Roundabout debate-whos in the correct lane?

[Moorethemerrier]

Help me and my husband settle a debate

This roundabout has 3 lanes to enter:
left = left (1st exit) Middle-Straight (2nd exit). Right = right turn / all the way around

Both cars (Pink in front, Blue behind) enter correctly in the right-hand lane to take the 3rd exit (right).

As you go around, the road splits into 3 lanes before the exit:

left = exit now, miiddle = continue further.
Right = go round again

Blue car swings a wide left and ends up in the far-left lane, which they believe is now the proper lane for exiting as they don’t need to cross any lanes

Pink car follows the curve of the markings and quite naturally ends up in the middle lane — but then still tries to exit, which means crossing over Blue’s path.

The disagreement:

Pink says the far left split lane is only for cars entering from the left-hand side (see star in diagram).
Blue says that far left lane is the proper exit lane for anyone on the roundabout, and Pink shouldn’t cut across.

who’s right here, Pink or Blue?

Pink shouldn't wait until they are about to fuck up to change lanes.

It's difficult to see how blue is wrong, and anyway if blue is established in the leftmost lane then pink can't be right in cutting them up in order to get into that lane too. I do know full well that taking the blue route feels weird though - the Stansted M11 roundabout is like that and whenever I use it (thankfully not very often), I feel I'm slewing wildly from right to left and I pray that nobody else has too different an idea as to how to go about it. The amount of broken bits of cars at the roadside suggests that such differences do occur regularly.

Can you say which roundabout then we can look at it on streetview

But the road markings in this case also seem to align with what I was taught!

An aerial Google map would be helpful!

If pink has had to change lanes and crossed into someone's path to exit then they were clearly in the wrong lane.

FWIW If the left lane to exit the island was ONLY to be used by people coming out of the star junction then it would have a solid white line to stop other people crossing into it, if it is a normal marked island, then blue car is well within their rights to swing wide into that lane.

You saying pink followed the curve of the markings and naturally ended up in the middle lane to exit seems odd though, if the road marking dictate that then google maps is the only way to solve it.

From your description, it seems obvious that blue is correct. But given you haven't returned, I suspect you're the pink car!

I think the lead car dictates the pace of all the other cars behind it.

From your description, blue is correct. There should be no traffic to the left once it has passed the second exit based on your lane markings. At that point it should be on the left of the roundabout ready to take the exit.

Hi all, sorry didn’t they notified of any responses on this thread. I’m back!

Yes, I was blue car. Husband was in the passenger seat clinging on for dear life as if I had done some illegal move and was trying to under cut the pink car!

I have attached a google maps image of this roundabout to show that lane 3 would be the only logical lane for the exit I took and the split in the lanes. Glad a fair few agree with my method of driving! But I get cut up most times I use it so did make me question it I was correct

where is says A5 is where I entered in the right lane

Theres a left turn arrow in the left hand lane at exit three on that satellite image, with a straight ahead arrow in lane 2.

Therefore you are definitely correct.

I still agree with you after looking at the map.

Why does your husband think you should enter a lane that doesn't lead to your exit 😂

we've got a roundabout (and a few more - Swindon!) like it and I suspect that those who can't negotiate are actually local and trying to beat the usual queue in the correct lane...

Oh god yeah - the NDR!

What's that then?

You were right. I guess the only thing I would say though is I would have been anticipating the pink car trying to get over as they were in front of you in the same lane to enter the rbt. I don't think I'd have got in front or adjacent with them as they would be more likely to be trying to turn right than going all the way back round. But I may be scarred by the fact that the rbt I use the most has people veering in and out of lanes without indication regularly...

Ah, thanks for posting the photo - it’s different to your diagram!

Where is the roundabout? I’d like to go into google street view and drive it myself 😂

You are correct though. The pink car hasn’t followed the road markings around. It’s clear as day from the satellite.

Better now the map is there.

Pink was behind you and should have stayed behind you, the second set of arrows show what lane and what direction, pink should have stayed behind and followed, as there's no inside lane for them to follow

You were exactly right to do what you did, if you got into that left hand lane while passing that entrance on the left then you did it exactly right, the lane splits from 1 to 3, you chose the left which as the road marking show is the correct lane to exit top right.

BUT!

It's quite unusual IMO for islands to only have one lane that goes 'off' (rather than two that then merge into one), you have to be specifically in that left lane (that you were in), to exit, and it doesn't look like that would be obvious coming round the island as there's no writing on the road until you are in the wrong lane.

That's the reason you get cut up, people probably assume that they can exit from the centre lane as well as the left lane, then when they realise they can't they have to change lanes with very little time to do it.

If you came from behind the pink car entering the island and were passing them on the left they may not have seen you in their blind spot and that's why your husband was hanging on for dear life, he anticipated it.

If you do get in that left lane early, you need to make allowances for the lack of adequate signage and the fact that people are making a quick decision and not adequately checking before diving over.

You aren't wrong at all, but you aren't anticipating other road users carelessness enough, there's an island just like this near me, and I never undertake anyone going round the island knowing there is a single lane exit and they may be in the wrong lane for it, if they are slightly in front of me I hold back as I know I'd be in their blind spot.

Pink was in front.

Blue is correct 💙

The blue car was correct but on an island like that should have been ready for any ar in the right lane to realise their error and try and turn off.

It does look like the sort of roundabout that frequent accidents because no one knows where they should be!

Based purely upon your diagram - blue is correct

You're correct. The lane your husband would have used is for if you were going back the way you came - or going to that exit from one of the other roads.
Are you going to show him this? Will be believe you anyway?

Based on the diagram I say pink. I hate when people go into the left lane to come off when they’re in the right lane. It’s not how I was taught and makes absolutely no sense.

Just saw the satellite. Now I’d say blue.

Because of how the roundabout is angled (ie with 2 exits off to the left and one to the right, rather than left, straight on and right) regardless of the markings (which aren’t always visible) I would expect both centre and right hand lanes from where you started from to end up in the right hand exit. If the pink car was ahead of you going round then it does sound like you were trying to undercut it.