Badly designed roundabout

[AlVal]

In Kingston, Milton Keynes.

Can anyone explain which of the three lanes on the roundabout a car approaching the roundabout from the middle lane can/should use? I'm happy that I understand the intention of the designer here, but it doesn't seem obvious to many of the users, and got me wondering

Edited by AlVal on Thursday 8th November 10:17

[JonnyFive]

Which 'middle lane' are you talking about?

It's quite a nice looking roundabout. Nice symmetry to it.

[saaby93]

Whichever ones are clear and safe to use?
The road markings are advisory unless accompanied by signs

[AlVal]

JonnyFive said:

Which 'middle lane' are you talking about?

It's quite a nice looking roundabout. Nice symmetry to it.

of the three lanes approaching the roundabout from above, the middle.

[Rosscow]

If you are approaching the roundabout in the middle lane then I presume you are going to turn left or go straight over?

If you are wanting to turn right then you should be in the right hand lane to begin with.

Having said that each exit is a dual carriageway so on this occasion you'd be OK to carry on in the middle lane to reach the third or even fourth exit.

[Garlick]

JonnyFive said:

Which 'middle lane' are you talking about?

The middle one, between the outside and inside lanes, on the approach roads I assume

[NWMark]

looks to me like if your are approaching the roundabout from the middle lane you can use the left and centre lanes actually on the roundabout.

If you approach on the left hand lane your dont use any lanes on the roundabout as you will be taking the first turn off. And the left hand approach roads are 'cut into' the outside of the roundabout to line up with the off roads.

[AlVal]

saaby93 said:

Whichever ones are clear and safe to use?
The road markings are advisory unless accompanied by signs

that's interesting.. would that logic hold up against an insurance claim I wonder? is there a source you can quote for this? thanks (and no, I've not been involved in any incident!)

[JonnyFive]

Garlick said:

JonnyFive said:

Which 'middle lane' are you talking about?

The middle one, between the outside and inside lanes, on the approach roads I assume

I thought OP was talking about which entrance, not lane.. Re-read it, made sense then.

Middle would be either first left or straight on, imo.

[AlVal]

NWMark said:

looks to me like if your are approaching the roundabout from the middle lane you can use the left and centre lanes actually on the roundabout.

If you approach on the left hand lane your dont use any lanes on the roundabout as you will be taking the first turn off.

wouldn't it have made more sense if they made the "turn left lane" a no-stop filter lane for each entrance/exit, and got rid of the roundabouts outside lane?

[saaby93]

JonnyFive said:

Which 'middle lane' are you talking about?

It's quite a nice looking roundabout. Nice symmetry to it.

I thought there was a move to remove right turn arrows from roundabouts to prevent motorists from turning right and go the wrong way around it
Shouldnt they be straight on (or stay in lane) arrows all the way around but with left turns off where necessary?

[Major Fallout]

I normally take the arc de triomphe roundabout style to roundabouts like this.

I just assume everyone else is an idiot and trying to crash into me. Everyman for himself, free-for-all.

[AlVal]

NWMark said:

looks to me like if your are approaching the roundabout from the middle lane you can use the left and centre lanes actually on the roundabout.

so if , as you suggest, I were to approach the roundabout from the middle lane, and then use the centre lane on the roundabout, which lane does the person approaching the roundabout alongside me in the "fast" lane use on the roundabout if he wants to go straight over, which the markings say he can? he can't head for the roundabout's centre lane, because I'd be in it

[kambites]

The left lane is left-turn only, so I'd say the centre lane feeds onto the left hand lane of the roundabout and the right hand lane feeds into either the centre lane (if going straight on) or the right lane (if turning right). It could certainly do with some more markings on the road, though.

[MagicalTrevor]

IMO



Obviously, if you're not drunk then the routes will be much smoother!

Edited by MagicalTrevor on Thursday 8th November 10:39

Edited by MagicalTrevor on Thursday 8th November 10:44

[kambites]

Look at the markings on the road entering the roundabout - your green car is allowed to go straight on which IMO means that the yellow one HAS to keep to the left lane on the roundabout. I certainly would if I was in that centre lane.

[anonymous-user]

My approach would depend on how busy it was, if I approached on the middle lane and the island was busy, Id take the leftmost lane to go straight one (left yellow fork), if it were quiet then Id probably stay in the middle lane (right yellow fork).

If I approached in the right lane to go straight ahead, Id look to move to the centre lane to go straight ahead, (left green fork) being cognisant that traffic in the middle lane on approach will probably stay in middle lane on the island itself.





Edited to switch colours for Saaby!

Edited by djstevec on Thursday 8th November 10:53

Edited by djstevec on Thursday 8th November 11:06

[saaby93]

kambites said:

Look at the markings on the road entering the roundabout - your green car is allowed to go straight on which IMO means that the yellow one HAS to keep to the left lane on the roundabout. I certainly would if I was in that centre lane.

It doesnt 'HAVE' to We know in practice that any car can and will take any route around the roaundabout.
It'll be common for two lanes in and two lanes out too
But taking the road marking pedantically as theyre written the yellow line should only continue into one lane and go straight on ( i.e. not the blue right option above). It's the green line that should divide into two lane options.

ETA why did djsteve use yellow for his outer lane while previous poster yellow for inner
Thats going to be soooooooo confusing

Edited by saaby93 on Thursday 8th November 10:43

[Boydie88]

Should be the left lane on the roundabout - and I can't believe someone has suggested you could turn right from the middle lane... the right lanes on approach are straight on or right, what if they go straight on!?

But, I'm sure a lot of people will go straight on from the left lanes.

good roundabout on paper, but in reality, terrible.

[George7]

I like the Subterranean section.