Motorway Middle Lane Hoggers Can Be Fined On The Spot.

[hitony]

People can only undertake if the lane they are in is clear of traffic, and if it's clear of traffic you should be in it.

Absolute rubbish! every day on the M4 I have to undertake on an inside lane that is well over a mile long, as its the slip lane to the Cardiff junction, maybe not everyone wants to get off at that junction?

 

[Fef]

Along motorways should be signs saying 'The Middle Lane Is For Overtaking Only' to aid the selfish, clueless imbeciles who use it for continuous miles on end.

Last week, whilst driving oop norf, I actually saw a motorway electric sign (M40/42 ?) saying 'Keep to the left Unless overtaking'. Much more useful than the usual non-information stuff that appears on these signs.

 

[tinycowboy]

I'm a bit worried about the notion of everybody who previously felt "safe" in the middle lane having to change the habit of a lifetime - it may get a little hairy out there. However, I'm not sure anyone will take any notice of this new rule - as people have said, we need a definition: who is going to use the inner lane if it's clogged up with lorries going 60mph for miles on end? To my mind, that would not be hogging as you are using the middle lane for continuous overtaking, but there are greyer areas around how long it is acceptable to use the middle lane - if you are going to need to overtake 30 seconds after overtaking the previous vehicle, staying in the same lane would be acceptable to some, not others; if you put it up to 60 seconds, it would probably be unacceptable to many more, but what would the law be? I guess we'll have to wait and see...

 

[Surrey Seagull]

Another pointless tax on the ongoing war against motorists. Up next you will be required when driving around town to have a man walk infront of your car carrying a red flag.

It's all about safety...









apparently.

 

[Muzzy]

Last week, whilst driving oop norf, I actually saw a motorway electric sign (M40/42 ?) saying 'Keep to the left Unless overtaking'. Much more useful than the usual non-information stuff that appears on these signs.

That sign is useless to most knuckle dragging ignoramuses that cannot read though.

The reason that many drivers hog the middle lanes nowadays is because of roads like the M25. From junction 10 for the A3 right around to junction 16 M40 you seem to have to get over a lane because the nearside lane is a filter lane every other mile or so. I drive this route quite regularly and therefore I'm familiar with which lane that I should be preparing for. Since the major roadworks to widen the M25 when LHR T5 was built this has become even more confusing, causing worse tailbacks than ever. Whoever is/was responsible for agreeing to so many junctions within a close proximity of each other should be executed with immediate effect!

If you lot all stopped using your cars then I wouldn't spend so much time sitting in traffic jams either. This shouldn't be too much to ask for!

 

[albion534]

Middle lane hoggers should not be fined............................they should be shot on the hard shoulder!!

 

[sten_super]

I had great fun on the 'managed' part of the M4 (I think it was) on the weekend. I was the only person I could see using the hard shoulder lane, and while the motorway wasn't busy there were quite a few vehicles in the next two lanes outside me (i.e. not in the fast lane) toddling along. This also then bought up the quandary of 'to undertake or not undertake'; I was following the highway code by sticking to the left lane, but those outside me were in fact going slower. I ended up very purposefully changing lanes to overtake them and then very purposefully pulling back into the managed hard shoulder immediately afterwards.

 

[Superphil]

I believe the proposed new rules include one to stop drivers forcing their way into queues of traffic at the last moment. That's good too.

Wouldn't it be less confrontational if the rule was to merge in turn at the end of a queue, then no-one gets an advantage, regardless of what lane they are in.

 

[SK1NT]

Can't stand middle lane hoggers but despise car that hog the outside lane going the exact same speed at a car in the middle lane and with no car in front of them in sight. I have to undertake on the slow lane and cross to lanes to the fast lane...

 

[Lincoln Imp]

Absolute rubbish! every day on the M4 I have to undertake on an inside lane that is well over a mile long, as its the slip lane to the Cardiff junction, maybe not everyone wants to get off at that junction?

You utterly miss my point. I simply suggested that people should not drive along motorways with an empty lane to their left. For you to say that I am therefore calling on people to move into exit slip roads when they don't want to exit is absurd.

 

[Lincoln Imp]

Wouldn't it be less confrontational if the rule was to merge in turn at the end of a queue, then no-one gets an advantage, regardless of what lane they are in.

Yes, it would be a good idea to have Filter in Turn signs on some occasions in order to regularise things. This is quite different to people flying down the outside of a queue and then ramming in at the last minute just because they don't fancy waiting their turn. For example, a few people are now doing this at the east-bound A27 Falmer turnoff on matchdays. They barrel up the left hand side and then force their way in at the roundabout. Bloke in a Merc tried it in front of our coach before the Blackpool game. You'll recognise him - an E320 with caved in doors. (The irony is that this slip road would benefit from a formal Filter in Turn arrangement to reduce the tailback on the main road.)

 

[Surrey Seagull]

Oh and do be very careful in the middle lane people! If you spend more than 25 seconds in the middle lane, you're now liable to £100 fine and 3 points on your licence.

All still in the name of safety apparently.

 

[Pavilionaire]

This is a load of bollocks:

1. This isn't a big problem, our roads are fairly safe.
2. Bad driving is subjective, the law would be almost impossible to enforce with consistency.

Personally, I would rather the time and effort were spent on a TV ad campaign focused on raising awareness of driving and road safety issues, targeted around bank holidays and weekends.

 

[Surrey Seagull]

This is a load of bollocks:

1. This isn't a big problem, our roads are fairly safe.
2. Bad driving is subjective, the law would be almost impossible to enforce with consistency.

Personally, I would rather the time and effort were spent on a TV ad campaign focused on raising awareness of driving and road safety issues, targeted around bank holidays and weekends.

It is a complete load of bollocks, just another government milking the car cash cow a little bit more. Remember, you only have 25 seconds in the middle or outer lane now.

Driving in the outer 2 lanes is now as dangerous as going through a red light or using a mobile phone.....apparently.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Wouldn't it be less confrontational if the rule was to merge in turn at the end of a queue, then no-one gets an advantage, regardless of what lane they are in.

The problem with this is that merging as you meet the queue, rather than overtaking everyone and only merging once you reach the point where the road actually narrows, results in a great deal of road space not being used by anyone - thereby lengthening the queue and causing tailbacks to earlier junctions. The most efficient use of roadspace to optimise the capacity of the road is for as many drivers as possible to overtake everyone and merge late. It may seem unreasonable to do this, particularly to those drivers who are overtaken, but - on average - it's the best solution.

Some situations which require vehicles to merge are now equipped with signs to encourage late merging, rather than early merging.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Absolute rubbish! every day on the M4 I have to undertake on an inside lane that is well over a mile long, as its the slip lane to the Cardiff junction, maybe not everyone wants to get off at that junction?

And the road markings change to allow you to do so !

 

[Superphil]

Yes, it would be a good idea to have Filter in Turn signs on some occasions in order to regularise things. This is quite different to people flying down the outside of a queue and then ramming in at the last minute just because they don't fancy waiting their turn. For example, a few people are now doing this at the east-bound A27 Falmer turnoff on matchdays. They barrel up the left hand side and then force their way in at the roundabout. Bloke in a Merc tried it in front of our coach before the Blackpool game. You'll recognise him - an E320 with caved in doors. (The irony is that this slip road would benefit from a formal Filter in Turn arrangement to reduce the tailback on the main road.)

That's what I mean, at the end of the 'queue' when the 2 lanes go into 1, that's where the merge in could take place, thus making it irrelevent whether you are in one lane or the other. The trouble with the queue up to the roundabout on matchdays is that there are cars going up the left lane, who need to turn left at the roundabout, so might be difficult to make it happen there.

The problem with this is that merging as you meet the queue, rather than overtaking everyone and only merging once you reach the point where the road actually narrows, results in a great deal of road space not being used by anyone - thereby lengthening the queue and causing tailbacks to earlier junctions. The most efficient use of roadspace to optimise the capacity of the road is for as many drivers as possible to overtake everyone and merge late. It may seem unreasonable to do this, particularly to those drivers who are overtaken, but - on average - it's the best solution.

Some situations which require vehicles to merge are now equipped with signs to encourage late merging, rather than early merging.

That's actually what I was getting at, they do it in some places, Guernsey (& Jersey I think) for example, and I've seen it on some roads, bottlenecks here, needs to be implemented everywhere IMO.

 

[Postman Pat]

The problem with this is that merging as you meet the queue, rather than overtaking everyone and only merging once you reach the point where the road actually narrows, results in a great deal of road space not being used by anyone - thereby lengthening the queue and causing tailbacks to earlier junctions. The most efficient use of roadspace to optimise the capacity of the road is for as many drivers as possible to overtake everyone and merge late. It may seem unreasonable to do this, particularly to those drivers who are overtaken, but - on average - it's the best solution.

Some situations which require vehicles to merge are now equipped with signs to encourage late merging, rather than early merging.

The problem with this is that especially at Handcross roadworks, the lanes are moving well at 35ish MPH, someone comes flying down the outside lane doing 45mph, cuts in at the last second and slams on the anchors, they are then going 20mph and stops all the traffic behind that was going along perfectly fine, this rolls back and people further back grind to a halt.

 

[Garage_Doors]

Never understood why there isn't some sort of compulsory tuition required before new drivers are allowed to use motorways.

Not all motorway drivers have a licence / or passed a uk driving test.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

That's what I mean, at the end of the 'queue' when the 2 lanes go into 1, that's where the merge in could take place, thus making it irrelevent whether you are in one lane or the other. The trouble with the queue up to the roundabout on matchdays is that there are cars going up the left lane, who need to turn left at the roundabout, so might be difficult to make it happen there.



That's actually what I was getting at, they do it in some places, Guernsey (& Jersey I think) for example, and I've seen it on some roads, bottlenecks here, needs to be implemented everywhere IMO.

Excellent. Sorry for misunderstanding your earlier post. You've dispelled my earlier fears that you might not be as sensible a driver as I'd always assumed you were.