Hesitancy at Roundabouts

[AmexRuislip]

It's worth going to Swindon just for this. It's great way to spend 10-15 mins, just driving as many combinations as you can, clockwise, anti-clockwise, or straight through the middle - the choice is yours. Genius.

You must a have a lot of time on your hands to go to Swindon for the above.
Surely you could count the ducks on Linfield pond

 

[CheeseRolls]

I know exactly what you mean. Happens at Lewes Southeram r/a too

Not sure how that works on that particular roundabout and I do use it regularly. East to west has a filter, so which direction and at what time? My own sneaky trick when departing Lewes in the rush hour, is to use the middle lane when turning right. Westbound traffic often blocks the roundabout and so you have to push your way out through the stationery traffic. If someone is nervously sitting in the right hand lane, it is often much quicker to take the middle lane and eyeball the stationery drivers to let you out.

What do you call the manoeuvre you described?

For completeness the Swindon Magic Roundabout was on my driving test route.

 

[CP 0 3 BHA]

A close cousin of the hesitancy at roundabouts issue is hesitancy on slip roads entering dual carriageways and motorways.

I live near the A14 which tends to be busy and more often than not has HGVs dominating the left lane. If one uses the slip road to get up to mid 50s mph there is no problem slotting into the traffic on the main carriageway even when busy, but if you get caught behind some numpty who tip-toes their way along at 20-30mph and then finds they can't join - or closes their eyes and hopes for the best - it causes absolute chaos and is potentially really dangerous.

 

[Lankyseagull]

I experienced the opposite phenomena on two occasions this morning, cut up on roundabouts by vehicles that should have been giving way to me. The worrying thing to me was that both were Lorries under the control of people who should know better. The first was at the Little Horsted roundabout near Uckfield. I put this down to the Lorry driver making an error of judgement even though I was indicating. The second (a Warburtons bread Lorry) at the Cuilfail Tunnel roundabout in Lewes forced me into an emergency stop as he cut across my bows coming out of the tunnel without slowing to hang a right towards Uckfield as I was clearly going straight over. It's not as if I drive a car that you could miss, a C4 Grand Picasso.

To my mind, there are hesitant people as the OP has alluded, but there are also those who seem to play a vehicular version of Russian Roulette and work on the basis that others will stop in time for them regardless of the rules of the road.

 

[B-right-on]

So I am not sure if this has a recognised name, but I have taken to calling it double roundabouting.

Anyone know what I am talking about?

Trying to exit Shoreham Beach in the morning there is always a long queue of traffic from Lancing. In the past the road markings were not that clear, so plenty of people would chance it in the outside lane, go straight on and wave as they pushed in, as if it were all an innocent mistake. A couple of years back they changed the road markings at the signage to make it really bloody clear that the right hand lane was Shoreham Beach only, so now people approach from Lancing in the right hand lane and complete one and a half laps of the roundabout, making it a pain to turn off the Beach.

Does anywhere else experience double roundabouting and does it half a better or more recognised name ?

Live on the Beach too and this p!sses me right off. Occasioanlly I will cut someone up thats just done the loop-de-loop (illegally) and stopping me getting off the Beach to work. Kn@bheads.

 

[B-right-on]

Increasingly these days I find myself approaching roundabouts to find nobody moving because everyone is trying to give way, waiting for the car to their right to go. Happens so often but I can't remember this happening in the past. (Unless I've got too old to remember)

Agreed 100%. Except I drive a van and I just tend to 'go' and as I'm bigger than most cars, this starts the ball rolling and lets them know which one has the right of way - ME - and that they establishes the rest in pecking order. So i always think that i am doing a pubblic service when going first

 

[Boys 9d]

One roundabout that annoys me is the one at the bridge end of Shoreham High Street. I often want to come from Old Shoreham and turn towards Lancing. However I am prevented from doing so when eastbound traffic is at a standstill in the High Street and drivers coming from Lancing will insist on stopping above the Keep Clear sign painted in the road. Thus preventing anyone from making the turn towards Lancing from Old Shoreham.

 

[ShandyH]

The lack of signalling, as a cyclist is ****ing terrifying. Assume the worst and survive.

 

[Brok]

It's worth going to Swindon just for this. It's great way to spend 10-15 mins, just driving as many combinations as you can, clockwise, anti-clockwise, or straight through the middle - the choice is yours. Genius.

Indeed. I'm surprised Swindon Council don't charge people for the pleasure of using it.

 

[mune ni kamome]

One roundabout that annoys me is the one at the bridge end of Shoreham High Street. I often want to come from Old Shoreham and turn towards Lancing. However I am prevented from doing so when eastbound traffic is at a standstill in the High Street and drivers coming from Lancing will insist on stopping above the Keep Clear sign painted in the road. Thus preventing anyone from making the turn towards Lancing from Old Shoreham.

I've noticed this. The "keep clear" though is not in the best place. It's too far toward Brighton meaning you start to go round from Lancing to Brighton, blocking the traffic from Old Shoreham before you are on the "keep clear" markings. That roundabout is another one of those places where you have to be forceful though or you'd never get through

 

[Muzzy]

If you read the road properly and judge your speed on your approach to a roundabout then you should rarely find the need to stop!
The people that do stop on a roundabout where nothing is within a mile of approaching are the drivers that should have to face capital punishment!
The standards of driving are getting worse by the hour. I no longer enjoy driving and am so pleased to be 99% office based nowadays.


Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[Icy Gull]

I find expecting every other road user to be a selfish, self centred nutter or ditherer is the best way to drive. I no longer assume that I have right of way, even when I do.

 

[Stat Brother]

I find expecting every other road user to be a selfish, self centred nutter or ditherer is the best way to drive. I no longer assume that I have right of way, even when I do.

That attitude is the only thing that keeps us cyclist alive!

Although I would also add hates me to selfish, self centred nutter or ditherer.

 

[Icy Gull]

That attitude is the only thing that keeps us cyclist alive!

Although I would also add hates me to selfish, self centred nutter or ditherer.

Do you cycle two abreast on country roads? Then, yes, I am that man who fecking hates you

 

[Stat Brother]

Do you cycle two abreast on country roads? Then, yes, I am that man who fecking hates you

Hopefully you drive a 2.5 litre behemoth with a hole in the exhaust, because as far as you'll be concerned then no we don't.
"car back", in we go, everybody's happy.

If you're gonna creep up on us in a Prius you might get held up for a couple of seconds.

But then again if you're driving a Prius...

 

[Icy Gull]

Hopefully you drive a 2.5 litre behemoth with a hole in the exhaust, because as far as you'll be concerned then no we don't.
"car back", in we go, everybody's happy.

If you're gonna creep up on us in a Prius you might get held up for a couple of seconds.

But then again if you're driving a Prius...

Ragazzon exhaust, you'll hear me but not in a Chaved up Nova or Saxo sort of way

 

[Mo Gosfield]

Didn't BG get run over on a roundabout in Haywards Heath last year?
Surprised he hasn't brought this up if only to bump his posts up to the next magical figure

I was only doing 25mph. He stepped straight out. I didn't have a clue who he was. I didn't know he was a local celebrity. Anyway, I had a golf game to get to,so I legged it sharpish. I checked in the rear view mirror to see he was still alive and he was, so I carried on.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

The roundabouts I cannot abide are those that are fed into by a dual carriageway and continue beyond with a single carriageway. There is one south of Reading on the A33. Cars roar up to the roundabout in the outside lane, barely brake at all and fly through the middle of it, converging with those that have stayed in a left hand position all through the roundabout. It is chaotic and highly dangerous. You can be in a line of traffic all sticking to the left and calmly going through the roundabout when you see a driver doing 90mph, coming up in the outside lane. You just know he is gonna come straight through the middle and barge his way in, at the exit point heading for Basingstoke.
Its even worse if you are trying to join the A33 from the South. You can see all the drivers approaching from Reading in the inside lane but those in the outside lane are going much faster and are much more determined to fly through the roundabout, barely braking. It is literally like Russian Roulette.
The right hand lane of a dual carriageway, approaching a roundabout, is surely for turning right only, when the road straight on becomes a single carriageway, isn't it, or have I got it wrong?

 

[Weststander]

Increasingly these days I find myself approaching roundabouts to find nobody moving because everyone is trying to give way, waiting for the car to their right to go. Happens so often but I can't remember this happening in the past. (Unless I've got too old to remember)

It stems from the increasing number of female drivers.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Agreed 100%. Except I drive a van and I just tend to 'go' and as I'm bigger than most cars, this starts the ball rolling and lets them know which one has the right of way - ME - and that they establishes the rest in pecking order. So i always think that i am doing a pubblic service when going first

Is it white, by any chance?