RE: Middle lane hogs get the message
Monday 10th October 2005
Middle lane hogs get the messageBritain's middle lane hogs are finally being given the message by the authorities to move left when not actually overtaking.
Middle lane hogs get the message
Electronic signs warn - but only for a week
Middle lane hogs get the message
But it's not what you'd call a blanket campaign. Starting last Friday and continuing until Sunday 16 October, selected motorway message signs will display the message "Keep left unless overtaking". From Saturday 8 October, selected signs displayed: "Don't drink and drive". The two messages will be used on alternate days until Sunday 16 October.
"This is part of an overall government campaign to encourage better driving habits to improve safety and reduce congestion for us all", said the Highways Agency, which is responsible for managing Britain's major roads.
Chief Highway Engineer Ginny Clarke said: "We want all drivers to think about their responsibility behind the wheel. Both how we use motorway lanes and our ability to control our vehicles can impact on other road users and cause accidents.
Better use of motorway lanes will help to avoid causing great irritation to other drivers and keep traffic moving freely. And avoiding alcohol before driving can reduce the risk of accidents caused by impaired reaction and control, which will improve safety for us all".
A total of 180 variable message signs will be used across the country.
The Agency is urging road users to ask themselves:
- Have I finished overtaking?
- Is the road ahead clear?
- Could I move to the left?
- Am I holding up traffic behind me by staying in this lane?
The Agency's message campaign will continue into next year. By the end of 2005 there will have been four 'keep left' campaigns. The HA said that analysis from feedback from each campaign will help it build on and enhance the targeting and effectiveness of the messages for future campaigns.
Discussion
Good idea, but I doubt whether the idiots who pootle along in the middle lane, will have sufficient road awareness to look at information signs - if they can't even see a car 20 yards behind them furiously flashing headlights at them!
I love this quote - "Chief Highway Engineer Ginny Clarke said: "We want all drivers to think about their responsibility behind the wheel. [b]Both how we use motorway lanes and our ability to control our vehicles can impact on other road users[/b]"
:hehe: Talk about stating the obvious....
I love this quote - "Chief Highway Engineer Ginny Clarke said: "We want all drivers to think about their responsibility behind the wheel. [b]Both how we use motorway lanes and our ability to control our vehicles can impact on other road users[/b]"
:hehe: Talk about stating the obvious....
I'm sure most of them don't realise the impact they're causing. They probably think "well the outside lane is free if anybody wants to overtake me". I doubt they have the savvy to realise they're forcing slower traffic into the outside lane.
Why the hell we can't just leave these messages on (until an incident-specific message is needed) is beyond me!! How much must those signs have cost us? How little must it cost to keep them on and make use of them??
Gruffy
Why the hell we can't just leave these messages on (until an incident-specific message is needed) is beyond me!! How much must those signs have cost us? How little must it cost to keep them on and make use of them??
Gruffy
They have an MLM fine in Belgium. What a great country 
I think it's a very good idea (the signs in the story). It's good that something's being done which doesn't use cameras, even police officers, or technology (as such), simply plain information signs to try and better the public's general standard of driving.
Fingers crossed it works; I'd like to see signs like that all over the place.
I think it's a very good idea (the signs in the story). It's good that something's being done which doesn't use cameras, even police officers, or technology (as such), simply plain information signs to try and better the public's general standard of driving.
Fingers crossed it works; I'd like to see signs like that all over the place.
I am fairly sure they have an MLM fine in Australia too and it is written in black and white on the signs. "If You Hog the Middle Lane, you pay us this much" or something to that effect!!
Hopefully it will work, I was considering the same sign in the rear window of my car to see if it made any difference, but I doubt it!
Hopefully it will work, I was considering the same sign in the rear window of my car to see if it made any difference, but I doubt it!
Couldn,t agree more with TonyHetherington.Get rid of them "sleepers" in wrong lanes 
Shame is- if you've seen news about proposed "roadtrains" there are likely to be more people pushed into 2nd/3rd lanes if those monstrosities 
are let loose. Where does this Govt. think they are..Australian plains or some huge road in U.S?
Shame is- if you've seen news about proposed "roadtrains" there are likely to be more people pushed into 2nd/3rd lanes if those monstrosities are let loose. Where does this Govt. think they are..Australian plains or some huge road in U.S?
If a driver in the middle lane, with no other traffic around, doesn't get the hint when you slowly move from the outside line to the inside lane after overtaking them with your indicator winking away, then I can't honestly see a sign doing anything.
A few more traffic police cars on the roads and less cameras, with the police activly encouraging better driving would do a whole lot more.
"Do you know why I have stopped you sir?.."
A few more traffic police cars on the roads and less cameras, with the police activly encouraging better driving would do a whole lot more.
"Do you know why I have stopped you sir?.."
Can you believe this....?
I was coming back from London one day, back up north. It was late at night and I'm on the M6 Toll road and there isn't a car in sight! Not a single one! I finally catch up to someone and there just seems to be me and him on the road.
Guess which lane he's in? There are no cars anywhere, just me and him and he's in the middle lane.
I was coming back from London one day, back up north. It was late at night and I'm on the M6 Toll road and there isn't a car in sight! Not a single one! I finally catch up to someone and there just seems to be me and him on the road.
Guess which lane he's in? There are no cars anywhere, just me and him and he's in the middle lane.
I was travelling on the busy M25 on Friday rush hour. Outside lane was full, third lane was nearly full, second lane practically empty and the inside lane held just a few trucks. I pulled over from the outside lane and came up behind a young girl driving an old big Volvo. I flash my lights, nothing, I flash them again and she moves over. I overtake her and as I pull into the second lane she pulls back into the third. I do not know what prompted this utterly bizarre behaviour. I usually think Middle Lane Hogs have overtaken and just not pulled back in but she obviously thought she was in the correct lane because she returned to it. It's just a waste of money wideneing motorways if people don't use the lanes sensibly.
profstoff said:
I was travelling on the busy M25 on Friday rush hour. Outside lane was full, third lane was nearly full, second lane practically empty and the inside lane held just a few trucks. I pulled over from the outside lane and came up behind a young girl driving an old big Volvo. I flash my lights, nothing, I flash them again and she moves over. I overtake her and as I pull into the second lane she pulls back into the third. I do not know what prompted this utterly bizarre behaviour. I usually think Middle Lane Hogs have overtaken and just not pulled back in but she obviously thought she was in the correct lane because she returned to it. It's just a waste of money wideneing motorways if people don't use the lanes sensibly.
Trouble with 4 lane motorways it confuses the poor middle lane hoggers.......
>> Edited by vetteheadracer on Monday 10th October 12:46
profstoff said:JACKPOT! By far the cheapest way to ease congestion and improve traffic flow is to teach the MLMs some lane discipline.
...It's just a waste of money widening motorways if people don't use the lanes sensibly.
The signs have already been paid for. Let's put them to use 24/7.
Those Speed Kills ads can't be cheap to produce and we know what effect they have on road safety! Let's show one public information film that explains to the MLMs how their driving affects traffic flow.
If you explain it to them I would bet a good majority would change their behaviour. At a guess, I'd say most MLMs aren't arseholes, just näive and/or too stupid to figure it out for themselves.
Gruffy
I was driving on the German Autobahns last week, what a treat.
I could drive to the capabilities of myself and the car, Jaguar XKR, without looking out for blue lights.
But the main joy was the lane discipline, as soon as anyone had overtaken they moved straight back to the nearside lane, and when they were being overtaken they did not feel that 'You could have killed someone'
I could drive to the capabilities of myself and the car, Jaguar XKR, without looking out for blue lights.
But the main joy was the lane discipline, as soon as anyone had overtaken they moved straight back to the nearside lane, and when they were being overtaken they did not feel that 'You could have killed someone'
These people are a menace.
Only Saturday I was driving north up a four lane section of the M25...I come up between an MLM in the third lane, nothing to their left (in fact the traffic in the second lane was moving slightly faster - go figure), have to brake sharply before passing (my right indicator winking away) due to a stream of cars doing a good ton down the fourth lane. I think my anticipation as a driver is pretty good but when you've got some d*ckhead in front doing 10-15mph slower than you and speed merchants doing 25mph more than you coming up fast (who won't slow to let you in even when you've been signalling for a good ten seconds) you've virtually no time to make a smooth overtaking manoevre!!! Grrr!
Only Saturday I was driving north up a four lane section of the M25...I come up between an MLM in the third lane, nothing to their left (in fact the traffic in the second lane was moving slightly faster - go figure), have to brake sharply before passing (my right indicator winking away) due to a stream of cars doing a good ton down the fourth lane. I think my anticipation as a driver is pretty good but when you've got some d*ckhead in front doing 10-15mph slower than you and speed merchants doing 25mph more than you coming up fast (who won't slow to let you in even when you've been signalling for a good ten seconds) you've virtually no time to make a smooth overtaking manoevre!!! Grrr!
sometimes sit in lane 2, if between overtaking trucks, when I drop back into lane 1 and then try to overtake a truck, often find some muppet matching speeds with my car, so I have to brake or wait 5 mins for them to crawl past, almost as if they were trying to wind me up.
however if lane 1 is empty, I will drop back to it
however if lane 1 is empty, I will drop back to it
Scraggles said:
sometimes sit in lane 2, if between overtaking trucks, when I drop back into lane 1 and then try to overtake a truck, often find some muppet matching speeds with my car, so I have to brake or wait 5 mins for them to crawl past, almost as if they were trying to wind me up.
however if lane 1 is empty, I will drop back to it
Yeah, if you are using lane 1 sensibly, you do have to keep an eye on defending some space in lane 2. Otherwise the MLMs bunch up and trap you in lane 1. They've got it covered both ways it would seem...
To quote The Agency in the article:
The Agency is urging road users to ask themselves:
* Have I finished overtaking?
* Is the road ahead clear?
* Could I move to the left?
* Am I holding up traffic behind me by staying in this lane?
So where have they chosen to publicise this sudden desire for public self-awareness? Have you seen it anywhere? I read it on Pistonheads. I'm sure all MLMs religiously read Pistonheads every day.
How is a motorway sign alone going to encourage MLMs to consider the four points above? A step in the right direction sure, but "The Agency" surely has to realise that it needs a concerted strategy of publicity & awareness to rid us of these numptys, not isolated displays of lip-service to the problem.
The Agency is urging road users to ask themselves:
* Have I finished overtaking?
* Is the road ahead clear?
* Could I move to the left?
* Am I holding up traffic behind me by staying in this lane?
So where have they chosen to publicise this sudden desire for public self-awareness? Have you seen it anywhere? I read it on Pistonheads. I'm sure all MLMs religiously read Pistonheads every day.
How is a motorway sign alone going to encourage MLMs to consider the four points above? A step in the right direction sure, but "The Agency" surely has to realise that it needs a concerted strategy of publicity & awareness to rid us of these numptys, not isolated displays of lip-service to the problem.
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