Which lane would you ( personally ) use to merge here
Discussion
Curious to see and ask, which of the two lanes ( left or right ) would you use to merge onto the M42 here?
Right has to merge first, left has to merge later on...
https://www.google.com/maps/@52.4478663,-1.7094146...
Few weeks back I was joining the M42 at a different junction and got caught out thinking the left lane makes its own lane, when in reality it does merge, but much further forwards than the right one.
Right has to merge first, left has to merge later on...
https://www.google.com/maps/@52.4478663,-1.7094146...
Few weeks back I was joining the M42 at a different junction and got caught out thinking the left lane makes its own lane, when in reality it does merge, but much further forwards than the right one.
It depends...
If there isn't much traffic, just apply the "keep left unless overtaking" and stay in the left hand lane until it merges.
If there is a lorry or a grandad doing 45 in the left hand lane, use the right hand lane to overtake and then stay in that one to merge.
If it's rush hour with the traffic lights running, use the left hand lane if your turning off on the M6 (next junction, not very far away), otherwise use the right hand one as there's quite often a bit of a queue there....
If there isn't much traffic, just apply the "keep left unless overtaking" and stay in the left hand lane until it merges.
If there is a lorry or a grandad doing 45 in the left hand lane, use the right hand lane to overtake and then stay in that one to merge.
If it's rush hour with the traffic lights running, use the left hand lane if your turning off on the M6 (next junction, not very far away), otherwise use the right hand one as there's quite often a bit of a queue there....
If the traffic is as the picture, I would stay left. The right hand lane on the slip acts as a kind of shield from the motorway traffic, and you can slip in in front of it, unless of course you judge the vehicle in the right hand slip is fast or reckless. The left hand lane may have its own lane on entry (it would/should be signed as such before).
ETA: I see the left hand slip road does have its own lane, so I would most likely take the left lane.
ETA: I see the left hand slip road does have its own lane, so I would most likely take the left lane.
Edited by Pica-Pica on Tuesday 12th September 19:31
i'd normally go right lane. usually because my natural cruising speed seems to be higher than lane 1 usually goes, so the sooner i get into lane 1, the sooner i can get out of it again.
also, i remember someone a while back made a point that if you aim to merge from the right hand lane but for some reason you can't, you can abort the merge have more space available - though this is more important on a road with no hard shoulder.
also, i remember someone a while back made a point that if you aim to merge from the right hand lane but for some reason you can't, you can abort the merge have more space available - though this is more important on a road with no hard shoulder.
In heavy traffic I would stay left as that lane doesn't merge but becomes the inside lane.
On the M42 at rush hour the inside lane is usually the quickest especially if you leave and rejoin at each junction.
PITA at the moment with roadworks on the M42 and limited to 3 lanes AND loads of restrictions on the roads around it due to HS2.
On the M42 at rush hour the inside lane is usually the quickest especially if you leave and rejoin at each junction.
PITA at the moment with roadworks on the M42 and limited to 3 lanes AND loads of restrictions on the roads around it due to HS2.
IJWS15 said:
In heavy traffic I would stay left as that lane doesn't merge but becomes the inside lane.
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thanks for the input guys..
In regards to the left lane, it does have to merge further down as that lane then turns into the hard shoulder.
According to a news website the closures etc run until the 14th ( tomorrow )
Edited by MakaveliX on Wednesday 13th September 12:12
As an earlier poster mentioned, Lane 1 of the M42 is almost always the fastest-moving. When the hard shoulder is being used as Lane 1, it is even faster. During my twice-daily commute from junction 9 to junction 4, I often used to exit onto roundabouts at junctions, then re-join the motorway which was faster still.
Little bit similar to M5/M6 junction (joining the M6 northbound from the M5).
Effectively in traffic it's easier to stay in the left lane when joining because it becomes its own lane and you join further down from the junction where the traffic is flowing slightly better.
However if it's quiet, it is easier to join from the second lane if you are already at 60mph rather than having to lose momentum if there's slower moving traffic in lane 1.
Effectively in traffic it's easier to stay in the left lane when joining because it becomes its own lane and you join further down from the junction where the traffic is flowing slightly better.
However if it's quiet, it is easier to join from the second lane if you are already at 60mph rather than having to lose momentum if there's slower moving traffic in lane 1.
Far Cough said:
In very heavy traffic I'd say it makes no difference as you have to merge sooner or later presumably at a much lower speed than the limit.
In light traffic I'd use whichever lane affords me the most progress.
Exactly this - the only slight advantage of right hand lane is that at busier times you can be in lanes 2 or 3 where the traffic in theory is more free flowing by the time "parallel you" in the left hand lane merges so you'd be slightly further down the road.In light traffic I'd use whichever lane affords me the most progress.
Chris
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