabout from exit 2 that they are staying on the roundabout past their exit.

[homerjay]

out of interest, at the 5 oclock exit, there are two cars covering the arrows on the road

which way these arrows pointing?

Edited by homerjay on Tuesday 30th November 12:27

[Jobbo]

Mars said:

homerjay said:

note, im talking about perfect roundabouts here, with 4 exits opposite each other. i believe its good practice to indicate on exit if there is any doubt whatsoever.

Yes, in these circumstances no "right" indication is necessary, however the rules for more complex roundabouts are just as simple. Suppose you have a 5 exit roundabout, where the 1st and 2nd exits are still "technically" to the left, and the 3rd is straight on? What would you do then?

In this circumstance I would indicate right to show the people at the 2nd exit that I am staying on the roundabout past their junction.

We have one of these roundabouts where I live - further complicated by there being a dual carriageway leading up to it from one exit and single carriageways on all of the other 4 exits.

Dual carriageway is coming in from about 5 o'clock:



In the outside lane of the DC there's a painted-on arrow indicating right, but the 3rd exit is slightly to the right (between 1 o'clock and 2 o'clock). I would have thought there would be all sorts of bad tempers around this roundabout but both lanes seem able to filter into the single lane 3rd exit without too much trouble, although few people in the inside lane actually indicate right to show those entering the roundabout from exit 2 that they are staying on the roundabout past their exit.

I spent a while looking at that wondering where it could be, then realised quite how close to home it was! Top of Rough Hill Drive in Redditch. Which was exactly the example I was thinking of. Rough Hill Drive isn't a dual carriageway, by the way.

Can never work out which lane I ought to be in when coming from Evesham Road at the right to Evesham Road at the left, nor from Windmill Drive to The Slough. Never had a problem despite that.

Edited by Jobbo on Tuesday 30th November 12:29

[Mars]

homerjay said:

out of interest, at the 5 oclock exit, there are two cars covering the arrows on the road

which way these arrows pointing?

Edited by homerjay on Tuesday 30th November 12:27

Pretty sure they're just straight-on. The potential for confusion lies in what "straight on" means in that context though.

[Mars]

Jobbo said:

I spent a while looking at that wondering where it could be, then realised quite how close to home it was! Top of Rough Hill Drive in Redditch. Which was exactly the example I was thinking of. Rough Hill Drive isn't a dual carriageway, by the way.

Can never work out which lane I ought to be in when coming from Evesham Road at the right to Evesham Road at the left, nor from Windmill Drive to The Slough. Never had a problem despite that.

And you can go straight on from Windmill to Rough Hill in both the 1st and 2nd lane which occasionally causes confusion.

Generally though, I wonder if the plethora of exits and lanes confuses people just enough that they tread carefully here, and hence by some miracle, it just works? People just seem to be relieved when they're through it.

[Rubin215]

There is only one left turn at a roundabout, and that is the first exit as long as that exit is before 12 o' clock. Indicate left on approach, leave it on as you go round, cancel it after you leave.

Anything after 12 o' clock is a right turn so needs a right indicator on approach, right as you go round, then left to exit just as you pass the exit before the one you intend to take.

Anything in between the first exit, up to and including 12 o' clock (and maybe even as far as 1 o'clock with some layouts, but don't quote me...) is a straight ahead. No indicators on approach, indicate left to leave just as you pass the exit before the one you intend to take.

Anything else is wrong and misleading.

[Mars]

Jobbo said:

Rough Hill Drive isn't a dual carriageway, by the way.

In one direction it is. What's the definition (genuinely don't know)? Thought it was simply that you had more than one lane which is true in the southbound direction.

[Mars]

Rubin215 said:

There is only one left turn at a roundabout, and that is the first exit as long as that exit is before 12 o' clock. Indicate left on approach, leave it on as you go round, cancel it after you leave.

Anything after 12 o' clock is a right turn so needs a right indicator on approach, right as you go round, then left to exit just as you pass the exit before the one you intend to take.

Anything in between the first exit, up to and including 12 o' clock (and maybe even as far as 1 o'clock with some layouts, but don't quote me...) is a straight ahead. No indicators on approach, indicate left to leave just as you pass the exit before the one you intend to take.

Anything else is wrong and misleading.

I profoundly disagree with you here. Who are you indicating for? Not just those behind you, but those who are attempting to join the roundabout who might assume that, because you're not indicating right, you're probably turning off the roundabout, and then they pull out on you.

Further back from the pic I showed above, there is another 5-pointed roundabout which is even more complex, wider, multiple lanes, and has a "proper" dual carriageway from one direction the "half" dual carriageway you see in the pic in another direction (further complicated by it narrowing to one lane immediately after you exit the roundabout only for it to open up again into 2 lanes), and 3 service roads. And the spacing of these exits are not equidistant.

People rarely indicate here because they get confused. They also rarely stay inside their painted lanes. Both of which lead to a lot of bad tempers.



ETA picture and... I see that they have actually denied 2 lanes of exit traffic off this roundabout now (about 7 o'clock). I've also got to say that despite the confusion some people bring to this roundabout, it works surprisingly well, especially since the lanes were painted on. Although there will always be people who straight-line their path through a roundabout, there seems to be enough people who give it due consideration.

It is a fast transit through this one though. If you weren't from the area, your speed through it and general desire to work out where to go next (this is Redditch by the way - often people get confused by our traffic system) might cause the most observant PHer to ignore his/her indicators.

Edited by Mars on Tuesday 30th November 13:16

[Rubin215]

Mars said:

Rubin215 said:

There is only one left turn at a roundabout, and that is the first exit as long as that exit is before 12 o' clock. Indicate left on approach, leave it on as you go round, cancel it after you leave.

Anything after 12 o' clock is a right turn so needs a right indicator on approach, right as you go round, then left to exit just as you pass the exit before the one you intend to take.

Anything in between the first exit, up to and including 12 o' clock (and maybe even as far as 1 o'clock with some layouts, but don't quote me...) is a straight ahead. No indicators on approach, indicate left to leave just as you pass the exit before the one you intend to take.

Anything else is wrong and misleading.

I profoundly disagree with you here. Who are you indicating for? Not just those behind you, but those who are attempting to join the roundabout who might assume that, because you're not indicating right, you're probably turning off the roundabout, and then they pull out on you.

Further back from the pic I showed above, there is another 5-pointed roundabout which is even more complex, wider, multiple lanes, and has a "proper" dual carriageway from one direction the "half" dual carriageway you see in the pic in another direction (further complicated by it narrowing to one lane immediately after you exit the roundabout only for it to open up again into 2 lanes), and 3 service roads. And the spacing of these exits are not equidistant.

People rarely indicate here because they get confused. They also rarely stay inside their painted lanes. Both of which lead to a lot of bad tempers.

Firstly, I'm a DSA instructor so know what I'm talking about.

Secondly, read your highway code.