Why are vehicles squeezing past me as I wait to turn right?

[21st Century Man]

This is the fourth time in as many months that this has happened.

Turning right into our tight little narrow lane requires a bit of room to swing in at 90 degrees (my car is unusually long) and so I have to position my car a little closer to the kerb than the centre white line and I need a decent gap in the oncoming traffic in order to make the turn which has to be done fairly slowly, this leaves just about enough room in the middle of the road for a small car and impatient driver to gingerly squeeze past me on my right as I await a suitable break in the oncoming traffic, but it is a real squeeze to go through. Well done to the lady in the MINI who I just caught sight of coming up alongside me on my right rear 3/4 just as I was about to turn right this afternoon.

This is a regular two way road, regular width lanes each direction and I'm signalling right, just about where the car on the left is positioned on this street view image.

So other than me being positioned a bit more on the left of my lane than the right and waiting for a longer gap, am I doing anything clearly wrong for this to be happening?

Edited to make it clear that they're passing on my right (not up my inside on the left), contrary to the highway code 167.

167
DO NOT overtake where you might come into conflict with other road users. For example...

When a road user is indicating right, even if you believe the signal should have been cancelled. Do not take a risk; wait for the signal to be cancelled

Thanks.

And btw, for anyone who happens to recognise the location, don't be a dick and post my address!

Edited by 21st Century Man on Wednesday 8th November 22:56

[21st Century Man]

ambuletz said:

From what you've said to me it seems like your positioning in the road (closer to the curb) might make motorists behind you think that you are parked up and wanting to set off (making them think they have priority) as opposed to you waiting to do a right turn into a side road.

Good one! That's the sort of feedback I was wanting.

There are zig zags and it's a clearway too, so usually if a vehicle has parked up for a moment (like delivery drivers) they're generally half on the pavement and vehicles can pass by, but if a vehicle is wholly on the road as I am, it is a real squeeze to pass between me and oncoming traffic, so if they thought I was pulling out/away, it would be much easier to just let me move off.

[21st Century Man]

Dinoboy said:

I'd keep to the left with left indicator on until cars behind passed me then have the freedom to take my time completing the manoeuvre.

Nice suggestion, but it's a clearway, no stopping. If I did that I'm sure I'd have drivers giving me a blast on the horn to shift it rather than squeeze past me, and I'd also be mortified to be apparently stopping in a clearway

It's also usually very busy, and so when I switched back to a right signal again having had everyone hating me, I'd probably be back to where I started.

[21st Century Man]

CABC said:

how about moving to the centre line at an angle, so that you've initiated your tight turn, holding the centre and more clearly signalling intent.

Yes, I think this might be the answer, it occurred to me earlier, hug the kerb then swing sharp right so that my car is positioned diagonally blocking the full width of the lane.

[21st Century Man]

Miserablegit said:

I’d be surprised if you really needed more room than the entire other lane you are crossing in order to line up with your lane.

You don't know what I drive, or how narrow the lane is!

In the car I have about 100mm each side of the fender mirrors, when I'm in my van both mirrors drag along the walls either side, and that's with them folded in.

Btw, the car is as long as the van, and the van is a lwb.

Edited by 21st Century Man on Wednesday 8th November 19:15

[21st Century Man]

Pica-Pica said:

Alternatively, is there another street to approach that lane?

The only other option is to approach from the opposite direction and turn left, but this can't actually be done unless the oncoming lane is clear as I need to use most of it to swing in, so if it's busy I'll pass by and turn around to make a right turn approach.

This is a tricky turn in an ordinary car, let alone a really stupid one, rather than lack of skills or being a swinger outer as some have suggested.

[21st Century Man]

hidetheelephants said:

Ed.Neumann said:

Just sit in the middle a few metres back.
Then you can swing as much as you want when it is clear.


You don't need to be sat waiting inline with the lane.

That does seem like the least worst answer, stopping a car's length or so back from the turn and right up against the centre line.

That would be fine when there is no oncoming traffic, but when that's the case the whole manoeuvre is done in one go without stopping and so nobody passes as I'm simply someone turning right immediately ahead of them.

If I position right with oncoming traffic then I need to hold back far enough to be able to move forward to the left before making the right turn, that takes more manoeuvreing time and so only the longest (or no) gaps in the oncoming traffic can be exploited, I wouldn't be able to turn through the gaps that I'm currently able to. But at least I wouldn't be passed whilst waiting.

Thing is though, look at the pic in my OP and the width of my lane with the car pictured positioned pretty much dead centre in my lane, although I'm closer to the gutter than the car in the pic, it's not by much and I am signalling right of course.

[21st Century Man]

captain.scarlet said:

Surely there's something that would exonerate extra clearance. Larger vehicles, buses etc do it and swing to one side where the turn is going to be too tight.

Any competent driver behind you should be alert to lanes and driveways and people turning into and out of them.

If nobody is behind you then it should be achievable without an issue.

If on the approach someone is likely going to be right up behind then it helps as a warning to indicate well in advance of the turn-off
and the swing manoeuvre. Again any competent driver would take heed of that.

If someone is right up behind you and you do the same then it's their fault for any perceived 'inconvenience' when they realise the car in front was filtering. In which case, no sleep should be lost over that.

All of the above.

[21st Century Man]

It's rough block stone hundreds of years old, it's unmarked, the only damage is the scraping on the black plastic casing of my mirrors. The mirrors are unpainted so there's not even a bit of paint scuff on the stone, which is well worn, scuffed, gouged and weathered anyway.

Edited by 21st Century Man on Thursday 9th November 15:13

[21st Century Man]

Thanks BOR, but there's little chance of successfully reversing into and up that lane, though that won't be apparent from the street view pic I posted. The road is usually busy so it would be pretty awkward to get the correct/precise entry angle in, and the lane is really narrow and quite long too. It's seldom been done without a scraped panel or painting yourself into a corner. Although a mate did it once in a 911, he said never again! It's very much forwards in forwards out.

Visitors in cars and tradespeople in vans hate coming up the lane, damage is a regular occurrence. And that's forwards let alone backwards. I've damaged the Century twice so far in four years and I consider that good going really, the neighbours cars are all scuffed to hell, though my wife's Panda has escaped, but then it's a small car.

Edited by 21st Century Man on Friday 10th November 12:41

[21st Century Man]

It's a 30 and a major A road through the town, usually busy, very busy at peak times naturally. Just as busy Sat/Sun too as at weekends it's a primary leisure route. Evenings and early Sunday morning are about the only quiet times, when I can turn in at leisure and even from the opposite direction too, which requires the whole road.

[21st Century Man]

They're passing me on my right, using the gap in the oncoming traffic that I'm just about to use to turn right, or simply squeezing through between me and the oncoming traffic (and boy, that is a squeeze, the oncoming traffic is forced into the gutter). As per the lady in the MINI that nearly T-boned me as I turned in. Hence my asking about my positioning, am I too far to the left?

[21st Century Man]

StressedDave said:

My view is two options occur:

1. As others have said, position the car a few metres back from the turning point and positioning such that they can't squeeze through. Possible but potentially a bit awkward as you'll be out of position to make the turn
2. Position as normal, but then complete as much of the swing into the road as you can make without any part of your car poking over the centre line.

Both block the road; one guarantees to block the road and elicit sympathy from oncoming motorists who think it's probably better to let you keep the swing going rather than scraping the side of their car as they pass through.

Best answer (and understanding, with regard to the latter part of 1.)

Thanks.

Edited by 21st Century Man on Saturday 11th November 10:57

[21st Century Man]

Thanks for the LED suggestion, all the lights across the back are LED, but not the indicators for some reason.

[21st Century Man]

Thanks, but the right turn entrance is just too narrow. I have to go in straight, 90 degrees to the main road.