Driving and Roads

D

Deleted member 473

MikeSh said:
I still use the indicators on the car to help other people.
Click to expand...

I thought I was the only one. It used to be part of the Highway Code and Driving Test, but apparently no longer. Hardly anyone indicates.
 
Mike0001 said:
Hardly anyone indicates.
Click to expand...
Even the police fail to indicate when leaving the road I live on. It's a T junction, so are you going right or left? Don't forget to swing over to the right hand side to turn left while you're at it.
If people do indicate, they do it in a confusing manner. Try indicating before the junction before the one you want to turn off at and watch everyone - especially pedestrians - be confused when you don't turn off at the junction you appear to have indicated for. :confused:
 
Last edited:
I followed someone yesterday who indicated left, stopped, but didn't turn, drove 50 yards further and turned right without indicating. I am constantly held up at roundabouts by people turning right, across my route, but not indicating, and others who drive straight on towards my road without indicating an exit. Are we supposed to read their tiny selfish minds?
 
If you approach a tee junction to turn left, you naturally indicate left. If you approach a carriageway from a slip road, everyone (who indicates) indicates right.

What angle do you have to approach another lane at to divide a left indication from a right indication?

The other night I approached a motorway closure, cones forced the traffic into the exit lane at a junction. The lane closures were posted at least half a mile beforehand, and the motorway closure for miles before that, but traffic still seemed surprised to see the cones. The car in front of me was so adamant he wanted to continue on the motorway (probably because the satnav said so), he was indicating right from the last remaining lane until he had nowhere to go but the roundabout!
 
Black Hole said:
What angle do you have to approach another lane at to divide a left indication from a right indication?
Click to expand...
If what you approach is a two way road, indicate which way you wish to turn.

If it is one way or a dual carriageway, indicate the direction of your lane change.
 
But you're not on the carriageway, you're joining it. There is no need to signal at all when joining a one-way street (which is, effectively, what it is). And there's no need to tell people you are "changing lane" (if that's what it is), because the slip road obviously needs to merge (and the merging traffic should be checking it is safe to do so - which they don't).
 
I signal right (on any junction/slip) when the angle of the car is such that the rear indicators are more visible to the traffic on the road I'm joining than the one I'm leaving; ie past about 45 degrees.

Although traffic on the road I'm joining ought to be aware, there are plenty of people who will not have noticed a slip joining, so I always signal, even if I think I'm clear - missing that thing in your blind spot is just too common to take more of a chance than is necessary.
 
Black Hole said:
But you're not on the carriageway, you're joining it. .
Click to expand...
If the slip road has been properly designed, you would be parallel to the carriageway and, I would argue, it is helpful to indicate your intention to change lanes - and, if you're fortunate, a helpful driver may let you in. Not all slip roads merge into lane 1. (I suppose you could argue that it isn't a slip road). This used to be the case at junction 24 of the M1 (it may still be, but I haven't travelled that way recently). Joining the M1 southbound at J24 the slip road used to become a new running lane (possibly marked off from the M1 proper by a solid lane marking). If you carry on in this lane, you end up on the A42 at J23a. If you want to join the M1 you need to indicate right and squeeze in between the lorries. Is another driver going south on the M1, and is not familiar with the junction layout, supposed to assume that you are going to pull out or not? A signal clarifies the intention.
There is no need to give a signal on a roundabout at 2am with no other traffic about. But I do. You never know if there is another night owl about who would benefit from knowing your intentions. Also, it reinforces the habit of signalling - the lack of which was the gripe that started this conversation.
 
MikeSh said:
missing that thing in your blind spot is just too common to take more of a chance than is necessary.
Click to expand...
Excellent point, but I'm not at all convinced that using the indicator will be much use in that situation.
 
MikeSh said:
I signal right (on any junction/slip) when the angle of the car is such that the rear indicators are more visible to the traffic on the road I'm joining than the one I'm leaving; ie past about 45 degrees
Click to expand...
I can think of at least one junction near here where you would confuse oncoming traffic as they would be expecting you to turn right across them rather than left in front of them.
 
Hardly anyone signals on those big motorway roundabouts, either, on joining. If you are lucky, you may get a signal as they leave.

At what point does a roundabout become a one way system?
 
Black Hole said:
Excellent point, but I'm not at all convinced that using the indicator will be much use in that situation.
Click to expand...
Even if there is only say a 20% chance of the other party seeing it and acting then that's a worthwhile reduction in the chance of contact. It's got to be better than relying on them interpreting your 'body language'.

gomezz said:
I can think of at least one junction near here where you would confuse oncoming traffic as they would be expecting you to turn right across them rather than left in front of them.
Click to expand...
There will always be exceptions, of course, but as I generally cancel my signal once I'm across both lanes (ie halfway into my destination lane) it would be a rather dim oncomer that thought I was going to cross him.
Similarly I don't usually move across more than one lane on an indication - I pause in each lane with the indicator off and re-indicate before the next move, so my intentions are clear - to those who are awake and looking.
 
Very wise. The other common thing now is at a give way junction or lights, to use position rather than indicating, to turn left or right. Although that might work for the person behind you, it isn't that much use to those on the road you are entering!
 
Mike0001 said:
At what point does a roundabout become a one way system?
Click to expand...
By design. Unless you are evading the police and driving the wrong way, or are the police and following someone the wrong way, are not all roundabouts one way (clockwise).
 
I'd have thought a roundabout has to be one way - as in a fairground ride which only goes one way round. I think the Swindon one is really just a circular road with a number of mini-roundabouts on it. If it was a mile across no-one would think it was a roundabout.
But it is more fun calling it the magic roundabout :)
 
EEPhil said:
By design. Unless you are evading the police and driving the wrong way, or are the police and following someone the wrong way, are not all roundabouts one way (clockwise).
Click to expand...
Ah yes, but you missed the point. When turning right on a roundabout, you indicate right until you turn off. You would not do that in a one way system.

If you take the A5 M42 junction, the roundabout is a one way system, surely?
 
MikeSh said:
. I think the Swindon one is really just a circular road with a number of mini-roundabouts on it.
Click to expand...

We had one of those at the roundabout at the University of Sheffield in around 1972. It was a large roundabout with five exits. Experiments were carried out trying a large central island, five satellite islands round a small central one and a small central island. The last was decided to be most efficient.

Some time later, in the early 1980s, a friend was in charge of building the big roundabout at the city end of the Parkway. I had always thought having concentric lanes was a mistake, and mentioned to him that spiral lanes made more sense, so you joined a lane and continued along it to your exit. He incorporated it into that roundabout. Soon after, they were everywhere, and now are the norm. Was this coincidence or can I claim some responsibility?

That roundabout is now, of course, a mini one way system with traffic lights and spiralling lanes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top