Stopping at a merge junction/slip road
Stopping at a merge junction/slip road
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Discussion

chopper602

Original Poster:

2,333 posts

253 months

Thursday 11th September 2014
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On my way to work, I drop off the kids at school. On the way there I join the A19 and then onto the A66 towards M’bro. One thing has been getting my goat for a while is the inability of drivers to use a merging slip road as just that and use the length of the slip road to take the lane they want to use. Instead they slow right down and stop at the nose of the junction and indicate right or left instead of using the considerable amount of slip road to manoeuvre. This of course backs the road right up and boils my piss!

Red lines show where the vehicles stop




Is it me ?

Sensibleboy

1,168 posts

155 months

Thursday 11th September 2014
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I would never merge at that point. Stick to the left hand lane and use the full length of the slip road to smoothly merge with traffic. I don't know what goes through the heads of people travelling down the outside lane of slip roads alongside other cars because they are very dependent on being able to move into the outside lane of the main road - what do they do if that lane is full and there's a car on their left hand side?
They are the same people often charging down the outside far faster than the cars they are merging with creating panic with other drivers.

iva cosworth

44,044 posts

193 months

Thursday 11th September 2014
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A lot of people just CANNOT use slip roads properly.

They can't use mirrors,they panic,they don't accelerate,they are hopeless.

BrewsterBear

1,548 posts

222 months

Thursday 11th September 2014
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Unless the traffic is stood still on the road to be merged with I would make stopping on a slip road an instant 12 month ban with a retest to get their licence back. There's a slip road joining a dual carriageway near me that at least 30% of drivers stop on, right at the top of the slip. They look for traffic on the dual carriageway before joining at dangerously low speeds, straight from the top of the slip onto the carriageway. It's suicidal and infuriating if you're following them.

Krikkit

27,938 posts

211 months

Thursday 11th September 2014
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It's not just that type - most merge lanes are ridiculously under-utilised.

There are a bunch of them on the Lincoln ring-road, and not only does everyone simply queue as if there's only one lane, but they often actively block the correct use of all lanes!

mikal83

5,340 posts

282 months

Friday 12th September 2014
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Is there a give way sign.....if there is, dont you HAVE to then give way and not necessarily merge?

mistakenplane

426 posts

150 months

Friday 12th September 2014
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5 pager on this here

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

To summararise? People are stupid!

catman

2,504 posts

205 months

Friday 12th September 2014
quotequote all
mikal83 said:
Is there a give way sign.....if there is, dont you HAVE to then give way and not necessarily merge?
Give way means just that. You aren't compelled to stop if you can safely merge. If they wanted you to stop, they would say so.

It would be pointless using the slip road to get your speed up and then stopping!

mikal83

5,340 posts

282 months

Friday 12th September 2014
quotequote all
catman said:
Give way means just that. You aren't compelled to stop if you can safely merge. If they wanted you to stop, they would say so.

It would be pointless using the slip road to get your speed up and then stopping!
BUT if you cant merge, you have to stop.

anonymous-user

84 months

Friday 12th September 2014
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iva cosworth said:
A lot of people just CANNOT use slip roads properly.

They can't use mirrors,they panic,they don't accelerate,they are hopeless.
What you meant to say was "a lot of people just CANNOT drive properly".

smile

norush

298 posts

170 months

Friday 12th September 2014
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I've come to the conclusion that people in general are so wrapped up in their work/relationship/other stuff, that they just don't concentrate on what they're doing half the time. Sadly I don't see anything changing in my lifetime. All we can do is come on here and rant about them and get it off our chests hehe

Dogwatch

6,383 posts

252 months

Friday 12th September 2014
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iva cosworth said:
A lot of people just CANNOT use slip roads properly.

They can't use mirrors,they panic,they don't accelerate,they are hopeless.
Followed a cement-mixer lorry down a slip road onto the A23 last year. He got to the point where the slip road runs out - and stopped! From past experience I always leave plenty of room in front when on a on-slip so wasn't a problem and left him to it.
Would have expected better from a professional though.

Bullett

11,181 posts

214 months

Friday 12th September 2014
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The m4 j10 onto the A329m towards Bracknell.

Pretty good junction, lots of long slips plenty of time to merge and rarely busy when I pass through. Nearly always end up in a queue as people can't merge and then can't join the main road.

You of course then get the idiot who doesn't want to merge in turn and pushes in at the very last minute (when the traffic is flowing and there are plenty of gaps) causing all traffic behind to stomp on the brakes and cause a jam.