to use both lanes

[adogisforlife91]

A dual carriage way I regularly use has a section down to one lane for roadworks for about 9 weeks.

There are signs telling you how far until the merge and there is even a sign 800yards before the merge that says 'USE BOTH LANES' yet still people insist on sitting and queuing in the lane that's staying open. The queue then stretches back into the normal dual carriageway. One lane standstill, one lane empty.

Drivers then try and stop me from merging at the merging point because I've not been sitting in a queue like a mug, and have used the open lane (as directed!)

YANBU: Both lanes are open until the merging point. Use them.
YABU: Start queuing straight away like a good British Citizen.

You're right

You are right but unfortunately many drivers don't allow the cars in the RH lane to merge so I can see the logic in just getting in the left hand lane and waiting rather than risk any shenanigans later on.
They don't understand zip merging in my neck of the woods. My DB lives in London and was most offended when he came up here.

Officially you are correct that both lanes should be used, but you have to accept that drivers who were there before you would not forcibly let you through.

It's the attitude of these drivers who believe that they should be let through immediately when they get at place to join that winds up most drivers.

Technically you are correct but like fuck would I let anyone in that had come revving up the side of me trying to shove in front when I've been sat in traffic for ages. Its very common around here when we have long term motorway works going on.

I'm assuming you don't do the boy racer thing OP but its not suprising you don't get let in I'm afraid.

But if people used both lanes then nobody would be 'sat in traffic for ages' surely?

People here tend to get in the left lane ASAP to avoid not being let in further up. I'm one of them as I can't be doing with the stress.

You’re perfectly right to use that lane - but that doesn’t mean someone has to immediately let you in when you reach the front. Not unless there is a sign saying merge in turn.

It’s generally people trying to force their way in & almost causing a collision doing so that annoys I think.

YANBU, it's frustrating. Though it's worse when people just queue in one line when there's two lanes going over traffic lights that merge afterwards and they get arsey when you try to merge, not understanding that the two lanes double the amount of traffic that gets through the lights each time.

They’re dicks round here too @adogisforlife91

Just do what’s best abs ignore them. Push your way in if you have to, tell them to zip merge and don’t be a dick about it

You are right but I’m ducked if I’ve had to queue for 10 minutes and you just zip down the other lane and expect to get right in front of me. You should wait.

We have some double lanes on roundabout approaches/exits here. They're there to prevent traffic backing up but with boring regularity, people queue in the left lane and then won't let you in. I learnt to drive round these roundabouts and my instructor taught me to hold my nerve and keep using the road correctly. Some days, your choices are sit for 20 minutes or use the other lane and it take seconds. There are very clear signs saying USE BOTH LANES and DO NOT QUEUE but it makes no difference.

@CoffeeRunner

You’re perfectly right to use that lane - but that doesn’t mean someone has to immediately let you in when you reach the front. Not unless there is a sign saying merge in turn.

It’s generally people trying to force their way in & almost causing a collision doing so that annoys I think.

Merge in turn should be the default, there shouldn't need to be a sign. It should be explicit in the tests etc, would make this much easier and stop the people who joined the queue 9 miles ago stop feeling so butthurt that someone else is now in front of them. The people in the closing lane only have to 'force' their way in because the car that would be behind them in the left lane gets right up the arse of the car in front and so on, so you are left with force in or be stuck, when you've driven otherwise as per the road signs. Use all available road then merge in turn. It's the most efficient and should minimise the length of the queues.

People saying that they wouldn't let you in and you should wait are ridiculous and need to retake their test.
Use the right Lane and merge in turn and if you don't want to wait in the left Lane and get all offended then do the same yourself.
It's neither cheeky nor breaking any rules. I don't know why people get so worked up.

But if people used both lanes then nobody would be 'sat in traffic for ages' surely?

But if every other car in the left hand lane has to let in a car then then it would still take ages to move down.

I find it faintly amusing when people make up their own rules on the road and then get annoyed when others don't follow them. But even if 10 people refuse to let you in at the merge point, you are still doing better than you would have if you'd queued in the long line instead of following the signs.

I saw a programme where it stated that traffic is considerably reduced where people use the Merge in turn correctly...

So use both lanes and MERGE IN TURN!

@WhatATimeToBeAlive

But if people used both lanes then nobody would be 'sat in traffic for ages' surely?

But if every other car in the left hand lane has to let in a car then then it would still take ages to move down.

Exactly, using both lanes only works if traffic is slow but moving. If it’s at a standstill, should queue up. No one should jump the queue by flying down the lane that is ending in 800yards.

I think OP is BU for that. You only use both lanes when traffic is flowing, not in a jam.

I don’t understand why “Merge in turn” signs are so rarely used in these circumstances. On the rare occasion I’ve seen such a sign, it’s worked really well.

But if every other car in the left hand lane has to let in a car then then it would still take ages to move down.

Well no because logically the left hand lane would be half as long as before because the other half of the cars would be in the right hand lane

You are right. The only time is annoys me is when there’s a queue on a motorway exit, for example, and people continue right down the road and then want to squeeze in. Almost saw a huge accident like that once; the guy clearly didn’t want to queue with us plebs so drove down to the last point he could exit and then stopped dead, indicating left. No one would let him in (rightly or wrongly) so all the traffic travelling behind him at 50/60mph had to quickly switch lanes once they spotted him. It was horrible to watch up ahead.

Yanbu. Just drive to where the lanes merge and merge. As long as traffic is moving slowly no one will actually drive into you (maybe don't try it with a battered old van though just in case)

YANBU.

This really annoys me too.

I think people just like queuing!

You use both lanes in a jam too so it halves the length of the queue and stops it blocking up more junctions. It also increases the number of vehicles who can get across per light cycle on any junctions that the queue is backed up over.

I'm quite happy to use the other lane and then force my way in.

On a motorway it can be difficult if you don't know the junction, sometimes there's a long queue but actually there's a second lane exiting a bit further along that hardly anyone's using.