Which lane as two lane road joins 3 lane roundabout?

[printerdriver]

I drive through an urban traffic-light controlled roundabout (not a spiraling gyratory) in Bristol where a 2 lane approach road joins a three-lane roundabout. I want to be in the middle lane of the roundabout on exit; is there any rule of the road about which lane to be in to approach the roundabout? I've tried both and it feels a bit weird either way, with cars from the other approach lane also wanting to be in the middle.

Maybe the answer is just "be alert" but if anyone has words of wisdom I'd be interested!

Cheers

Andy

[jameslb101]

Could you give a streetview link to the RAB in question. There are quite a few from Bristol on here who may be able to speak from experience.

[Silk]

I drive through an urban traffic-light controlled roundabout (not a spiraling gyratory) in Bristol where a 2 lane approach road joins a three-lane roundabout. I want to be in the middle lane of the roundabout on exit; is there any rule of the road about which lane to be in to approach the roundabout? I've tried both and it feels a bit weird either way, with cars from the other approach lane also wanting to be in the middle.

Maybe the answer is just "be alert" but if anyone has words of wisdom I'd be interested!

Cheers

Andy

I tend to treat traffic light controlled roundabouts as normal road junctions that just happen to be circular. As far as I'm concerned, they lose roundabout status as soon as the usual priorities associated with them are taken away. In other words, how would you deal with it if it was in a straight line?

As James has said, you'll need to tell us where exactly it is. I have an idea which one you mean (is it the one at the Temple Meads end of Victoria Street?).

[jont]

Particularly in Bristol I'd keep in mind Stressed Daves' roundabout maxim number 1: Don't go around with anyone else.

If you can keep your car alongside the gap in lanes either side it will give you a much better chance of coping with the general idiocy that seems to be the standard for driving in Bristol.

[devonutopia]

I would hope that there would be suitable signage on approach, i.e the left approach lane might have a straight on arrow, and left, so for the two lanes, and the right approach lane is for right only, so one lane?

[jont]

I would hope that there would be suitable signage on approach, i.e the left approach lane might have a straight on arrow, and left, so for the two lanes, and the right approach lane is for right only, so one lane?

You haven't driven in Bristol much, have you?

[printerdriver]

Yes indeed, it's the Temple Meads end of Victoria St. I want to take the exit for Temple Meads in the middle lane.

Here's the link:

http://goo.gl/maps/c7v6P

... with, so typical of Bristol, not a lane marking in sight!

Thanks for the input so far.

Cheers

Andy

[driverpete]

The natural alignment of the road (and the lack of road markings) seems to suggest that either lane on approach is acceptable. As you say, "be alert" is the best advice.

[Silk]

Yes indeed, it's the Temple Meads end of Victoria St. I want to take the exit for Temple Meads in the middle lane.

That was a lucky guess. I'm obviously psychedelic.

I would ignore the lane markings on the exit as they're a legacy of the old road system (who still remembers the metal flyover). You have plenty of space to correct your "mistake" there, rather than on the roundabout itself. How I approach it would depend on the density of traffic at the time - this usually means going another way.

The Inner Circuit road used to work quite well but, over the years, various "improvements" have resulted in the mess we have now. Another example is the lane markings coming out of the city telling you to get into the left lane for the M32, when the new junction makes this unnecessary.

[printerdriver]

Yes, I'd wondered about the M32 markings. Thank you both for your thoughts. It's good to know I'm not breaking any kind of convention. It's always interesting to hear what the experts think!

Cheers

Andrew

[Slink_Pink]

With the benefit of limited Bristol knowledge, I'd say that all else being equal, lane 2 gives more clearance from the cyclists.

[printerdriver]

With the benefit of limited Bristol knowledge, I'd say that all else being equal, lane 2 gives more clearance from the cyclists.

A good point, I have to confess I had only been thinking of cars!!

Andy

[Silk]

With the benefit of limited Bristol knowledge, I'd say that all else being equal, lane 2 gives more clearance from the cyclists.

Am I in the wrong place? I didn't realise this was ACUK.

[Slink_Pink]

With the benefit of limited Bristol knowledge, I'd say that all else being equal, lane 2 gives more clearance from the cyclists.

Am I in the wrong place? I didn't realise this was ACUK.

No, my ACUK response is to use lane 2 to avoid the cars avoiding the less than competent cyclists using the cycle lane