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?

BLUE. Without question.

I’d go in the middle lane there, otherwise you are cutting across lanes - at lead, you would be in a normal roundabout. It’s an odd layout. I wonder if people get caught out and expect there to be two lanes going right, but there is only one?

Well from your diagram blue and pink are both in lane 3 entering the roundabout. You've drawn the dotted lines side by side but in reality one car should have been behind the other, so there shouldn't be any conflict at all between the pink and blue cars.

How did you end up side by side and were you behind or in front of the other car?

The op says blue was behind.

From the photograph it's crystal clear that blue is correct to be in the left hand lane. There are chevrons blocking off the right. There isn't anywhere else to go. I'm trying to picture what pink must have done. Did they drive over the chevron bit? Or were they in front until after the second exit when they moved into the middle lane?? In which case why on earth would pink do that if they were coming off at the next exit??

I am so glad people are saying blue car because I’ve recently started doing a journey with a similar roundabout except it’s 2 lanes going straight over then a third, inside, lane appears immediately after for heading towards an exit. I checked satellite view but it’s so new that the image is of the roadworks in progress not the finished road. I’ve been finding it a nightmare to negotiate and at first couldn’t decide where I should be. I settled on being in blue car position but there are some pink cars doing their thing and I approach it very watchfully every time, stressful.

The roundabout markings are very clear - the first exit is almost a right angle so cars in the left lane are off the roundabout before they've even started. That leaves two lanes which then become the left lane and the right lane (there is no real third lane at this point as it has been hatched out by white lines).

So anyone in the middle lane on approach is now in the left lane almost immediately because the first exit is so sharp. That means they exit at the second exit, and as you pass the second exit the right lane now becomes the left lane, ready to exit at exit three. You literally follow the white lines and there is no need to change lane at going from the right lane on entry to the left lane at exit. It's just a spiral.

It is even clearer that blue is correct from the satellite image. The road markings just before the exit you took make it completely clear that to take the exit you need to be in the left lane.

Blue is correct as per the road makings.

I do agree with pp saying that as pink entered the roundabout in front from the same starting lane, blue should ideally have still been far enough back that pink had the space to correct their mistake though.

Blue is I think correct but it depends what the arrows on the road on approach to the roundabout say. If pink had to cross a lane marking to exit then they should indicate and only cross the line if it’s safe. On larger roundabouts like this usually the lane markings naturally guide you round the roundabout

Definitely blue now you’ve shown the photo

It looks to be near Thorn/Houghton Regis, where the A5 does a right turn and the A505 comes into the same roundabout.

Looking at street view, blue car was correct!

ok so you were in the correct lane but I believe your dh’s point isn’t that you were in the wrong lane it is that you were powering past the pink car on the inside and therefore not providing space to allow them to potentially move over. Safe defensive driving practice would be to anticipate a potential lane change and hang back especially as they entered the roundabout first. This is what I would have done.

I think that’s it.

Good driving isn’t just about following the road markings. It’s about paying attention to what’s going on around you and responding to that as well.

Roundabout these days are "spiralled" which means your lane gradually moves out as you get towards your exit. You should stay in that lane and just follow it around and it should ideally pop you out at the right exit. I agree looks like the blue car got it.

However some roundabouts still manage to cause confusion and you should watch out for people making last minute dashes.