Is it really that difficult to join a motorway/dual carriageway?

[totallyfixed]

A couple of things not mentioned so far, drivers think that the fact they have put their indicator on gives them the right to manoeuvre, it does not. I frequently see cars joining multi lane roads from a slip road who think that because they have their indicator on [the stalk on their steering wheel they don't bother to use for any other situation] it gives them the right to merge into traffic whether it is clear or not.
Of course what would make everything less stressful and much easier is if vehicles didn't tailgate each other, but we all know that driving 3 or 4 metres behind the vehicle in front will get you there quicker.

 

[asterix]

That's something else that annoys me when you've got a tight motorway join and some idiot doing 50mph in the nearside lane decides to move out to the offside lane, however they don't accelerate or pull in so you're forced to undertake them.

Why are you forced to undertake? Is it not possible to slow down a little? Or even anticipate that with a slip road coming up, on Britain's crowded roads there are going to be cars pulling on. IMO driving is not simply about standing on your rights and every one else has to get out of the way, some times you have to cut the other guy a bit of slack even if you do have to release the accelerator! Or worse still brake, even Especially if you want to avoid an accident..

 

[totallyfixed]

[QUOTE 2941521, member: 9609"]


You have to let other traffic merge that is coming off the slip road, if they have to come to a halt it could be a disaster. I drive an HGV and if I wasn't allowed to merge and had to brake or stop, I would be then joining the motorway at a crawling pace and be on an age before getting up to speed, very dangerous.[/quote]
Of course it is dangerous, not the point I am making. With the exception of slower moving vehicles like HGV's, the onus is on the vehicle joining to match their speed and slot in without causing anyone else to brake. Regarding traffic already on the DC / motorway, they should be anticipating possible slower moving vehicles joining. The point I am making is that sticking your indicator on does not give you the automatic right to change direction.

 

[GrasB]

Why are you forced to undertake? Is it not possible to slow down a little? Or even anticipate that with a slip road coming up, on Britain's crowded roads there are going to be cars pulling on.

The scenario I'm quite often on with the is there's a long queue of cars in the nearside lane with 2-3 car length gap between them which I have to filter into. I have lots of choice & will chose the biggest one. Even so I often end up with less than 2 cars lengths to the vehicle behind. Now if the guy behind is sensible they back of, however more often than not they just sit there & with that amount of space behind slowing down isn't really much of an option. However there is now a large developing gap in front I can use, it's much safer to use that road space than slow down.

For the joining driver it's much easier if the guy who isn't going to accelerate simply stays in the nearside lane & lets the one entering the road filter seamlessly to the offside lane. Also that person generates a bottle neck because the traffic which was doing >65mph had to brake not to rear end them.

Ultimately if people left appropriate space this whole scenario wouldn't exist in the first place.

 

[DiddlyDodds]

If that is true what you've basically said is to save money you've bought a car which is not suitable for road conditions in the UK. Personally I'd never buy a car that can't do 0-60 in less than 11 seconds, preferably I want a sub-9s car so I'm not at flat out performance to pull out at some of the lower visibility NSL junctions & on slip roads.

What's the 0-60 on that.. 20 seconds? Seriously, a 54bhp lupo which has a 0-60 of 17.1seconds can join motorways okay, even up hill if you drop gears & change a the correct point. That's a .95 ton car, so to have a worse PWR the Focus would have be to almost two tons!

Just remembered I don't have my ladder with me , thus I cannot see you up there on your high horse

 

[DaveReading]

Almost as bad as drivers who don't understand that an entry slip road is for accelerating are those who don't appreciate that an exit slip is where you do your deceleration.

For some reason, M4 J8/9 westbound seems particularly prone to exiting drivers braking while still on the motorway, causing a concertina of red lights, despite the slip road being perfectly clear - and uphill too, even an idiot in a BMW shouldn't need 1000ft to brake from 70 to a standstill at the lights.

 

[donnydave]

The point made that "you don't know how good you have it in the UK" is an excellent one. I'm in Brazil at the moment for work, I've been here a couple of times now and I when on the roads here I think fondly of the M25 and other such centres of peace and tranquillity back in the UK. The people who are driving like c**ks and shoving everyone else out of the way in an "I'm important, I'm coming through", if they were here their tiny minds would explode and they wouldn't last 5 minutes. Similarly those with no awareness would soon find themselves having an "uncontrolled impact with the terrain". Its driving Darwinism at its best. Some aspects are better here though, no one tries to block motorbikes filtering through like I have seen in the UK and I haven't yet seen anybody try to dish out justice on someone else who they perceive has done something wrong, they just get out the way and get on with their lives.

On the other hand, in the UK you don't generally see a bloke with a handcart piled high with his worldly possessions walking slowly the wrong way in the outside lane of a 4 lane motorway, with a pig on a string for company, just strolling along as if it was perfectly normal (and it seems to be, here!)

To expand on the slip road length thing, here they seem generally to be quite short, and the average car here is pretty slow, 1.0 to 1.6 petrols, you dont see much above 1.8. Luckily this does not present a problem as when the slip road runs out you just carry on the hard shoulder for a bit if you need more speed, or you just swerve across. The thing is though, the system works becuase everyone expects you to blindly swerve across like an idiot.

 

[vernon]

That's something else that annoys me when you've got a tight motorway join and some idiot doing 50mph in the nearside lane decides to move out to the offside lane, however they don't accelerate or pull in so you're forced to undertake them.

No you're not. You can always slow down.

 

[GrasB]

No you're not. You can always slow down.

With a couple of car lengths between you and the car behind this is most definitely the WRONG answer! With a high probability of collision.

Most of the time the quickest way to make the most space for more people is the best. In this case it is forwards but the muppet in the offside lane isn't playing ball.

 

[donnydave]

With a couple of car lengths between you and the car behind this is most definitely the WRONG answer! With a high probability of collision.

Most of the time the quickest way to make the most space for more people is the best. In this case it is forwards but the muppet in the offside lane isn't playing ball.

Sadly the concept of accelerating out of trouble (and other associated benefits of powerful cars) seems to make some people start foaming at the mouth and all they can say is some incomprehensible nonsense about mpg or running costs. If you really want to wind them up further, tell them they should have tried harder at school . I've tested this line of argument on the apprentice at work for a laugh but not unleashed it on anyone else yet, I can;t imagine it would go too well... (but obviously I'm right )

 

[vernon]

Just remembered I don't have my ladder with me , thus I cannot see you up there on your high horse

That's because he's busy driving/hiding in his tool box.

 

[GrasB]

[QUOTE 2944199, member: 9609"]That's an interesting point, the faster you drive the more room everybody behind you has. Plus the faster you drive the less time spent on the road the less congested the roads will be. Its all starting to make sense.[/quote]
Very limited space behind & rapidly developing large amount of space in front. The answer is... ... decrease the limited space behind by braking .

One element of driving safely is creating or utilising the available road space, by simply moving into a much larger space you are creating a safer road environment. We're not talking about pinning the throttle to the floor & doing 120mph. We're talking about a 5-10mph increase in speed, which is the natural speed difference between the nearside & offside lanes, to move the car into a more open road space.

 

[vernon]

move the car into a more open road space.

Big enough to accommodate your ego?

 

[Pale Rider]

A few short slip roads onto dual carriageways around here.

Some people joining think those on the main road should give way.

I wonder if they join roundabouts the same way.

 

[GrasB]

Big enough to accommodate your ego?

I'll take this as an admission you've realised your statement was wrong.