To say this sign does NOT mean move over now

[DappledThings]

Roadworks going on near me, a section of dual carriageway is temporarily reduced to one lane. As you join that section from a roundabout there is this sign (except with only one black arrow for the one lane staying open not two).

The second lane closes in 800 yards. At the closure point there is a standard circular blue sign with a white arrow to the left indicating the lane closes there and to merge into the left lane.

So every day I do that, merrily overtaking 50 or so cars sitting in the left lane for the entire 800 yards.

AIBU to consider that this sign means lane closing in 800 yards and merge where the arrow tells you to and not please pointlessly queue from this point leaving the lane empty for the full 800 yards.

Nobody ever looks pissed off at the merge point and I wouldn't think they had the right to be. I don't understand why everyone queues from so far back. It's so inefficient.

That’s what I tend to do too do @Hotchox

Ok, safe driving again involves leaving a safe distance between you and the car in front. That is the first law of driving. Most accidents happen when people do not leave room to react. The drive to the sign would only work if both lanes of traffic are travelling at the same speed with a gap between each car that allows the merging lane to move over but still leave the safe stopping distance between them and both the car in front and behind. In an ideal situation you would have a full lane of traffic in both lanes and not an empty lane to race down.
So OP should slow down to the speed in the left lane when the 800yd sign is passed and remain at that speed until they reach the blue sign where most drivers would happily let them into the extended safe space they have left.
Unfortunately, if you leave a safe space for a car to move into 60millian CF BMW will try and fit into.

You should use all the road space and no one has priority from either lane it's really simple - if you saw two queues at a checkout one with 50 people and one with 0 why would you decide to be the 51st person

A checkout queue is stop/start - so that’s not a good analogy.

@SirChenjins care to offer a better one ?

the point still stands that neither lane has priority and all the road space should be used.

No, I don’t care to.

The point still stands that both lanes should be used appropriately, at the correct speed, taking account of the other vehicles in both lanes.

Highway Code states the left lane still has priority in a merge in turn situation.

Problem there is a LOT of drivers in the left lane:

1. who do NOT leave a suitable gap between themselves and vehicle in front

2. who refuse to let right hand lane drivers merge in turn as per the Highway Code

Conversely, there are a lot of drivers in the right hand lane who are so intent on getting a few cars in front that they don’t adjust their speed downwards sufficiently in order to change into the other lane smoothly and keep the traffic in the left lane flowing. Plenty of faults from both drivers in both lanes sadly.

If you haven't matched speed in time, you aren't merging.

I zip early as I have small kids in the car I need 100% focus. I think the sign is just an indication and the rule of thumb (correct point) is 150m before the merging of the line. I don't mind the other cars merging later, I get to be the nice lady.

Well, what you think and the actual highway code are different things.

This is mumsnet. There is a good chance that most people here are 0parents and have had small children in the car. If having small children is preventing you from driving correctly, which in this case it is, then you're not safe to be driving. Having small children should have no effect on when you perform a manoeuvre because you cant concentrate.

Oh give over with your snark @WeAreBob - moving over before the lane closed point is perfectly acceptable, esp when traffic conditions mean it’s better to move between 800 and 200. See the previous post with the RAC link if you’re in doubt.

The key phrase all drivers should be following is WHEN IT IS SAFE.
Also the right lane/s are overtaking lanes not driving lanes. If the overtaking lane is being closed further ahead it is common sense not to attempt an overtake when you have been notified of the closure.

I already addressed that speeding in right hand lane in a previous post, so I was responding to a specific point a poster made which was incorrect anyway. Left lane has priority, but are guided to leave space and let people merge in turn.

So, your post is Whataboutery, really. 😒

No whataboutery - just pointing out the reasons why drivers in the left lane (going at eg 30) might not leave a sufficient gap for drivers in the right lane who haven’t adjusted their speed downwards and so can’t safely get into the 30 lane.

The signs need to be clearer so that everyone does the same thing.

If you have 100 cars to get through a roadwork section then neither ‘queuing’ or ‘zipping’ are going to get all the cars through more quickly. However if everyone queues equally in 2 lanes and then ‘zips’ one after the other, everyone will get through in a fairer way. And much less annoyance & road rage.

My dear, we’re British and, while we make all sorts of noises about valuing fairness, more important to us than actual fairness is the sense of self righteous rage we get from complaining about other people cheating. The left lane queue-ers are simply over there to get their fix of indignant frothing.

Speak for yourself.

My children are teens now. It's a habit I had taken when they were small to be certain that I manoeuvre in the utmost best conditions, which is always to do things early. No stress, no fuss. Just in case. I think it's good habit.

When is it not safe to zip early ? Ever?

But if traffic is moving at 60mph you have to move over earlier, you can't drive up to the zip point as that will allow everyone down unnecessarily.

Slow**

Why is the zip approach more efficient. Xnumber of cars still have to squash in to y amount of space. It just means that those at the back have to wait longer to filter in

It makes the queue shorter.
If you've got 100 cars queuing in one lane, then the queue is over 100 cars long and causes traffic to slow up much further back, blocks slipways further back, blocks roundabouts further back etc.

You want the queue as short as possible so it doesn't impact on traffic further back using roundabouts and slip roads etc.

So using 2 makes that 100 car length queue a 50 car length queue.

@loopylindi

That has been explained multiple times. It is also blooyd obvious. If you don't understand that then you shouldn't be driving.

Brilliant you tube demonstrating how zip merging works. Note how important it is for both lanes to be travelling at the same speed for everyone to keep moving. m.youtube.com/watch?v=cX0I8OdK7Tk