Larger Roundabouts Query
Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2014 1:35 am
Hi everyone! Perhaps a bit of a long first post, but here goes.
Yesterday I came across a situation on a traffic-light controlled roundabout that has made me doubt my understanding of them - let me explain...
Note: Images from Google Street View & Bing Maps - they don't reflect the traffic situation at the time.
I was waiting in the queue in the right hand lane to get onto the M6 (N), as shown below - this was labelled M6 (N). There were multiple cars in the left lane too (labelled A5013 ECSL & M6 (N)).
The traffic began to move, and once past the A5013 ECSL exit, I noticed a car in the outer lane in my left door mirror - about half a car behind. I hadn't seen this before on this roundabout - most people seem to take the right hand lane for the M6 (N). At this point they appeared to back off (I'm guessing they had noticed my signal). I figured that they were going for the M6 (N) exit too, so I exited onto the right hand lane on the sliproad.
I glance in my left mirror to make sure I can move back into the left, and noticed the car from the outer lane continued around the roundabout. However, because they'd slowed down to let me exit, the traffic in the right hand lane (which was originally right behind me) had also needed to slow down so that the car in the outer lane could continue around the roundabout.
This has brought up a bit of a query for me:
With there being two lanes marked as M6 (N), should the normal action to take be:
left lane => left lane on slip road
right lane => right lane on slip road (unless no traffic in the outside lane, of which then go straight to the left lane on the slip road).
While this seems a somewhat logical approach, it doesn't seem to function very well if anyone in the left lane wishes to continue past the exit (as pictured above).
Alternatively, should the M6 (N) traffic from both lanes have merged roughly into single-file on the outside lane by the time the exit has reached (just like a normal single carriageway exit)?
For anyone curious, this is the Stafford North junction roundabout.
Yesterday I came across a situation on a traffic-light controlled roundabout that has made me doubt my understanding of them - let me explain...
Note: Images from Google Street View & Bing Maps - they don't reflect the traffic situation at the time.
I was waiting in the queue in the right hand lane to get onto the M6 (N), as shown below - this was labelled M6 (N). There were multiple cars in the left lane too (labelled A5013 ECSL & M6 (N)).
The traffic began to move, and once past the A5013 ECSL exit, I noticed a car in the outer lane in my left door mirror - about half a car behind. I hadn't seen this before on this roundabout - most people seem to take the right hand lane for the M6 (N). At this point they appeared to back off (I'm guessing they had noticed my signal). I figured that they were going for the M6 (N) exit too, so I exited onto the right hand lane on the sliproad.
I glance in my left mirror to make sure I can move back into the left, and noticed the car from the outer lane continued around the roundabout. However, because they'd slowed down to let me exit, the traffic in the right hand lane (which was originally right behind me) had also needed to slow down so that the car in the outer lane could continue around the roundabout.
This has brought up a bit of a query for me:
With there being two lanes marked as M6 (N), should the normal action to take be:
left lane => left lane on slip road
right lane => right lane on slip road (unless no traffic in the outside lane, of which then go straight to the left lane on the slip road).
While this seems a somewhat logical approach, it doesn't seem to function very well if anyone in the left lane wishes to continue past the exit (as pictured above).
Alternatively, should the M6 (N) traffic from both lanes have merged roughly into single-file on the outside lane by the time the exit has reached (just like a normal single carriageway exit)?
For anyone curious, this is the Stafford North junction roundabout.