Roundabouts
- Thread starter pipme
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That is plain mental! Never seen anything as bad as THAT! The most stupid roundabout system I have recently been on is near Hazlemere in Bucks (cue Eddie 
), two mini roundabouts pretty much on top of each other where people just sit there waiting because they aren't sure who has priority (back to the "do you give way to the right" rule)
), two mini roundabouts pretty much on top of each other where people just sit there waiting because they aren't sure who has priority (back to the "do you give way to the right" rule)
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There is an interesting r.about in Bramhall, where approaching from one direction you see a sign indicating a left turn and a straight on. So you assume you can go straight on in both lanes. But the straight on is actually slightly past 12 oclock. If you are a stranger and know not this fact, you p*ss everybody else off.
But guess as there is only a left turn and a "straight on", you can legitamately use both lanes, but people don't half get aggresive if you do. The left lane is often empty, while the r/h is congested.
There are also a couple of mini r.abouts where people indicate right and go straight on. What's that all about?
I nearly came to grief once when I came round the inside of one geezer who was indicating right, only to find he wanted to go straight on like me. We nearly had a fist fight until I asked him to tell me how many exits there were (it was a classic + rabout) and asked him why he was indicating right when in fact he was going straight over.
R. Sole!
But guess as there is only a left turn and a "straight on", you can legitamately use both lanes, but people don't half get aggresive if you do. The left lane is often empty, while the r/h is congested.
There are also a couple of mini r.abouts where people indicate right and go straight on. What's that all about?
I nearly came to grief once when I came round the inside of one geezer who was indicating right, only to find he wanted to go straight on like me. We nearly had a fist fight until I asked him to tell me how many exits there were (it was a classic + rabout) and asked him why he was indicating right when in fact he was going straight over.
R. Sole!
BA ... I am trying to say that even when blue vehicle is on the roundabout .. all 4 wheels over it's give way line ... red is still driving through his give way line !!
Borrowed the image from the Highway code page
your probably completly right
but self preservation tells you someone approching broadside
is more dangerous to you than them
big all
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Ok I agree about self preservation.big-all said:BA ... I am trying to say that even when blue vehicle is on the roundabout .. all 4 wheels over it's give way line ... red is still driving through his give way line !!
Borrowed the image from the Highway code page
your probably completly right
but self preservation tells you someone approching broadside
is more dangerous to you than them
big all
Ttell that to the mum in front of me, who quite properly pulled away, no rubber burning - blue car position - was then almost 't' boned by car from red position with enraged idiot arm waving, I watched the scene he looked right on approach accelerated to slot in front of vehicle on roundabout to his right, failed to consider vehicle to his left on roundabout .... He was lucky too .. I have all the time in the world these days and would have witnessed against him whenever, whatever !!! ....
I think the highway code is ambiguous here -- should be a little more explicit.
=============
When taking last exit or going full circle ... Take right hand lane blah de blah.
Now that is explicit ... so when on dual lane approach I do it by the book, inside lane for second exit where there are 4 exits in all, inevitably a small queue ... guess what ! then overtaken constantly by vehicles also taking second exit ...
12 o'clock ? No mention of that in highway code .. we should all re read it, it is posted for free on web !!!
Guess we all have a spin on the rules --- but deviation could be expensive .. as my roundabout guy would have found had he completed the 'T' bone !!
P
Just remembered one I had not long after passing my test. I was giving my parents a lift to a dinner party so a) they could drink, b) I could have the car for the evening.
We overshot the house, but no matter, there was a small (not mini) roundabout a few hundred yards up ahead. Just two exits, left and straight on. So I slowed right down, with my right blinker on to do my about turn round the roundabout. I had my right indicator on and had already passed the point of no return for the straight over exit. So what did the car coming the other way do? He pulled out, forcing me to do an emergency stop ON THE ROUNDABOUT. So I was OBLIGED to beep him (haven't you ever seen that entry in the Highway Code?), and used some language my mother didn't approve of.
Problem sorted? No, because just as I forgot about the incident 10 seconds down the road, I then got a ticking off from my parents for being aggressive! As I am sure many of you know, there is nothing that makes you more angry than someone telling you to calm down, or telling you that you are a bad driver after someone else nearly drives into you
Needless to say, as soon as I get in the car with either of my parents now, I instantly turn into a driving instructor. "You're in the wrong gear, have you considered getting an automatic? You're speeding. Your lane discipline is poor. Why are you driving with just parking lights on? Let the phone ring, if it is that important they will leave voicemail."
We overshot the house, but no matter, there was a small (not mini) roundabout a few hundred yards up ahead. Just two exits, left and straight on. So I slowed right down, with my right blinker on to do my about turn round the roundabout. I had my right indicator on and had already passed the point of no return for the straight over exit. So what did the car coming the other way do? He pulled out, forcing me to do an emergency stop ON THE ROUNDABOUT. So I was OBLIGED to beep him (haven't you ever seen that entry in the Highway Code?), and used some language my mother didn't approve of.
Problem sorted? No, because just as I forgot about the incident 10 seconds down the road, I then got a ticking off from my parents for being aggressive! As I am sure many of you know, there is nothing that makes you more angry than someone telling you to calm down, or telling you that you are a bad driver after someone else nearly drives into you
Needless to say, as soon as I get in the car with either of my parents now, I instantly turn into a driving instructor. "You're in the wrong gear, have you considered getting an automatic? You're speeding. Your lane discipline is poor. Why are you driving with just parking lights on? Let the phone ring, if it is that important they will leave voicemail."
correct me if i'm wrong but i believe the highway code states that you should pull out onto a roundabout regardless of other traffic, if you are beeped you must make the statutory one finger salute and proceed onwards, at least thats what i'm lead to believe from experience of other drivers who own the road.
life would be so much easier if people INDICATED so i know i can pull out when the car to my left does'nt signal then turns off before me i feel like calling their bluff and pulling out but i can't coz they did'nt indicate so if they carried on and t-boned me i would be at fault should be a factory fit not an optional extra for indicators to be installed on bmw x5 with dinny blondes driving them
i feel like calling their bluff and pulling out but i can't coz they did'nt indicate so if they carried on and t-boned me i would be at fault should be a factory fit not an optional extra for indicators to be installed on bmw x5 with dinny blondes driving them opps what i meant way the car to my RIGHT
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One of the worst roundabouts I've encountered is the Crooked Billet, Walthamstow - middle of old North Circular, now A406 - the second one you meet coming off the M11. There are 6 junctions and 4 lane widths as you slowly stop/start to move round - so it helps if you know when you want to get off. But to make it even harder for you to change lanes, they have introduced 6 sets of traffic lights - so that people who don't know the roundabout well cannot move to the correct lane fast enough to get off at some exits. It was always a busy roundabout, but now you have people in the second inside lane cutting across lanes still circling to get on the A406 towards London. Then to try to turn off towards Chingford cars have to cut across others because the queue at the next set of roundabout lights is blocking their exit - absolute madness.
Then you have the odd 'car contacts' - bangs, which slows things even further - plus a recent fatal accident with someone trying to walk across a junction (even though there are underpasses) - dreadful time for the poor lady and traffic was at a standstill for a good few hours......
Then you have the odd 'car contacts' - bangs, which slows things even further - plus a recent fatal accident with someone trying to walk across a junction (even though there are underpasses) - dreadful time for the poor lady and traffic was at a standstill for a good few hours......
I think there is a law that any road system called "The Crooked Billet" has to be a nightmare!
There is one called The Crooked Billet in Ashford in Surrey, which sounds similar to the one in Walthamstow (probably not such a bu**ers muddle though ). Lots of exits, traffic lights, including a 4-lane A-road running across it. Obviously started off as a roundabout but some road planner decided it needed to be mutated into some kind of weird one-way thing. What makes it worse is that the signs on approach are so odd that you think "That HAS to be wrong!". So lots of people seem to assume the sign is wrong and get in the wrong lane and you see lots of near misses although I have luckily only had one (would you get in the rightmost of 3 or 4 lanes to turn LEFT, for crying out loud! He was driving a Ford Puma, but I couldn't be bothered to start chanting "Girls' car, girls' car, you've got a girls' car!" at him )
There is one called The Crooked Billet in Ashford in Surrey, which sounds similar to the one in Walthamstow (probably not such a bu**ers muddle though
). Lots of exits, traffic lights, including a 4-lane A-road running across it. Obviously started off as a roundabout but some road planner decided it needed to be mutated into some kind of weird one-way thing. What makes it worse is that the signs on approach are so odd that you think "That HAS to be wrong!". So lots of people seem to assume the sign is wrong and get in the wrong lane and you see lots of near misses although I have luckily only had one (would you get in the rightmost of 3 or 4 lanes to turn LEFT, for crying out loud! He was driving a Ford Puma, but I couldn't be bothered to start chanting "Girls' car, girls' car, you've got a girls' car!" at him )Sponsored Links
