Drivers cruising over roundabout stop lines

[exbfb]

In the car I avoid eye contact with other drivers.
I'm capable of spotting idiots and allowing for them.

On the bike, I abolutely make sure I make eye contact with other road users with whom I will cross paths.
It take no time to do, but if I get their attention, it's pretty much me saying
" I know you're there, and I know that you know it."
I will continue to make eye contact, if required.
I feel that this will have a significant impact on people's behaviour.

One of my least favourite roundabouts I now have much more under control by making sure that I take up the correct road position, make eye contact with all of the drivers around me and make it clear that I'll be looking to have the same use of this roundabout as you do, so don't go there.
If that means eyeballing them, that's what I'll do.

I'll gladly follow this up with a wave through and thumbs up to acknowledge my gratitude for having shared the road with me.

 

[Amanda P]

Are you meaning sort of pulling out in front of you, or are they just sort of forcing their way into the space behind you and your dislike of this is "have they actually seen you"?

Er, not quite either. I mean that they cruise slowly up to and over the stop line, give-way line, call it what you will, so that it looks as if they haven't seen me and are heading into the space I will shortly occupy. If they do, we will collide unless I take evasive action. I can't tell what their intentions are. But if they'd stopped at or before the line, it would be clear that they had seen me and were giving way to me as they should.

Roundabouts don't have stop lines.

Give-way lines... whatever you want to call them. You know perfectly well what I mean.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Er, not quite either. I mean that they cruise slowly up to and over the stop line, give-way line, call it what you will, so that it looks as if they haven't seen me and are heading into the space I will shortly occupy.

I'm very much afraid I did that to someone the other week and forced them to stop. But I was on the bike and they were in a car. They didn't actually need to stop - I'd seen them and calculated my speed so that I could drift on to the roundabout behind them - but of course, the driver didn't know that's what I was planning and stopped. I waved her on with an apologetic gesture and went on my way having learned a lesson.

 

[Bicycle]

Very many road users seem to have been taught how to use roundabouts in a way I was explicitly taught not to.

I was taught as a child on a bicycle (and again as a testosterone-fuelled learner driver) to get my speed right on my approach to a roundabout with the aim of trying not to stop if the conditions allow it. The aim is to slot the car into a gap without coming to a stop.

That can mean trailing the throttle and maybe dropping a cog well before the broken lines at the entry to the junction. It's all about getting your speed right so you don't have to stop.

Being in the right lane, lots of mirror and very clear signals....

This matching of position and approach speed well in advance of the dotted lines is less of a necessity on a bicyle, because the cruising speed is likely to be lower, so any adjustment in speed will be smaller.

However, life is made easier for bicycles if cars and motorcycles follow this system.

But do most drivers do that? In my experience, no.

Many drivers seem to view roundabout as a stop-start junction rather than something that was designed to allow traffic to flow.

So... Approach roundabout at the speed limit... Hit anchors late... Stop.... Look for gap.... Go!!

I imagine this can lead to cars nudging their nose out as the driver tries to optimise his/her chances of making a gap and gaining that precious second. I don't know.

As a lover of automatics (who no longer has one because spouse dislikes them) I don't think they are responsible for 'roundabout creeping'. More likely (another beef of mine) they are being held at junctions on the footbrake, giving everyone behind them the pleasure of three brake lights in their face...

If more motorists saw roundabouts as a way of letting traffic flow, there'd be less Valentinik-style late braking and fewer cars chirruping their tyres onto roundabouts from a standing start.

 

[tyred]

Very many road users seem to have been taught how to use roundabouts in a way I was explicitly taught not to.

I was taught as a child on a bicycle (and again as a testosterone-fuelled learner driver) to get my speed right on my approach to a roundabout with the aim of trying not to stop if the conditions allow it. The aim is to slot the car into a gap without coming to a stop.

That can mean trailing the throttle and maybe dropping a cog well before the broken lines at the entry to the junction. It's all about getting your speed right so you don't have to stop.

That's the way I have always driven. If you try to anticipate the road ahead, you can drive more smoothly, use less fuel, less wear and tear on the car, more aware of potential hazards and therefore less likely to have an accident and often maintain a higher average speed.


Sadly, I find it increasingly leads to impatient ****ers tailgating me ans sometimes blowing the horn and flashing the lights on the approach to roundabouts and other situations where I tend to feather the throttle to lose some speed in advance rather than charge up to something and nail the brakes.

I think as car roadholding and braking abilities have improved, many drivers have lost the ability to anticipate anything as they expect the car to get them out of trouble.

 

[DrSquirrel]

I think some people approach the line fast, so they can slot into a smaller gap if avalible - but usually end up having to brake hard and late.

I've had this happen recently, I was in a car and they were in a vw transporter coming WAY too fast, so I slammed anchors, so did they and were more than half over the line.

Strangely they took offence at this and started to follow me for the next few miles hanging out of the window and giving it some hand signs, tried to "talk" to me when stopped in traffic whilst grabbing his groin ( ?? ) so I called the Police, stupid ****er (I have video from the car so more worth it to do so).

 

[asterix]

Are you meaning sort of pulling out in front of you, or are they just sort of forcing their way into the space behind you and your dislike of this is "have they actually seen you"?

I certainly don't do this to cyclists but I think I can be a little guilty of the latter as both a driver and cyclist to other cars, if its a busy roundabout you sometimes have to force your way out a little.

Presumably you are referring to when traffic is queuing on the roundabout rather than moving at any speed? The former is almost essential on some of York's roundabouts and there is at least one where traffic lights had to be installed but in my view latter would be unjustifiable.

There is a cycle track that crosses the ring road where it is almost impossible to cross; the best way is to join the ring road and use the roundabout! You have to be a fairly quick and assertive cyclist.

 

[GrasB]

There is a cycle track that crosses the ring road where it is almost impossible to cross; the best way is to join the ring road and use the roundabout! You have to be a fairly quick and assertive cyclist.

off-topic but it always seems that cycle paths crossing traffic flows near roundabouts are placed at the worse possible point, this makes it dangerous & difficult to cross the road. The A505/A1301 junction is one of them along with the A603/M11 northbound slip road, the Histon Rd/A14 would be a right PITA if it wasn't for the traffic lights. All of them are safer to navigate on the road, especially when you can get up to 30mph fairly quickly.

 

[BentMikey]

Drivers showing bad "body" language on roundabouts and junctions give me the willies. AirZound is my usual response.

 

[BentMikey]

...oh, and brakes.

 

[SportMonkey]

That's the way I have always driven. If you try to anticipate the road ahead, you can drive more smoothly, use less fuel, less wear and tear on the car, more aware of potential hazards and therefore less likely to have an accident and often maintain a higher average speed.


Sadly, I find it increasingly leads to impatient ****ers tailgating me ans sometimes blowing the horn and flashing the lights on the approach to roundabouts and other situations where I tend to feather the throttle to lose some speed in advance rather than charge up to something and nail the brakes.

I think as car roadholding and braking abilities have improved, many drivers have lost the ability to anticipate anything as they expect the car to get them out of trouble.

This is how I try to drive. As for efficiency I was able to get 96.1mpg average from Telford centre to Stockport centre. I used to get all sorts of fury approaching the roundabout to get on the motorway, then they'd be parked at the roundabout for several minutes as my hitting it at 20mph had allowed me to pick a spot and slide on. I do love being smug