Self Appointed Speed Monitors!

[m2287]

I travel to Cambridge most working days and have the A14 Roadworks to contend with only TWO Years left until they are finished (Allegedly)

There are long stretches of roadworks with 40 MPH Signs and Average Speed Cameras, rightly or wrongly, I set my Cruise Control to 42 MPH! And pass most traffic in lane 2, some want to pass me so I pull into lane 1, no problems with that!

Nearly every morning, as I am about to pass certain cars the driver suddenly decides that he is the Self Appointed Speed Monitor!

Get level with the back-end of their car/vehicle and they pull into the 2nd lane, (Indicators? must have a permanent exemption Certificate!)
Then they speed up until they are parallel with a truck and slow down to exactly 40 MPH!

When the A14 eventually opens up into 3 lanes, the Self Appointed moves into lane 2, or if you move to lane 1, they do their best to ensure that in no way are you going to pass them in ANY LANE

I have even had someone leave the A14 on a slip road by mistake while keeping me in my place, and having to use the Diagonal White Lines and somewhat dangerous driving to get back on to the road they were travelling

Is it just me? Or are others experiencing similar situations? All I want to do is get to Work in the morning, ffs!

I use this stretch of the A14 pretty much daily and the driving i see is mental, the other week I saw an HGV in the narrow lane overtaking another HGV, one strong gust of wind and there would have been carnage.

 

[Rob77]

What annoys me more is where lanes merge and reduce in number and the idiots are queued for miles back in the leftmost lane (actually creating a hazard) and the outer lanes are empty. Then I go down the empty lane (as I am supposed to do) and some brainless monkey moves over to block me.

We have a perfect example near York on the Scarborough road. A dual merges into one and everyone gets into the left lane and the traffic backs up through the roundabout.

I'd be one of the idiots trying to block you. How do you think it would speed things up if the closed lane was full of people trying to push in at the last minute?

 

[Deleted member 6183]

I'd be one of the idiots trying to block you. How do you think it would speed things up if the closed lane was full of people trying to push in at the last minute?

It's not pushing in but taking turns.

 

[clk320x]

I'd be one of the idiots trying to block you. How do you think it would speed things up if the closed lane was full of people trying to push in at the last minute?

Lol but the person behind you probably wouldn’t bother. So essentially you are getting stressed over nothing

 

[m2287]

I'd be one of the idiots trying to block you. How do you think it would speed things up if the closed lane was full of people trying to push in at the last minute?

If everyone used it then no one would be able to “push in at the last minute”?

 

[190]

In these situations most of the drivers will be regulars and there will be an established etiquette. If that happens to be a single lane queue (anyone know Poynton) then that's what I follow and I wouldn't let anyone push in. If the regulars queued in two lanes I'd be happy to choose which I thought best.

 

[zipdip]

yes even when they put up a sign use both lanes.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

In these situations most of the drivers will be regulars and there will be an established etiquette. If that happens to be a single lane queue (anyone know Poynton) then that's what I follow and I wouldn't let anyone push in. If the regulars queued in two lanes I'd be happy to choose which I thought best.

Eh?

There's some sort of regular only etiquette?

Like sitting in Dai's chair in the pub?

 

[190]

There's some sort of regular only etiquette?

There does seem to be in the queue I was referring to. I only occasionally use that route into Poynton but there is always a very long queue in rush hour and it's always without exception a single lane. I'm not passing judgment on what's right or wrong only making an observation on what happens in this case. The single lane queue works and is fair so to sail up the outside of a half mile or more queue seems rude so I don't do it. It's rare that anyone does and they tend to be very aggressive drivers who will push in at any cost when they get to the front.

 

[John]

The ultimate would be if everyone fanned out into unused lanes and re-merged later as said.

You would never have any agg because it wouldn't be possible.

The point of that is that when the speed limit reverts to the NSL, you are able to get back up to cruising speed more rapidly. I'm not sure why you regard the practice as inconsiderate; unless the overtaking driver impedes the progress of the overtaken one, I don't.

I wasn't referring to restricted speed limits although it does apply in that you cannot go 55 if someone in front is doing 51 - especially when usually they have an empty lanes to their left.

It's inconsiderate to hold someone up based on volunteering yourself as a speed limit warrior.

I let other people choose what speed they wish to drive at.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

There does seem to be in the queue I was referring to. I only occasionally use that route into Poynton but there is always a very long queue in rush hour and it's always without exception a single lane. I'm not passing judgment on what's right or wrong only making an observation on what happens in this case. The single lane queue works and is fair so to sail up the outside of a half mile or more queue seems rude so I don't do it. It's rare that anyone does and they tend to be very aggressive drivers who will push in at any cost when they get to the front.

The stalwart queuing people are amazingly inefficient.

Traffic congestion isn't an emotional experience.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

I'd be one of the idiots trying to block you. How do you think it would speed things up if the closed lane was full of people trying to push in at the last minute?

Because you create long tail backs through intersections etc making the situation less safe. It works very well in other countries and I believe has something to do with 'Queueing Theory' - One long line moves slower than several shorter lines merging. The highway code says to use all lanes and zipper. If you & the others followed the rues were would be less aggro and accidents.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

But yes, it is irritating when you are driving in the outer lane overtaking a slower vehicle at the highest permissible speed and a faster car behind you is nudging your rear bumper... what do they expect me to do, crash into the car to my left so that they can sail by?

Look at it with different eyes.

The car you are passing is doing 69 and you have your cc set to 70('highest permissible speed') - you are going to take forever to pass him, so more time in his blind spot, and more time in close proximity to another vehicle and nowhere to go (except forward) with an angry driver behind you. Makes more sense to be a naughty boy for a few seconds and pass at a faster speed, get into a safe bubble again and let the fool behind you go.

People passing too slowly are what cause the long tailbacks in the passing lanes on the motorways. If I'm passing and the car behind wants to get past I make an effort to get out of his way - safer for me. I like as much empty space around me as possible and I have not been appointed as a Highway Code speed enforcer.

Tailgating seems to be a popular pastime in the UK. Do they not teach the 2 second rule at driving school?

I've been fortunate to attend more defensive driving courses (because of the industry I worked in) than I can remember and wish that it was a compulsory thing for everybody that uses the road. I know we all think we are good drivers but every course I have attended has taught me something new or reminded me of something I forgot or both.

 

[zipdip]

Well you can see from some of the posts that we will never follow those Italians going one for one at 50 mph,seems we have the single lane firmly in place, I wonder where people learned that, not at the driving school,it is a puzzle,very good drivers not picking the quickest way to get round a problem

 

[Ted]

Maybe the answer to blocking off one lane for roadworks is to funnel everyone into a single central lane and from there into the live lane.
A little more work but then nobody would be ‘in the right’ or ‘in the wrong’

 

[219]

yes even when they put up a sign use both lanes.

Use both lanes ?

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[190]

The stalwart queuing people are amazingly inefficient.

Traffic congestion isn't an emotional experience.

I'm not so sure. Provided there is room for it not to cause gridlock further back then a single line queue could be more efficient as I am moving at double the average speed of the cars in two lanes merging into one. If I must crawl I prefer to crawl faster in the single lane queue.

As for emotion, I hate traffic congestion with a with a passion and avoid it at all costs. I only do this route to visit my grand children and wouldn't do it for any other reason.

An observation. Having spent my entire working life commuting with almost no traffic congestion I have a low tolerance for it. Now that I do encounter it occasionally what I observe in many other drivers who presumably live with it on a daily basis is apathy and poor standards of driving. They accept it as the norm and lose the will to make progress. I suppose that's a healthy approach mentally but I see many examples where it makes congestion worse through lack of ability to get through gaps, inattention when the lights change and blocking progress of other through poor positioning. I have a vivid memory in my early 20's of visiting London and finding that driving was at a very much faster pace than I was used to. Everyone was on the ball and if you didn't match up they would let you know in short order. Is it still like that at Hyde Park corner or does mediocrity rule there too.

 

[rf065]

I'd be one of the idiots trying to block you. How do you think it would speed things up if the closed lane was full of people trying to push in at the last minute?

#
Actually, after a visit to Disneyland where they really are experts at managing queues, whenever a long queue formed, disney employees urged the line to split up into two seperate lines which then moved twice as quick as everyone merged at the end instead of blocking each other to the detriment of the whole queue.
Also witnessed roadworks one day on the road from Aberdeen to Dundee, where the outside lane was blocked because of roadworks. The signs told everyone to use both lanes and to merge in turn where it split from two lanes to one, despite this, 75% of cars pulled into the inside lane forming a two mile long queue and a couple of a**holes decided to block the empty outside lane despite the signage instructing everyone to do the opposite. Upshot was the queue merged quickly at the pinch point, but further back where the a**holes were blocking the empty lane, everyone was stationary.

Not sure if folk realise that traffic management is a special skill that requires training courses and certificates, (which I have by the way), but to plan a job and put up signs instructing motorists how to negotiate a set of roadworks and have individuals deciding they will dictate what lanes are available is just nonsense. (Tried to be as polite as I could there to anyone who thinks they should dictate what lanes are open!)

 

[gramey]

It's amazing what you don't see as a traffic cop, in other words it's amazing how many peoples driving improves when there's a police car behind them, it's like a 70 mph (or 50 mph etc.) bubble, drivers suddenly remember there's a nearside lane, where their indicators are, leaving a safe distance to the car in front etc. Then as soon as they or you turn off the horns come back out and the temporarily suppressed ****hole in them comes back out again, to carry on whatever bad traits they've developed when they know nobody is watching.
No bubble for some years now and considerate drivers are few and far between, it's all me,me,me these days whether it's blocking off an empty lane that's there be used, never letting other people out at junctions etc. I even have indignant people deliberately move out on me when I'm filtering through traffic on my scooter or motorcycle, not the ones going the same way as me, people coming the other way, usually in their trendy SUV type vehicle, moving across and riding the white line. Am I causing them any hardship, not even the ones going in the same direction, I'm not holding anyone up, in fact I'm one less car that they're behind but their selfish attitude sees it as an affront that somebody may get to their destination before they do.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

The not “merging in turn” thing is an extension of the Brits loving a good old queue and woe-betide anyone seen to be jumping that queue!

I was always taught to drive to the end of the cones where possible then merge in turn, why have a 2 mile tailback in one lane when it should be half that but spread over two lanes?