ADUK Archive

The other day a situation came about at a cross roads with traffic lights. It made me wonder what a good driver would have done or what i should do in a test situation.
I intended to turn right, there was no yellow box just a standard cross road. The light goes green, but my exit road was blocked and a portion of the junction ,due to someone doing a manouver between some badly parked cars. This had caused congestion and so there were still cars in the middle of the junction waiting to clear.

I held back to wait for it to clear , only to hear a car beeping from behind perhaps understandbly as he wanted to go straight on.

WHAT are my options besides holding back, and causing conjestion behind me?

1)drive into the middle of the junction to turn right regardless? and in doing so, once the traffic lights had turned red, i would have blocked cars from my left and right, had my exit road still not cleared.

2) in a test situation should i just abandon turning right and go straight on and have the examiner divert me?

3) OR am i entitled to do what i did, as i didnt cause the conjestion in the first place?

As always i really appreciate any of your time and expertise. Seems like a catch22 this one.

all the best billy
(a pic of the junction below)
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Charte ... 52,,0,3.96

.

Option 1 is a definite no no unless your exit will clear before the lights change against you. Remember the Highway Code says "Green means Go IF THE WAY IS CLEAR." Your exit was not clear so you should wait behind the line. Moving out and blocking the drivers in the side roads will only annoy them if they can not proceed when the lights turn green for them, as you will have compounded the situation. That would, IMO, result in a fail if you were on test.

Option 2. Unless the examiner directs you to go ahead, which I doubt would happen, do the correct thing and wait behind the line until the exit clears.

Refer to the Highway Code for the rules at traffic lights.

Hope that helps.

Nigel.

fungus wrote:Option 1 is a definite no no unless your exit will clear before the lights change against you. Remember the Highway Code says "Green means Go IF THE WAY IS CLEAR." Your exit was not clear so you should wait behind the line.Nigel.

Mmmm...not so sure about that Nigel...if you are following a car in front waiting in the middle to turn right would you always hold back before the line? Even on a large open crossroads? I teach my learners to move forward is there is just one car ahead but consider waiting at the line if more.

As for the OP situation, I think it depends the exact circumstances...but in principle I would have no problem in waiting behind the line if it was clear I was going nowhere. Sometimes you have to stand by what you know is right despite the honks.

thanks a lot for your responses guys. thats helped me a great deal, always appreciate your time. atb billy

martine wrote:Mmmm...not so sure about that Nigel...if you are following a car in front waiting in the middle to turn right would you always hold back before the line? Even on a large open crossroads?

On a large open cross roads the situation might be different. However if there is a risk that you will block drivers in the side roads because your exit road is not clear, then I interpret the rules as you should not move forward, wait behind the line as you would if there was a yellow box painted on the junction.

.

TripleS wrote:Scarborough Borough Council - famous for the creation of unnecessary congestion.

You make it sound so good I'm planning a visit..... by train.

Back to the original post, if my exit from a junction was blocked, I wouldn't move into the junction if this would be adding to a potential grid lock situation, so I'd exercise patience.

Sounds to me like you did the correct thing. Wait until clear etc.

Patience can be a wonderful thing

thanks again all for your time and input. atb billy

Turn left and then do a U turn