Three lanes becoming 2 and 2 lanes becoming one.

[190]

This is one of my pet hates, not just with lorries but with all drivers - pulling out into the second lane when the motorway is busy because some numbnuts thinks it's his right to pull out of the slip lane onto the main carriageway and doesn't understand that the dotted line on the exit of the slip road means give way. I mean yes, it's good manners to allow someone to pull out so they don't have to stop, but not when it means interrupting the flow of traffic on the main carriageway and causing people to brake.

I've been in the above scenario and just held my speed in the first lane for the simple reason I had now where to go because of overtaking traffic in the next lane. The joining car then resorted to abusive gestures because I hadn't "let him in" This ignorance of the highway code is wide spread. Even though I am polite when I can be and pull out to lane two, you could argue that politeness encourages this poor driving habit on the slip road. I see this problem at it's worst when a whole convoy of numpties come down the slip road nose to tail which makes it impossible for them to give priority to the traffic on the motorway as they should and filter in one by one. Whatever gear they might be in the brain is certainly not engaged.

 

[m80]

The joining car then resorted to abusive gestures because I hadn't "let him in"

Me too,
But they don't realise is the safest strategy for the motor on the M'way is to maintain a constant speed. Anything else just adds to the possibility of an accident.
I'm generally on cruise at 58, they should be able to work around that.

But in Wales some slips on the A55 are flippin' short and the cars come at you from nowhere at speed.

 

[Germgh0st]

Me too,
But they don't realise is the safest strategy for the motor on the M'way is to maintain a constant speed. Anything else just adds to the possibility of an accident.
I'm generally on cruise at 58, they should be able to work around that.

But in Wales some slips on the A55 are flippin' short and the cars come at you from nowhere at speed.

Round my way we have lots of dual carriageways where the on slip from the last junction becomes the off slip for the next junction, and whilst it's half a mile or more long people insist on changing lanes immediately as they come on or last minute as they turn off. There's an accident at least once a week caused by this.

 

[AntMB]

The thing which gets me about this, is how some are furious that someone won't let them in front of them. Why is it you want to be in front? Why don't you go behind where there is room to do so instead of trying to overtake when you can see your lane is running out. You can see that, can't you? I've had drivers get apoplectic as they couldn't get past me, but it's not that I was stopping them from doing so, it was that I was already there and they're trying to get past when their lane is running out, they could have just say behind in the first place and they'd be in lane.

 

[A.J.]

Hi all,

Not a specific road rage event. But I just don’t get some people who rather than allow cars to filter in one by one where the road narrows, think they have the right of way.

I often find myself in front of a car where the road narrows where the other car driver thinks he has right of way and tries to get in before the road narrows. It’s infuriating.

Rant over

Not lane reductions but on crossroads I think the Channel Islands have the right idea where they have an in turn system

 

[GrahamT]

Not lane reductions but on crossroads I think the Channel Islands have the right idea where they have an in turn system

Yes, everyone seems to understand that - except the Brit. visitors

 

[ALFAitalia]

I will confess that I've gone over the line to stop idiots overtaking cutting in , in front the the queue that I've been patiently waiting in for ten minute. You get plenty of warning when its going down to one lane.....and most people move to the left when they see those signs.....making one long queue in the left lane ready to go into one lane.....but there are always a few idiots who stay in the right lane and try and cut in near the front just because waiting in the line is below them.....I've noticed that often they are in BMWs and Audis!!! What they think gives then the right to push in at the front of the queue I'm not sure....probably trying to make up for inadequacies in the trouser department!

 

[whitenemesis]

Many of these lane reductions along the A303 and the like now have signs saying use both lanes for exactly that reason. Drivers moving over as soon as they see the reduction sign, creating an unnecessarily long single queue. Use both lanes and merge zipper fashion is the correct way. Cuts the queue length and keeps things moving. If one is in the outside lane one is probably going more quickly than the other traffic, continue to within sight of the lane closure reduce speed and slip into the nearside lane. It's only those slower drivers that get upperty and close up to the car in front that creates the friction.

 

[ALFAitalia]

But its a much slower way of doing it.....if the cars were already in one line before it goes into one lane everyone could keep moving at a steady pace instead of stopping or slowing to make a gap for those feeding in! Makes no sense the other way.....which is why most do it.....just the impatient minority going down the outside....and why people get annoyed and don't let them in....and I don't blame them.
Obviously its a bit different if you have two or three lanes of near solid traffic before the lane reduction....as there is no where for them to go.....but on a lightly trafficked road its faster to be in single file before you lose a lane....that is how you need to end up at the end of the day anyway.

 

[whitenemesis]

or slowing to make a gap for those feeding in!

If one is keeping a safe distance from the car in front there is no need to slow to make a gap, only the merging vehicle needs to moderate it's speed? There are two lanes before the closure, so use them, or the highways agency could have shut it off miles back!

 

[Dryce]

If one is keeping a safe distance from the car in front there is no need to slow to make a gap, only the merging vehicle needs to moderate it's speed? There are two lanes before the closure, so use them, or the highways agency could have shut it off miles back!

?????

If you maintain a safe distance and then a vehicle merges between you and the vehicle in front then ...... there is need to slow to maintaina safe gap.

The use of two lanes actually is zero zum game when it come to flow above a certain density level unless traffic can be conditioned to prepare for the merge and that requires *both* lanes to cooperate.

My observation/experience is that the flow breaks down and that single column slows because its flow is disrupted by even a small number of vehicles attempting to use the other lane. That then extends the single cloumn and makes it worse. At that flow breakdown density point the effective 'cost' of each each vehicle that scoots up the other lane is disproportionate and causes significant delay.