Another Roundabout Question

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Postby gcl2013 » Mon Sep 02, 2013 6:39 pm


GJD wrote:Have I pictured this right? You were on the westbound M4 (albeit locally there it's more northbound than westbound), you exited at junction 28 and at the roundabout you wanted to take the westbound A48 - it that it?

Doing that you would pass through two sets of traffic lights on the roundabout - you're talking about being stopped at the first set?

When the driver behind the van beeped you, were you changing lanes into the space in front of them?

There's can certainly be a case for preferring to conform to the prevailing traffic pattern than the instructions of some white paint.


I was on M4 eastbound (i.e. coming away from Cardiff) and at the roundabout wanted to go towards the third exit towards Newport, which I think is the A48 eastbound. I was in the middle lane at the lights before the exit that would go back on the M4 eastbound, the lane was marked as being for the M4 or A48 Newport. The lights are shown here on streetview: http://goo.gl/maps/A6eba.

When I was beeped I wasn't changing lane, I was heading straight in order to turn smoothly into the first lane to the right - the technique suggested by Gareth above.
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Postby gcl2013 » Mon Sep 02, 2013 6:51 pm


In fact it looks like that streetview link actually captures what others are doing. The vehicles in the middle lane at the lights are staying in the middle lane as they pass the motorway exit whereas if I understand it correctly the "correct" thing to do should be to move into the first lane. Meanwhile vehicles in the first lane continue towards Newport instead of taking the motorway exit which their lane is signed for.

It has always been busy when I've been on this roundabout so maybe as Gareth said this pattern only happens at rush hour.
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Postby GJD » Mon Sep 02, 2013 8:14 pm


gcl2013 wrote:
GJD wrote:Have I pictured this right? You were on the westbound M4 (albeit locally there it's more northbound than westbound), you exited at junction 28 and at the roundabout you wanted to take the westbound A48 - it that it?

Doing that you would pass through two sets of traffic lights on the roundabout - you're talking about being stopped at the first set?

When the driver behind the van beeped you, were you changing lanes into the space in front of them?

There's can certainly be a case for preferring to conform to the prevailing traffic pattern than the instructions of some white paint.


I was on M4 eastbound (i.e. coming away from Cardiff) and at the roundabout wanted to go towards the third exit towards Newport, which I think is the A48 eastbound.


Before I read any more of your post...

Yep, you're quite right. Bit of navigational dyslexia on my part. Every time I meant eastbound I said westbound. Sorry :)
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Postby GJD » Tue Sep 03, 2013 12:28 am


gcl2013 wrote:In fact it looks like that streetview link actually captures what others are doing. The vehicles in the middle lane at the lights are staying in the middle lane as they pass the motorway exit whereas if I understand it correctly the "correct" thing to do should be to move into the first lane. Meanwhile vehicles in the first lane continue towards Newport instead of taking the motorway exit which their lane is signed for.

It has always been busy when I've been on this roundabout so maybe as Gareth said this pattern only happens at rush hour.


I do see what you mean. Looking at the Streetview pictures it seems the white paint people haven't been very helpful. Although the lane arrows say that lane 1 at your first set of lights is for M4 only, there aren't any spiral-out markings at that point to help persuade people to all move over one lane. The second set of lights has those markings but not the first.

Perhaps this is a case where it's better to go with the flow than worry about strictly following the arrows. From the middle lane at the first set of lights, if you think all the traffic to your left is going down the A48 too, you've got all the rest of the way round the roundabout plus the short two lane section of the A48 exit before you have to merge with them. If you aim to keep pace with the traffic, keep a space rather than another vehicle alongside you and signal and wait for co-operation, there should be enough time. I think I would aim to merge after the second set of lights.
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Postby gcl2013 » Tue Sep 03, 2013 1:23 am


GJD wrote:I do see what you mean. Looking at the Streetview pictures it seems the white paint people haven't been very helpful. Although the lane arrows say that lane 1 at your first set of lights is for M4 only, there aren't any spiral-out markings at that point to help persuade people to all move over one lane. The second set of lights has those markings but not the first.

Perhaps this is a case where it's better to go with the flow than worry about strictly following the arrows. From the middle lane at the first set of lights, if you think all the traffic to your left is going down the A48 too, you've got all the rest of the way round the roundabout plus the short two lane section of the A48 exit before you have to merge with them. If you aim to keep pace with the traffic, keep a space rather than another vehicle alongside you and signal and wait for co-operation, there should be enough time. I think I would aim to merge after the second set of lights.


The only reason I haven't done that up to now is I've been worried that if I stay in lane 2 going round, the lane 3 traffic could try to spiral out into lane 2 and hit me - as at the first set of lights lane 3 is also marked A48 Newport. Perhaps this is unlikely to happen as otherwise there would surely be accidents all the time at this junction.

By the way, I have the same sort of dyslexia about east and west when I'm driving in Wales. Once I accidentally even joined an M4 West sliproad when trying to head out of Wales. For some reason I never have the same problems differentiating between North and South :roll:.
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Postby Ancient » Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:57 am


I was cycling that roundabout regularly about two years ago (Pump road to A48 west). There's a lot of very bad driving there, largely (IMO) due to the confusion drivers get into because of the badly designed exits (i.e. designed more to increase traffic flow rather than for clarity of where they are going). I would simply not bother about getting hooted by anyone there, they are likely simply confused :P .
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