To think that people don’t use this mini roundabout correctly? (Diagram and picture)

[AndiOliversGlasses]

This is on a regular route I drive and I am always approaching it from the angle seen in the photo, to turn right. My approach road is short so no time to build up any speed. As you can see, it is really a T junction of a smaller road in to a bigger one, but it has been configured with a mini roundabout.

Nine times out of 10 traffic coming from the right or the left doesn’t slow down, so even if a car coming from my right is not on the roundabout yet it will beep at me if I pull out and cause it to slow down. I know that the rule is give way to traffic coming from the right, but doesn’t that only apply to traffic already on the roundabout?

I can see that the problem with a mini one is that there is much less time that the car is actually “on” it, but surely everyone should be slowing down as they approach a roundabout?

At this one, usually the only way to get out is by waiting for a pedestrian to cross at the zebra and stop the traffic from the right that way.

AIBU to think that a mini roundabout is still a roundabout and the normal rules should apply? Or am I misunderstanding the rules?

That’s obvious. However I said “a safe gap”.

It's been clear from all your posts that your idea of a safe gap and others may be different!

I agree with OP and I’m so confused by all the comments saying they’re in the wrong! I’ve only read one page so far so I’ll keep reading…
Everyone is saying that cars approaching from OPs right need not slow down for the roundabout and also that perhaps cars approaching from OPs left are preempting that OP needs to give way to those cars and so they also plough on ahead… well if all that is the case why have a mini roundabout there at all? Why not just make it a t-junction, as that’s how all the cars on the main round are treating it!

You clearly don’t. Otherwise you wouldn’t be beeped.

It's really worrying that 'drivers' have no grasp of the most basic rules of driving, I'm always astounded at the volume of idiots that do not know how to negotiate a roundabout, here they are on MN!

They would not have to stop to give way to me. But they don’t slow down, they act as if the roundabout is just a straight road
nobody coming from your right has to give way to you, ever.
You clearly cannot correctly judge time and distance and this is why you're being beeped at, pulling out in front of traffic you should be giving way to.

Please read all my posts. I am not being beeped every time I use the roundabout.

But they don’t have to slow to 10 and give you a big enough gap to pull out. Because they have right of way. The fact you are unable to pull out is not their problem and I’m not sure why you think they should care?

I am mostly waiting patiently for them to go past but I don’t think they should be approaching so fast. That is my point.

Why would they slow down when they have a completely clear view and nothing is coming to turn right so no reason for them to give way? They don’t need to slow to allow you to go. You’re the one who has to stop and wait. You don’t just go anyway and force them to brake.

They should be slowing down for reasons of general considerate/safe driving.

zebra crossing.

20mph is plenty slow enough. They don’t need to slow to 10mph in order to be safe.

Basically you’re annoyed because they aren’t slowing down to let you out, even though they don’t have to.

Surely they can see the zebra crossing well ahead so will know if they need to slow down or not well before reaching it / the roundabout?

The only reason they would need to slow down is if 1) someone is approaching the crossing or 2) a vehicle is coming from the opposite direction and turning right

Kaaraa And Bellamari are 100% correct OP

I am a driving instructor

Is there good visibility along the road to the zebra crossing? If so then IMO they've no need to slow down from 20. If there is poor visibility then they definitely should be. But either way roundabouts aren't about being considerate - if it's your right of way and it's safe to go then you go. If it's not your right of way and you pull out in front of someone anyway causing them to slow down, even if in your view they were going too fast, you're still in the wrong.

This is reminding me a bit of the poster who was hogging the overtaking lane going slowly and preventing traffic overtaking as she needed to be in that lane 2 miles on when the road split. That was a similarly fiesty thread about something seemingly mundane.

I do think it sounds like a useless junction though, maybe worth complaining to the council. From a safety POV ie I nearly had an accident the other day because people coming from the right were all speeding and there were no safe gaps.

Great. So you can confirm that you teach pupils to drive towards a mini roundabout with a zebra crossing in front of it at 20 miles per hour, and that they would fail their test if they slowed down?

"No, they would be slowing down to a safe speed to approach the roundabout and a collateral benefit of that would be that there was a safe gap for me to pull out. Not the Same as giving way at all. Because they should slow down to that speed even there is nobody waiting where I am!"

They are at a safe speed to approach the roundabout. It's just not a convenient speed for you.

You're not quite right. For example, this unconventional roundabout. www.instagram.com/reel/C-nlisLoJXY/?igsh=OG94NzFyM2VnZXI3

It's obvious because of the white give way lines but not obvious enough it seems. There's one like this on the a5 in Atherstone. Pain in the arse!

Then you need to wait.

and that they would fail their test if they slowed down?

Oh FFS! Not a single poster has said that they are not allowed to slow down, only that they are not required to!

I think the OP is partly correct. She must give way to traffic coming from the right, but that traffic joining the roundabout should be treating their entry on to the roundabout as a junction and adjusting speed appropriately on approach.

@ATenShun
Approaching from OPs right should not be treating it as a junction; it is a roundabout and as such do not need to give way unless an oncoming car is travelling around to OPs cutoff.

@MoreCardassianThanKardashian
I'm referring to OPs diagram

Jesus OP 🤣

How have you survived this long! Good thing you asked.

With regard this mini yes the left side should give way to you. But on minis it is a pain and as you’re not on the straight run then it’s a nightmare! I wouldn’t trust a left coming car to give way unless it was physically stopped.

I have been driving for a similar amount of time as you, my husband has been driving for almost 50 years, he qualified as a driving instructor 13 years ago and we have both changed how we drive.

Driving tuition and driving tests have changed considerably, it's very unlikely that someone who has been driving for over 30 years (I include myself) would pass a test today without some guidance.
I now approach a roundabout at a speed of 20mph and only proceed if my quarter is clear, this is obviously not so straightforward on a mini roundabout, you can fail a test for being too hesitant on a roundabout or at a junction.
As you can imagine, every trip where my husband is my passenger is an absolute joy 😂