Turning right? Make the manouvre miles before the junction.

[HiHoSilverSLK]

My little town is served by one major A road that snakes from the western end around the southern extremity and up to the eastern end, thence away. During the course of the A27's passionate embrace with Chichester we enjoy five jolly roundabouts and a perky set of traffic lights, all fairly evenly spaced, just over kilometre of dual carriageway 'twixt each junction, roughly.

Our busy stretch of A road is all Armco clad and is subject to the national speed limit, it carries a lot of local traffic as well as the busy flow going hence and thither along the south coast. You may well know it and love it as much as I do.

I use this road a lot. I like to make good progress but what vexes me, and I'd be interested to know if this is a local West Sussex phenomenon - I suspect that it's not, is this:

Every (almost) time I join the A road I get stuck behind a car sitting in the right hand lane doing forty-eight miles-per-hour where they will sit until they get to the next junction, then they will indicate right and go on their merry way. What's with this 'get-in-the-right-hand-lane-at-the-junction-before' trait? Is it part of a new highway code specially for cretinous morons?

The offending drivers seem to be elderly (either sex) young women(completely disengaged) or overweight middle-aged dullards in kiddie-cattle-wagons.
What's wrong with them?
Why does it make me all raging and shouty?
They even do it when the roads empty!
What's going on?
Grrr!

[Tuvra]

I know what you mean, from office to office I have about 6m of dual carriageway, I find that from point A to B I will undertake on average 5 cars in one journey (strangely only one way).

This may make me sound like an ass, but I don't break the speed limit when doing so, the 5 cars are these mongs out in lane 2 because their turning right on the next junction, which is about a mile away.

I'm so used to it now I spot them a mile off and casually undertake with very little drama. I used to get very annoyed by it, sitting on the bumper, flashing the lights etc, it doesn't work though

[sebhaque]

We have the opposite in Bristol - there are short lengths of dual carriageway/double lane roundabouts around here. Most drivers don't even venture into the outside lane, preferring to just sit behind the driver in front of them in the inside lane. Of course, when someone decides to utilise the road and travel down the outside lane, they don't get let back in. Some from Wales and West Utilities decided to match my speed on a merge so I was left floundering on the wrong side of the road, ready to back in until a sensible chap in a black Clio opened a gap in front and motioned for me to pull in front.

[forzaminardi]

I used to have a rule of one minute behind for no good reason and you're undertaken.

[djfaulkner]

My wife does this and her reasoning is.... Not everyone is nice enough to let her in and she doesn't feel confident forcing her way in.
If she needs to change lanes then does when there is a gap in traffic regardless of how far the exit is.

[pilchardthecat]

I also find this to be vexatious. I frequent a stretch of dual carriageway on which much of the traffic sits in the right hand lane 3 or 4 miles prior to the roundabout at which they wish to turn. This happens even when there is little or no traffic.

[Petrolhead_Rich]

HiHoSilverSLK said:

My little town is served by one major A road that snakes from the western end around the southern extremity and up to the eastern end, thence away. During the course of the A27's passionate embrace with Chichester we enjoy five jolly roundabouts and a perky set of traffic lights, all fairly evenly spaced, just over kilometre of dual carriageway 'twixt each junction, roughly.

Our busy stretch of A road is all Armco clad and is subject to the national speed limit, it carries a lot of local traffic as well as the busy flow going hence and thither along the south coast. You may well know it and love it as much as I do.

I use this road a lot. I like to make good progress but what vexes me, and I'd be interested to know if this is a local West Sussex phenomenon - I suspect that it's not, is this:

Every (almost) time I join the A road I get stuck behind a car sitting in the right hand lane doing forty-eight miles-per-hour where they will sit until they get to the next junction, then they will indicate right and go on their merry way. What's with this 'get-in-the-right-hand-lane-at-the-junction-before' trait? Is it part of a new highway code specially for cretinous morons?

The offending drivers seem to be elderly (either sex) young women(completely disengaged) or overweight middle-aged dullards in kiddie-cattle-wagons.
What's wrong with them?
Why does it make me all raging and shouty?
They even do it when the roads empty!
What's going on?
Grrr!

Did you not get the new copy of the highway code, Lane 1 is the overtaking lane! Trust me it's always empty!!

[Ross_T_Boss]

I find it frustrating when you signal to the right lane to pass only to be met by the simultaneous "indicate and manuevre" when they panic as you're now 'blocking' the lane they need to be in about 1/2 mile down the road. Especially when you're doing a reasonable speed or accelerating of a roundabout with some good pace. I think it's a lack of confidence thing as said above.

I don't consider it undertaking as they're positioned in that lane to make a right turn - even if it is a mile away... Same as if it's a turning lane really.

And don't get me started on the anger presented by many when you use the right lane prior to a merge, most just don't get the idea of maximising traffic flow through a junction.

[Baryonyx]

I think it's because a lot of people lack confidence at changing lanes under pressure. They like to 'find their space' nice and early. I prefer a more progressive approach, making progress along the outside lane before merging before my slip road or junction. In all my years driving I've never missed my exit, but it wouldn't be a big deal if I did!

Rather than idiots wanting to turn right, my commute seems to include hundreds of cars trundling along in the inside lane in a massive queue, all going quite slowly and likely worried they'll miss their turn off if they give up their space in the queue of traffic!

[williredale]

As said above it comes down to lack of confidence and lack of training.

[BrewsterBear]

For those of you who may know the area Mortal Ash Hill in Scun-thorpe is terrible for this. There's a slip road onto this dual-carriageway which goes downhill, although I'd say at least 30% of cars will stop as they approach rather than use the slip road as intended. They'll then wait for a big enough gap to pull straight out of the slip road as if it were a T-Juntion and straight into lane 2 of the dual-carriageway. This is despite it being nearly 1.5 miles to the roundabout at the bottom where they want to turn right.

The number of very near accidents I've seen here through abject stupidity and ignorance makes the mind boggle. I can now predict with 90% accuracy who is going to perform this manoeuver and give them a wide berth. Still, it doesn't help trying to merge onto a busy dual-carriageway from a dead stop at the start of the slip road.

[graham22]

Just the junction before - wow. Try Truro in Cornwall, people will turn right out of the local Tesco & stay in the right hand lane for 1/4 to the next roundabout, through that and 1/2 mile until the trafic lights at the end of the next dual carriageway.

Not to mention drifting into the right hand lane at the bottom of Arch hill as they intend to turn right nearly a mile later - this is a pain as most traffic will be turning right at the junction anyway, any undertakes are sometimes met with a queue in the outside lane [embarrased, stuck in middle lane smiley].

Any one local will know where I'm coming from.

[Holeshot46]

forzaminardi said:

I used to have a rule of one minute behind for no good reason and you're undertaken.

I have a five second rule, 1 minute is way too patient!

[sadako]

The Chichester bypass needs a bypass imho...

[R0G]

forzaminardi said:

I used to have a rule of one minute behind for no good reason and you're undertaken.

I would not wait that long - if I was CERTAIN that the driver was going to stay there, perhaps after observing them whilst I was approaching, then I would just breeze smoothly past on the nearside lane

[HiHoSilverSLK]

Thanks Boys! You've made me feel better - it's good to know I'm not alone.

[All that jazz]

R0G said:

I would not wait that long - if I was CERTAIN that the driver was going to stay there, perhaps after observing them whilst I was approaching, then I would just breeze smoothly past on the nearside lane

This ^. Wouldn't even wait 5 seconds. If the inside lane was clear and nothing in front for them to be overtaking then I'd sail straight past them on the inside.

I get the same crap near to my g/fs house in Leeds. Coming round the outer ring road from Shadwell they are straight into lane 2 at Harrogate Rd rbt. You'd think that they were turning right but oh no, they go straight across and stay in lane 2 all the way to Sainsbury's rbt where one would assume they'd be turning into Sainsbury's. Nope... straight across again, still in lane 2 down to the traffic lights which is all NSL. Another 2 mile stretch to the next set of lights and they still haven't moved over and are still doing 48mph in a 70 limit. Through that set of lights then another .75 mile up to Lawnswood rbt where they eventually turn right. That's about 4 miles of just sitting in the outside lane for no reason. And 9 times out of 10 they are female.

What really annoys the fk out of me is the people in the inside who match their speed and will neither undertake them nor ease off, so you're basically trapped at 48mph until one of them turns off. For me this tends to be the point when the main beam gets put to good use..

[littlebasher]

This perfectly describes the Sheffield parkway, all the nobbers get into the outside lane miles before a right hand turn and crawl along.

Some mornings I get my own personal lane (1) on the way into the city centre

[Urban Sports]

There is a similar one in St Helens on an uphill dual carriage way, people get in the right hand lane from the roundabout and crawl up the hill for about half a mile to turn right.

Blocks the traffic and prompts lots of undertaking.

[Sam.F]

I remember this being particularly rife on the A61 through Chesterfield, probably mostly people on the way to TESCO to park badly (but that is another thread)