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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

laned roundabouts - they make me never want to drive anywhere again! Wtf are the rules?

58 replies

LiftWantedAroundTheWorld · 07/04/2013 14:01

I've been driving 4 years and am (I think) a careful and considerate driver.

But laned islands make we want to weep. The ones with road markings and lines and arrows telling you where to go are fine - but the ones where its like a big free for all just terrify and confuse me.

I was taught that on a 2 lane roundabout, in the absence of anything to say otherwise, you stay in the outside lane for left and straight over and go inside lane for anything further than straight over. I am prepared to accept that I might have been taught badly as my instructor was shit, but it seems reasonable and I did do that on my test and passed, so am assuming its correct?

So today. Laned island (dual carriageway and then exits for town and industrial estates) but with no actual lanes marked. Me, wanting to go off at the third of four possible exits. So into the inside lane I go, signalling right, then signal left and move over - and then someone entering from the road before the one I want to take pulls out and almost hits the side of my car. I have to stop on the frigging island, him and his wife gesticulating and waving and shouting as though I am in the wrong? Was I?

I would have liked to have moved over to outside lane sooner tbh but a HGV pulled out and blocked the lane I wanted.

But if you go in outside lane to go right, people pull out on you as they think you are exiting before you really are. And if you go in inside lane they pull out on you because they think you should be in outside lane.

I fucking hate driving Sad

OP posts:
cumfy · 07/04/2013 14:56

^ not yet

LRDtheFeministDragon · 07/04/2013 14:57

Yeah, I can't visualize it either.

I can see how it'd happen if she means the guy pulled out and she wanted to carry on round to the next exit?

Confused
cumfy · 07/04/2013 15:00

It's the bit where the driver and passenger are waving ....

I assume that is because the OP has stopped directly in their path.

Hope I'm not jumping to conclusions; but that's how I've pictured it.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 07/04/2013 15:01

Yeah, but usually if you pull out into someone's path, you're in the wrong, because you're not meant to trust signals and only go when you know it's safe.

So ...

OP, can you run it past us again so we can picture what happened?

canweseethebunnies · 07/04/2013 15:14

I am a new driver and I agree. Some of those multilane traffic light roundabouts are a fucking nightmare! You get in the lane with the road you're taking written on it, you get to the next lights and you have to move over, then you're driving round and and all the lane markings are rubbed off and crossing over eachother and you have to move two lanes over to exit and you can't see where you're going and aaaaaah! Totally sympathise!

specialsubject · 07/04/2013 15:19

you were taught correctly. If the exit that you want is more than 180 degrees round (i.e. between 12 and 6 on the clock as you enter) enter in the right lane. Otherwise enter in the left lane.

for what you were doing, start signalling right and change to the left signal at the exit before the one you want. Then manoeuvre. You also need to be looking ahead and all round and keeping an eye out for fuckwittery of all sorts.

the person who pulled out on you was in the wrong, but it sounds like your reaction stopped the crash.

Original poster
LiftWantedAroundTheWorld · 07/04/2013 15:20

Ok, let me try and explain again.

I entered the roundabout from a road with two lanes - one marked 'left' and one marked 'all other routes'.

I wanted to go past the first two exits and off at the third. There's also a fourth exit which is the most used one as its the dual carriageway exit, the one I wanted is much less used.

So I was in the inside lane as directed by the road I entered from. But on the roundabout itself there are no lanes or road markings.

An HGV pulled out into the left lane at the first exit I passed - I wasn't yet indicating to leave as I was taught not to indicate to leave until passing the exit before the one you want. So I had to slow down to allow the HGV to get out of my way so I could move over to exit.

Then as I passed the second exit, started to move over as the lane I needed was now clear, indicated left etc.

But a car coming out of the second exit onto the roundabout began to pull out in front of me to take the same exit I was headed for, he was going quite slowly at first so I thought he was just sort of drifting to a halt a bit too far forward while he waited for a gap. Then he speeded up and I realised he was actually pulling out straight into me

And as a reflex I braked and so did he, so he didn't actually hit me but he was on a course to do so and he had to brake a lot harder than I did. Then he started waving his hands around as did his passneger and then of course they followed me off the roundabout continuing to make annoyed gestures (could see them in rear view mirror).

Feel free to critique my driving, just try to be gentle as I am still a bit upset by it.

OP posts:
yetanotherworry · 07/04/2013 15:25

I think he probably thought you were going right to the next exit. A piece of advice I was given was to move closer to the white line to my left as I was passing the exit prior to the one I'm taking. That way my position in the lane indicates where I'm going. Whereas it harder to tell if you're plodding along in the middle of the lane. Hope that makes sense.

squeakytoy · 07/04/2013 15:28

I dont think you did anything wrong by your description.

If anyone here knows Rose Hill in Sutton, that is the most horrendous roundabout I have ever encountered. There are six entry/exit roads, some with two lanes, some with one, very little markings if any and it is always busy. I can drive confidently anywhere in the UK, and abroad, but I bloody hate that roundabout.

Snoopingforsoup · 07/04/2013 15:31

You were right.

And people should be more considerate and careful given the way we are taught to do exactly as you did.

My pet hate at roundabouts are the people revving behind you and beeping their horns because you stopped to give way to the right! Give way to the right doesn't apply in London it seems!

HorryIsUpduffed · 07/04/2013 15:40

There are some good spiralling roundabouts near me (specifically, near my Morrison's and near my IKEA). Using them regularly has given me far more confidence about all other roundabouts, marked or otherwise.

Chances are the OP was being a bit unconfident and unpredictable to the other drivers, and the other drivers were being a bit overconfident and aggressive.

tiggytape · 07/04/2013 15:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

doctorhamster · 07/04/2013 16:06

You were in the right op. It sounds like the other driver made an assumption that you were taking the exit after the one you wanted.

I've been driving for 15 years and detest roundabouts. I've been driving around Birmingham for about 8 years now and some of the roundabouts still give me palpitations.

Lueji · 07/04/2013 16:08

He sounds like an idiot, if you were signaling and clear ahead of him.
If you were not ahead you should have waited.

Lueji · 07/04/2013 16:10

As a rule on such roundabouts: lots of signals, lots of mirrors, quick reactions and less speed.

SquinkiesRule · 07/04/2013 16:12

That diagram made a lot of sense to me LiftwantedaroundtheWorld. I guess my instructor taught me right.
Pity the knob who honked at me for doing it right going straight across didn't learn properly, people who get it wrong and honk make me second guess myself.

TheDetective · 07/04/2013 16:23

You were absolutely in the right OP.

I remember when I took my test. I made the mistake of wanting the 1st exit, and was about to join the roundabout as there was a car in the outside lane. As it was, he wasn't taking my exit, but I failed my test as I should not have pulled out til he passed no matter what lane he was in. Important lesson learned, one I have never forgotten.

You never pull out on a roundabout unless all lanes are clear.

SillyTilly123 · 07/04/2013 16:24

It sounds to me like you were maybe going a bit too slow? If the HGV over (or under) took you on the roundabout (he pulled out after you but got ahead of you) So if you were slow to change lanes maybe the guy in the car thought you were going to the duel carriageway exit.

However he (and the hgv) is still in the wrong as they should not pull out until the way is clear.

Original poster
LiftWantedAroundTheWorld · 07/04/2013 16:26

HGV driver pulled out from an exit in front of me but in a different lane. So I had to hang back until it'd cleared the lane as I needed to get over into it to make my own exit, iyswim?

OP posts:
SillyTilly123 · 07/04/2013 16:29

In that case, do you have an invisible car? its the only explanation lol Confused

PenelopeChipShop · 07/04/2013 16:40

I think I get you and something similar has happened to me. I think you were right as the car that pulled out into you shouldn't even have entered until you passed - he should've given way to the right. The only thing you possibly could have done differently would be to speed up rather than brake when the car approached, to confidently state your intention of taking your exit. With you both braking things get confused. But that is immaterial really as he shouldn't have been there and I know that the instinctive thing to do to avoid a crash is brake!

wanderings · 08/04/2013 07:28

I think the books about driving don't say enough about these roundabouts, here is my advice:

  1. Notice that the if you are turning right at a well-designed spiral roundabout, the lanes gradually "guide" you to the outside edge. On a non-spiral roundabout, you have to do the same kind of thing; gradually work your way to the outside edge as you go through the roundabout. If you stay near the central island, you will never get off the roundabout!
  1. As a rough guide, each time you pass an exit, aim to move one more lane to the left. Everybody around you will be doing the same thing.
  1. If your exit road is important enough, it may have two lanes; if you haven't got all the way to the left, you can use the right-hand of these two lanes. This can be very useful if somebody sneaks on to the roundabout beside you, from another entrance on your left.
  1. If you haven't managed to get into the lane you need to exit the roundabout, or if somebody steals your chance, the safest thing to do can be to go round the whole roundabout again. (You may have to move a lane or two to the right to do this.)
  1. On these roundabouts, or any lane situation, try to avoid being "side by side" with another driver: this means you can't change lanes! Instead, try to get slightly behind or slightly ahead of the person in the lane you want.
wanderings · 08/04/2013 07:30
  1. In lanes, try to go at the same "ambient" speed of the traffic around you. If you are much slower or faster than them, changing lanes can be impossible.
wanderings · 08/04/2013 07:33

And squeakytoy, yes I know Rose Hill in Sutton! Same principles apply though, especially numbers 1 and 3.

Original poster
LiftWantedAroundTheWorld · 08/04/2013 10:00

wanderings that is helpful, thanks Smile

I just wish everyone would work to the same principles.

OP posts:
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