Is this an appropriate place to zip merge / merge in turn?

[eltawater]

Search is b0rked, so I thought I'd ask anyway

When faced with a queue in the left hand lane which snakes back past the previous roundabout, is it considered acceptable to drive down the empty right hand lane and attempt to zip merge here?

[cptsideways]

That's what its there for, if numpties are blocking the roundabout up further back, go for it.

[Dodsy]

I believe it is acceptable, quite often these short dual stretches are there to allow the traffic to queue side by side thereby moving it off of a roundabout or junction. Naturally 99% of people dont understand this so all sit in the left queue.

I have a customer that I visit a few times a year and they have one of these near them. The right lane is empty for at least 500M, with traffic queuing in the left lane back across 2 sets of lights and generally causing blockages and chaos.

I just drive along the right to the front then merge. Well ok, I dont actually merge as the queue police wont offer to let me zip in, but luckily I drive an old omega which is both big and very obviously old so I just pick the newest car in the queue then make myself a gap in front.

Always be sure to give a wave and cheery smile to the person who has just let you in

[*Al*]

It may 'seem' wrong to do but you are not doing anything wrong IMO, drivers are mean't to use both lanes and the right lane should then merge.You will always come across a driver in the left lane with the opinion that you are pushing in or not waiting your turn and cause you some grief! If you merge in a considerate fashion then i can't see a problem.

[Magic919]

Merging in turn is recommended in the Highway Code. Once in a while it will still upset certain people.

[All that jazz]

Dodsy said:

I believe it is acceptable, quite often these short dual stretches are there to allow the traffic to queue side by side thereby moving it off of a roundabout or junction. Naturally 99% of people dont understand this so all sit in the left queue.

I have a customer that I visit a few times a year and they have one of these near them. The right lane is empty for at least 500M, with traffic queuing in the left lane back across 2 sets of lights and generally causing blockages and chaos.

I just drive along the right to the front then merge. Well ok, I dont actually merge as the queue police wont offer to let me zip in, but luckily I drive an old omega which is both big and very obviously old so I just pick the newest car in the queue then make myself a gap in front.

Always be sure to give a wave and cheery smile to the person who has just let you in

Love it!

I always use the road as intended too and merge either just before the cones start or where the chevrons start as per this pic, but only if the traffic is stationary or moving at tortoise speed. If it's still zipping along nicely then obviously common sense dictates you get in lane 1 in a timely manner and not leave it until the cones start.

And yes I always feel like the guilty one when the SARPs(1) deliberately try to block me from rightfully merging.

(1) Self-Appointed Road Police (nicked from another forum but I love it)

Edited by All that jazz on Monday 13th February 18:04

Edited by All that jazz on Monday 13th February 18:13

[wst]

Quick guess, is that the A421 on the M1 side of Milton Keynes, just by Magna Park?

Yes, zip merge there all the time, unless it's supremely not-busy (which is very rare).

If there's road there, it's there for a reason. Either that or they were being cheap with the paint.

Also, I'm stealing that SARP acronym, that's pretty nifty.

[eltawater]

wst said:

Quick guess, is that the A421 on the M1 side of Milton Keynes, just by Magna Park?

Yes, zip merge there all the time, unless it's supremely not-busy (which is very rare).

If there's road there, it's there for a reason. Either that or they were being cheap with the paint.

Also, I'm stealing that SARP acronym, that's pretty nifty.

It is indeed. For those unfamiliar with this stretch, it's NSL dual carriageway all the way up to this point for a good few miles, with the merge point after a two lane exit of the roundabout.

What really vapourises my piss is when lice infested window licking hedgehog tormenting s like the one at the wheel of a red 61 plate landrover tonight deliberately move OUT of lane one way before the merge point to straddle and block both lanes to prevent others progressing.

Towards the next junction the lanes split into two again, with chimp trembling landrover joining the long left hand queue held up by the daft traffic lights only allowing four cars at a time through.

Nowt stopping me going down the right hand lane this time and driving around the roundabout to eventually exit left