NotoriousREV

Fuzz,

That's a cracking idea.

To everyone who thinks that anyone who stays in the outside lane until the last minute is selfish, consider this: If you're on a dual carriageway that is going down to one lane and everyone merges 600 yards earlier than the cones suggest, you are reducing the capacity of the road and are therefore adding to congestion FOR EVERYONE. Therefore, by merging early and making it harder for other road users to use the roads correctly and as intended by the traffic planners it is you that is being selfish. I'm looking at you, Lewis

NotoriousREV

The signs are there to make you aware of the upcoming hazard in the road so that you can moderate your speed and ensure you are being observant.

steffiraf

White scooby wagon with gold wheels, and 2 dogs in the back. Usually found between Manchester and Leeds. Fill yr boots!

Spoon

steffiraf, you can often travel down the outside and just filter in at the same speed as you are travelling due to the vehicle on the left talking to his/her passengers, eating, reading etc instead of moving.

Now that's progressive driving.

steffiraf

There wouldnt be a queue!!!!!

RJMS

iTrader: (2)

The luck of the draw I suppose - however the inside lane would not be moving faster, it might look that way but if people were merging in turn then the rate of passage of individual vehicles through the convergence would not actually be affected.

Sums it up pretty well, if I happen to be in the inside lane in these situations I will always "let people in", PSL's warning about road rage could equally apply to the "pusher in". If everyone merged in turn this would not be a problem - ever

So how do you define good manners in terms of where you should filter in, say you filter in 200 yards from the cones and someone else does so at 150 yards. Presumably in that case you would consider the 150 yard guy to be guilty of bad manners, and would potentially block two lanes to stop him doing it. Now say you have Mr. A.N. Other also in a Scoob who's idea of good manners is to merge in at 300 yards, how would you feel if he blocked your progress. The problem is that everyone is going to have a different opinion at which point you should merge, unless of course it is a uniquely defined point, i.e the point where the lanes actually converge.

Precisely !!

steffiraf

Am all for progressive driving but when the traffic is virtually stopped, how can it be? It just prolongs the agony. Yr not telling me, that when yr 50yds from the closure and nobby in his 5 series pulls along side you, you just say 'nice one mate, here's a space for you, a quality piece of progressive driving'? I dont believe you for one minute

Trucker Ted

Fair play Spoon,no real offence meant to anyone, it is just annoying at times when your sitting in a queue of traffic and you just start to get 40 tonnes of motor moving and your maybe going for a gear(remember i need to do 6 gear changes just to get to 25mph when loaded) for somone to cut the nose off you and jump into a gap that you could really do with..Thats one of the reasons we like to try and keep the truck moving at a steady pace!

Alan C

So there are those who believe we should have a single queue of traffic, from between a few hundred yards to a mile, with an empty lane running that length?

It's quite simple that convergence is occuring anyway, whether it's one mile back or at the convergence arrows.. what's the difference???

Yes you do get people who drive down 1/2 a miles worth of empty lane and converge at the correct time and place.. these people are using the road effectively and not blindly following the car in front.. Use some common sense and use the road to your best advantage.. The path of least resistance... If used correctly, then this would keep the traffic moving more efficiently than dozens of people extending the inside lane much further than is necessary...

If you want to sit there following the crowd then more fool you. I'll be driving efficiently, effectively and using the road to its best and most safest advantage..

Idiots like this trucker and to a lesser extent those advocating lane straddling to prevent proper progress are the ones that need to re-think their approach to safe and progressive driving

Steff - I agree that there may be some to**ers out there driving quickly down the lane and ultimately being aggressive, but this mindless minority are as bad as the mindless minority who practice lane stradlling to prove some crass and futile point.. Once they're gone, the traffic reverts back to normal anyway I'll be quizzing your old man when he takes me out on a 6 Hr rush hour lesson sometime soon

Ted - That's the best explanation I've heard and I can appreciate the reason. Thank you. But I still feel it's a little selfish to keep a long queue of traffic behind just to save a few gear changes... By keeping a steady space and distance, thus letting in the odd idiot, is just as safe and less frustrating as well as safer..

steffiraf

Whatever. You have yr opinion and I have mine, it just happens not to agree. Or should I bow to the masses and be a sheep?

NotoriousREV

OK, I've e-mailed the Highways Agency. Let's see if we get a reply.

Scooby Soon!

One of the main reasons why people may have to "jam" on brakes is quite often the person in lane 2 will do everything they can not to let anyone in after the 600 yard sign.

This means they keep slamming on the brakes

which will either cause an accident or eventually stop the traffic

steffiraf

Bikers are different. I have no arguement with them. Just middle aged ar**holes in big cars

Spoon

Amazing how you can say that. I let everybody that finds themselves on the outside of me filter in, I can assure you. If I have to let 2 cars in that are rolling and I'm just about to move then I will. Obviously I'm not going to sit there waving everyone through if I can move.

There wouldn't be a queue if everybody arrived at the filter and did 1 in, 1 filter, 1 in, 1 filter etc. Everybody would still be moving.

Why Bm's are picked on I've no idea, that kind of says more about why this happens though.

Why people feel they need to get so defensive behind a wheel is beyond me.

Bubba po

I'm a middle-aged arsehole in a medium-sized car!

steffiraf

Yeah but i know you, and I certainly wouldnt let you in

Bubba po

Of course you would. I'd give you the special scooby wagon wave, and your granite heart would melt.

steffiraf

I have to say, am one of the most placid people behind the wheel, BUT i really object to being taken the p**s out of. Choose to believe it or not, but thats how it is.

Fuzz

I bet you stole my idea too



Andy

Spoon

Sorry Steff but if you are placid behind the wheel then you wouldn't believe the píss was being taken out of you.

Is one week worse than the other three every month?

steffiraf

Ooh fighting talk! Am not arsed either way, I just like a good scrap on SN every now and again. And everyone rises to it

RJMS

iTrader: (2)

This is what I got in November 2004.

Hi Steve

Thank you very much for your comments and information supplied. I will
certainly look into the details. As confirmed to you by Ashley, this
subject has already been included in the consultation process for the next revision of The Highway Code, and I agree that the concept has merit. Zip merging was raised by several members of the public, and each of these comments has been noted. I will note your comments in the same way.
Ultimately, however, the Department for Transport do have the final say on
what information is included in the Code.

Throughout the revision process, the wording for the revised code is determined after full and lengthy consultation with many interested bodies and those with relevant expertise. Each rule is considered and decisions made, taking into account the comments received. The advice in the Code will reflect current best practice in road safety. Those rules denoted by MUST/MUST NOT are legal requirements.

I hope this is helpful to you and thank you again for your comments.

Kind regards

Karen Lees

-----Original Message-----
Sent: 30 November 2004 09:04
To: karen.lees@dsa.gsi.gov.uk
Subject: Merge In Turn/Zip Merging

Dear Madam,

I have been given your address by Ashley Bateman in the Technical Standards Branch of the Driving Standards Agency.

As you may be aware I have been trying to establish if there is any official

view on "Merging In Turn" but- it now appears that there is not - however I was advised that I should submit comments to you for consideration.

May I direct you to the following thread on a Subaru Impreza bulletin board
http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthread.php?t=382169 where you will find some comments on the situation from a number of different people. For your interest my username on this board is RJMS - so any posts by this user name are my own. I apologise in advance for some of the posts which do not exactly help the argument - unfortunately this is in the nature of such boards - however I do think that you will find many examples where posts confirm my general feeling that merging in turn would be not only fairer than the present ridiculous situations that sometimes occur but would also reduce congestion and stress/road-rage.

My view also appears to be shared by the IAM http://www.iam.org.uk/Pressroom/News...ve/nr0115.html I am absolutely convinced that if the same prominence was given to this concept as has recently been given to "middle lane hogging" then congestion and stress could be reduced quite significantly relatively quickly. Surely this has got to be worthwhile.

Regards

Alan C

One things clear.. ignorant drivers pee us off a touch..

Apart from the pathetic troll & general wind up merchant Lewis, I've not heard a reasoned argument to support lane straddling... It's still an ignorant and futile piece of driving..

StickyMicky

thats a waste of 1 mile of tarmac??

i have seen massive ques when i used to work @ nissan motors and had to travel back across the tyne bridge on the way home, and honestly i have seen people queing for what looked like over 1 mile, shuffleing along at a sedate space, i t makes traffic worse, merge in turn should be at the front, not 1 mile down the road, any numptys doing that deserve to have a red and white scoob rumbleing down the outside and cutting his journey time down by about 30 mins LOL

steffiraf

Of course!! Am a woman, I couldnt possibly know how to drive I do apologise for my lack of skills

Daft Lad

Agree completely

If people are foolish enough to be happy sat in a mile long tailback when there is a lane next to them completely open, thats up to them. Just don't get wound up if some of us would rather make progress