Roundabout near B&Q halfords Tipp RD

baza1976

Hi,
When using the above roundabout heading from childers rd towards tipp town direction it drives me mad that everyone bar the odd exception uses the wrong exit.
As far as I'm aware and I don't think the rule book has changed, for the first 2 exits you must use the outside lane at this roundabout for the other exits use the inside lane unless signs say otherwise.
So I always use the inside lane when going straight on (as the 1st exit brings you up blood mill road towards childers rd shopping centre and the 2nd takes you to castletroy) and \i always get a little beep from those that "know Better". One of these days I'm going to stop the car (if beeped) in the middle of the round about and go back to yer man or woman and refresh their driving skills.

I'd be interested to know how people here approch this roundabout???

Mr E

The rules of the road surrounding roundabouts don't refer to 1st exit, 2nd exit, 3rd exit. They refer to turning left, going straight on, and "any later turns".
If coming from Childers road:

- Left Lane if taking either of the left turns (Blood Mill Road, Castletroy)
- Left Lane if going straight on (Tipperary Road)
- Right Lane if turning right (Ballysimon Road)

http://www.rulesoftheroad.ie/rules-for-driving/junctions-roundabouts/roundabouts.html

Builderfromhell

Interesting post.
Coming down Mallow st. to the Roundabout at Jury's is interesting.
There are 3 lanes.
The left for going down Dock rd.
The middle for going across the Bridge.
and the right lane is clearly marked for going over the bridge or turning right.
I always use this lane for going straight and nearly always get honked by others who have quequed in middle lane.

Liam Byrne

Mr E wrote: »

The rules of the road surrounding roundabouts don't refer to 1st exit, 2nd exit, 3rd exit. They refer to turning left, going straight on, and "any later turns".
If coming from Childers road:

- Left Lane if taking either of the left turns (Blood Mill Road, Castletroy)
- Left Lane if going straight on (Tipperary Road)
- Right Lane if turning right (Ballysimon Road)

http://www.rulesoftheroad.ie/rules-for-driving/junctions-roundabouts/roundabouts.html

I'd check that again if I were you.....

Firstly, ALL descriptions of roundabouts show a standard 4-road design with 2 approach lanes; there are no official ones that cover a 3 or 5 road layout. Numerous ads have said that the "left and straight on, use the left lane" applies to the 1st and second exits.

The only implied reference to this in the link you provided - and you said it yourself; it doesn't say "using the third exit" or "turning right"; it says "Taking any later exits".

The OP is spot-on; left lane is for first 2 exits, and right lane is for subsequent ones. But even then there are exceptions, when the exit road has 2 lanes, or (as is the case at the Jury's Inn r/a) where there are 3 entry lanes. Jury's would imply left, straight ahead and right, but it's marked otherwise (just as some r/a have road markings saying use right lane for straight ahead).

But it is a joke in many cases; as an example, if there's a car in front of you then you won't see the arrows on the road until the last second.

At least people appear to have stopped using the right lane for taking the second exits; that was a regular annoyance for me for years and I've nearly collided with these idiots cutting across me on numerous occasions.

mud

Builderfromhell wrote: »

Interesting post.
Coming down Mallow st. to the Roundabout at Jury's is interesting.
There are 3 lanes.
The left for going down Dock rd.
The middle for going across the Bridge.
and the right lane is clearly marked for going over the bridge or turning right.
I always use this lane for going straight and nearly always get honked by others who have quequed in middle lane.

need to check this but my memory is that the right lane is clearly marked with a right turn arrow and no straight ahead one

It's def a grey area when so many roundabouts have multiple exits

The worst one I've come across is the one where you join the dual carraigeway (towards cork) off the bsimon road there's only two exits, cork road or town yet people insist on joining from the right hand lane only to take the first exit, makes my skin crawl when I see the near misses

Jumpy

baza1976 wrote: »

Hi,
When using the above roundabout heading from childers rd towards tipp town direction it drives me mad that everyone bar the odd exception uses the wrong exit.
As far as I'm aware and I don't think the rule book has changed, for the first 2 exits you must use the outside lane at this roundabout for the other exits use the inside lane unless signs say otherwise.
So I always use the inside lane when going straight on (as the 1st exit brings you up blood mill road towards childers rd shopping centre and the 2nd takes you to castletroy) and \i always get a little beep from those that "know Better". One of these days I'm going to stop the car (if beeped) in the middle of the round about and go back to yer man or woman and refresh their driving skills.

I'd be interested to know how people here approch this roundabout???

I hate to say it, but I would beep you too. The only use for the right lane is to turn off to City East or do a full turn of the roundabout.
The continuation of the Ballysimon road is dead straight. You would NOT use the right lane for exit onto this. You could cause a severe accident.
The number of exits does not dictate the lane to use when traversing a roundabout.
There should really be markings for this road, but you have to be aware that 90% of the road users that traverse this roundabout do it the way I have just explained and not all pay a large amount of attention so by using the inside lane you could easily end up on the other side of the road when you are hit in the side of your vehicle by someone continuing straight.

Another thing to note, if you stop and exit your vehicle (or even stop and make gestures) because someone sounds their horn it is considered road rage, it will not prove anything to the person and will most likely get you charged.

Wishbone Ash

baza1976 wrote: »

for the first 2 exits you must use the outside lane at this roundabout for the other exits use the inside lane unless signs say otherwise.
So I always use the inside lane when going straight on (as the 1st exit brings you up blood mill road towards childers rd shopping centre and the 2nd takes you to castletroy) and \i always get a little beep from those that "know Better". One of these days I'm going to stop the car (if beeped) in the middle of the round about and go back to yer man or woman and refresh their driving skills.

I'd be interested to know how people here approch this roundabout???

Why not use 'left' or 'right'?

It's much clearer when expalining a scenario.

Many drivers consider the 'left' lane to be the 'inside' lane'.

baza1976

Jumpy wrote: »

I hate to say it, but I would beep you too. The only use for the right lane is to turn off to City East or do a full turn of the roundabout.
The continuation of the Ballysimon road is dead straight. You would NOT use the right lane for exit onto this. You could cause a severe accident.The number of exits does not dictate the lane to use when traversing a roundabout.
There should really be markings for this road, but you have to be aware that 90% of the road users that traverse this roundabout do it the way I have just explained and not all pay a large amount of attention so by using the inside lane you could easily end up on the other side of the road when you are hit in the side of your vehicle by someone continuing straight.

Another thing to note, if you stop and exit your vehicle (or even stop and make gestures) because someone sounds their horn it is considered road rage, it will not prove anything to the person and will most likely get you charged.

Hi Jumpy,

I think you should check/reserch your information. I have! Unless marked/signed the first 2 exits you must use the left lane and the right lane is for everyother exit. If like you say there was an accident because i was in the right lane to go straight on to Tipp, I would not be in the wrong, I would not be charged.Whoever is in the left lane going straight might have egg on there face:D

baza1976

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Why not use 'left' or 'right'?

It's much clearer when expalining a scenario.

Many drivers consider the 'left' lane to be the 'inside' lane'.

Didn't know it was a grammer class:rolleyes:;)

Point taken

rosboy

The way it was explained to me (by a qualified driving instructor), was that if you're coming at the roundabout from a 6 o'clock position, you take the left lane. Anything after that you take the right lane. This is only really a rule of thumb though.

The problem is that roundabouts in Ireland aren't all the same, so you can't have one rule for them all. Take the Groody Roundabout just over the road. If coming out from town, there are three leading onto the roundabout:

1. Left for college (so many idiots take this for going straight)
2. Center for straight
3. Right for Tipp road or straight ahead.

There are again three lanes with the same arrangement coming from the Dublin side.

But coming from the Tipp road or the UL side you only have two lanes....so even one this single roundabout you have two rules for which lanes to use!

Or take the ring road that links the Cork road with the Dublin road. On the Cork side, there are only two exits off the roundabout (excluding the one you are entering from). On the Dublin side there are (or is it were?) three exits. No continuity.

And the whole thing isn't helped by people that just take the quickest lane to get they are going, regardless of everyone else (remark not directed at OP)

zuroph

left lane for anything less than 180 degrees, right lanes for anything greater, unless otherwise marked.

Mr E

zuroph wrote: »

left lane for anything less than 180 degrees, right lanes for anything greater, unless otherwise marked.

I'd agree with that, and thats what I'd do in practice (whether its right or wrong)

baza1976

rosboy wrote: »

The way it was explained to me (by a qualified driving instructor), was that if you're coming at the roundabout from a 6 o'clock position, you take the left lane. Anything after that you take the right lane. This is only really a rule of thumb though.

The problem is that roundabouts in Ireland aren't all the same, so you can't have one rule for them all. Take the Groody Roundabout just over the road. If coming out from town, there are three leading onto the roundabout:

1. Left for college (so many idiots take this for going straight)
2. Center for straight
3. Right for Tipp road or straight ahead.

There are again three lanes with the same arrangement coming from the Dublin side.


But coming from the Tipp road or the UL side you only have two lanes....so even one this single roundabout you have two rules for which lanes to use!

Or take the ring road that links the Cork road with the Dublin road. On the Cork side, there are only two exits off the roundabout (excluding the one you are entering from). On the Dublin side there are (or is it were?) three exits. No continuity.

And the whole thing isn't helped by people that just take the quickest lane to get they are going, regardless of everyone else (remark not directed at OP)

Hi Roseboy,

I think you'll find them roundabouts you mentioned are all marked on the road with BIG white white arrows. So your rule of tumb is in not action there.

rosboy

baza1976 wrote: »

Hi Roseboy,

I think you'll find them roundabouts you mentioned are all marked on the road with BIG white white arrows. So your rule of tumb is in action there.

It's actually ROSBOY. And I think you need to reread my post. In the rule of thumb I mentioned, there are two lanes leading into each round about. The roundabout at Groody has three lanes. The left lane ONLY allows left turns. The center lane ONLY allows straight through traffic. The right hand lane allows straight through AND right hand turns. None of those three lanes abide exacly by my rule of thumb exactly....as was my point about no consistency.

I really can't understand how people would beep a nice agreeable chap like you on the road.

baza1976

rosboy wrote: »

It's actually ROSBOY. And I think you need to reread my post. In the rule of thumb I mentioned, there are two lanes leading into each round about. The roundabout at Groody has three lanes. The left lane ONLY allows left turns. The center lane ONLY allows straight through traffic. The right hand lane allows straight through AND right hand turns. None of those three lanes abide exacly by my rule of thumb exactly....as was my point about no consistency.

I really can't understand how people would beep a nice agreeable chap like you on the road.

Sorry for getting your name wrong Rosboy,

I've read your post over and over and I still stand by what i said. The roundabout which you talk about is marked out for which lane to take so I don't know what your point is. If you read my very first post where i talk about which lane should be used I finish by saying something like if lanes are identified marked or sign posted the then the rule for "left lane is used to take the first 2 exits" is ignored. You then go on about roundabouts that are marked/signed

If you have a major issue with that roundabout maybe you should start your own thread. This thread is clearly about a different roundabout.

Liam Byrne

mud wrote: »

need to check this but my memory is that the right lane is clearly marked with a right turn arrow and no straight ahead one

Nope. I travel this 3 or 4 times a week. Coming down Mallow St the right-hand lane is clearly marked for straight ahead and right.

Liam Byrne

zuroph wrote: »

left lane for anything less than 180 degrees, right lanes for anything greater, unless otherwise marked.

Even muddier if you read this, because it doesn't cover the 180 degrees itself.

Left lane is for first two exits, unless there are (a) only 2 exits and/or (b) there are two lanes on the exit.

Jumpy

baza1976 wrote: »

Hi Jumpy,

I think you should check/reserch your information. I have! Unless marked/signed the first 2 exits you must use the left lane and the right lane is for everyother exit. If like you say there was an accident because i was in the right lane to go straight on to Tipp, I would not be in the wrong, I would not be charged.Whoever is in the left lane going straight might have egg on there face:D

Heres a trick. Pay very close attention to what the majority of traffic is doing.
Pop down there for an hour or so. Report back with the findings.


waits...


I already know what the answer will be, but feel free to be the odd one that thinks he is doing it correctly.

ninty9er

baza1976 wrote: »

Hi,
When using the above roundabout heading from childers rd towards tipp town direction it drives me mad that everyone bar the odd exception uses the wrong exit.
As far as I'm aware and I don't think the rule book has changed, for the first 2 exits you must use the outside lane at this roundabout for the other exits use the inside lane unless signs say otherwise.
So I always use the inside lane when going straight on (as the 1st exit brings you up blood mill road towards childers rd shopping centre and the 2nd takes you to castletroy) and \i always get a little beep from those that "know Better". One of these days I'm going to stop the car (if beeped) in the middle of the round about and go back to yer man or woman and refresh their driving skills.

I'd be interested to know how people here approch this roundabout???

You're right, "those who know better" are wrong. A friend's brother was marked down on his driving test for using the left lane to go towards the new "Ballysimon Junction"

zuroph

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Even muddier if you read this, because it doesn't cover the 180 degrees itself.

Left lane is for first two exits, unless there are (a) only 2 exits and/or (b) there are two lanes on the exit.

my apologies, left is for up to AND INCLUDING 180 degrees. this is fact as given to me by both my driving instructor and ignition test instructor and examiner, therefore the rule used by insurance comapnies in ireland. unless, of course, otherwise marked. new ballysimon road is actually just passed 180 degrees, so OP is correct. The confusion arose from the fact that the roundabout was in operation before the groody road opened.

Wetbench4

I too was thought that way zuroph, Works for me.

Jumpy

zuroph wrote: »

new ballysimon road is actually just passed 180 degrees, so OP is correct.

Actually, that was in my head as well, coming from the the limerick side it seems past the 180 degree mark. But it actually isnt.

zuroph

Jumpy wrote: »

Actually, that was in my head as well, coming from the the limerick side it seems past the 180 degree mark. But it actually isnt.

in which case, well done on solid evidence, OP is wrong. The "first two exits" mis-information has floated around for years, and really annoys me.

A simple way of solving any confusion, would be coloured lines being applied to the roundabout direction signs, that way, the driver can figure out what lane they should be in for what exit.
(crude) example:

Liam Byrne

Jumpy wrote: »

Heres a trick. Pay very close attention to what the majority of traffic is doing.
Pop down there for an hour or so. Report back with the findings.

OK. Head out the N18 towards Ennis and note the speed of what "the majority of traffic is doing"; then compare that to the actual speed limit.

Just because lots of people do it wrong doesn't make it right.

Likewise, have a gander at the junction of O'Connell St and Mallow St, where the continuous white line means you should turn and then change lanes halfway down, and NOT cross lanes as you turn. Most people will cross - still doesn't make it right

I already know what the answer will be, but feel free to be the odd one that thinks he is doing it correctly.

He is.

Jumpy

Liam Byrne wrote: »

OK. Head out the N18 towards Ennis and note the speed of what "the majority of traffic is doing"; then compare that to the actual speed limit.

Just because lots of people do it wrong doesn't make it right.

Likewise, have a gander at the junction of O'Connell St and Mallow St, where the continuous white line means you should turn and then change lanes halfway down, and NOT cross lanes as you turn. Most people will cross - still doesn't make it right



He is.

I have just provided a satellite photo of the road in question and you still argue the point?
The number of roundabout exits does not determine the lane used. Unless there is some bizarre irish law that states it.

You would love the Arc de Triomphe.

Secondly the reason why they do that on the mallow st junction in heavy traffic is because if they do not they will be forced onto Henry st by the queue of vehicles, you are right, not the way it should be done, but unless there are traffic lights placed on the jurys roundabout then there is no way out of it.
You cannot get traffic freeflow when obstructed by a roundabout.
Especially one that has a road of lesser import on the right and a road of equal import feeding from the other side. Traffic gaps are not left for vehicles to feed into. Therefore leading to traffic backup on Lower (and often Upper) Mallow st.
This is more of an annoyance than an actual danger, taking a sideswipe from a car leaving the City East/Ballysimon Rd roundabout and being forced into oncoming traffic could kill you and therefore it would be wise to follow the majority of drivers regardless of what you believe is right (by the way if you can provide proof that the "beyond second exit" rule is law, then I will happily accept it).

Also, in regards to the N18 comment, it is one of the most heavily policed roads I have come across around Limerick, anyone speeding there is insane.

Liam Byrne

Jumpy wrote: »

I have just provided a satellite photo of the road in question and you still argue the point?

The satellite photo only applies if you believe the "12-o-clock rule", so it's not relevant if the rule in question is "first two exits / third and subsequent exits".

You would love the Arc de Triomphe.

Been there. Completely different rules, considering that traffic COMING ONTO the roundabout has right-of-way.

Secondly the reason why they do that on the mallow st junction in heavy traffic is because if they do not they will be forced onto Henry st by the queue of vehicles, you are right, not the way it should be done

That's irrelevant; there is a broken line for 3-quarters of the stretch and there is no excuse for crossing the continuous white line at the top or the bottom of the stretch. Yes, it is a poorly-thought-out design, but the same happens at the top of William St, where there is PLENTY of space to do it correctly.

My point was that just because loads of people do it wrong doesn't make it right.

This is more of an annoyance than an actual danger, taking a sideswipe from a car leaving the City East/Ballysimon Rd roundabout and being forced into oncoming traffic could kill you and therefore it would be wise to follow the majority of drivers regardless of what you believe is right

You are NEVER meant to cut across a car on your left when turning left (which you would be doing); this applies to dual-carraigeways, street lanes, etc. So if you're on the right and there's a car on your left, then you can't cut across it. So "being forced" onto oncoming traffic is not the correct way to phrase the issue, since it implies that the car on the left is in the wrong, which it isn't; it's comparable to someone "being forced" into oncoming traffic if they're overtaking inappropriately.....yes, if someone does it to you, you should drive to avoid an accident (even if it would be caused by their stupidity) but they shouldn't have put you in that position anyway - it's THEIR fault! No-one "forced" them to overtake

by the way if you can provide proof that the "beyond second exit" rule is law, then I will happily accept it.

Well, there are lots of examples that show the standard 9, 12, 3 & 6 o'clock layouts, which are not in dispute since both rules coincide (1st & 2nd exit - left lane; 3rd & 4th - right lane) so I had to do a few searches to get these. But here you go:

http://www.lireland.com/theory/roundabouts.htm

http://www.pan-europe.utvinternet.ie/local/ireland/rules_of_the_road.htm (see halfway down)

Also, in regards to the N18 comment, it is one of the most heavily policed roads I have come across around Limerick, anyone speeding there is insane.

Limit is 62.5 mph and people regularly do 70, and even flash you from behind if you're overtaking at around 65. Again, my point was that just because "most people do it" doesn't make it right.

Liam Byrne

P.S. Even though I don't subscribe to the 180 degree theory (for the reasons and links given above) even that doesn't hold water:

Jumpy

Only thing I could find was a link to a picture taken from the Northern Ireland highway code. It was the only document to clearly picture a multi exit roundabout.
I have seen entries written by other drivers on other sites about 12Oclock vs 2nd Exit and they have got no further in discovering the actual law than we are right now. Up to and including contacting government officials. Personally I am now beginning to think that there has not been anything has been officially written to cover it in the Republic.


http://www.monkschoolofmotoring.co.uk/info%20sheets/12%20O%27Clock%20Roundabouts.pdf

Liam Byrne

Jumpy wrote: »

Only thing I could find was a link to a picture taken from the Northern Ireland highway code.

Are you're discounting the two links that I posted above, then ? The ones that explicitly say "taking the first exit", "taking the second exit" and "taking subsequent exits" ?

One of those is from a driving school; also, ninty9er posted above that a driving tester marked down a learner for not using that rule.

Also, re:

The number of roundabout exits does not determine the lane used.

Can you let me know what way lanes you would use coming through the Old Cork Road roundabout from either Roxboro or Ballysimon directions ?

Blunder

I must admit its not something that I've every really thought about and I probably use the left hand lane to go straight on. I probably should use the Right hand land to go straight on. What lane would people use coming towards town from Tipperary if they wanted to go up the Bloodmill road?

Liam Byrne

That's the 3rd exit, and it's ALSO past "12 o'clock", so there's no argument there - it's the right-hand lane....

Blunder

Yeah. It should be the same coming the other way. The flaw I see on this roundabout is that if there are a line of cars to go right towards the B&Q/Industrial estate then people who want to go straight on are more inclined to go into the left hand lane. I'd agree that clearer markings are required here like the roundabout at the bottom of mallow street/dock road. You are correct here Liam. That also annoys me when people do that. It also annoys me when people coming from shannon use the left hand lane and proceed to go out the dock road. Very Very dangerous and Annoying!!

Liam Byrne

With 2 lanes going out the Dock Road, there's an argument that that could be allowed, Blunder; my own view is that I "might" occasionally do that, but not to actually go out the Dock Road - only to turn right and then immediately go up behind Jury's Inn, up Mount Kenneth.

If you are going out the Dock Road and stay in your lane, you should be OK, but yeah - it's too abitrary and you need to keep an eye out of the back of your head at the best of times.

The bottom line is that the situation is unclear; thankfully it's not as bad as it used to be when loads of people used to use the right-hand lane to go straight through a "normal" roundabout.

But like so many things in Ireland, it's not thought through and not planned properly. If any non-standard layout had markings (and not simply on the ground just before the yield line, where the cars in front will prevent you seeing them) then it would be clear.

But that would involve having the roundabouts planned for proper traffic flow, and not simply plonked at an existing junction that doesn't work.

IMHO, one of the worst ones is the one outside Alandale; traffic coming up from the Dock Road breezes straight on through without even slowing down (I had LOADS of near misses when I lived there) and the Scott's "exit", while not actually a "road", confuses the bejaysus out of what lane to use - the Scotts entrance should have been onto the Alandale side-road.

Builderfromhell

Slightly off topic but ever notice how some people indicate as they go into roundabouts. They indicate left, not because they are taking the 1st exit but to veer left around the roundabout. They then indicate right as they go around the roundabout and finally indicate left again to take the 2nd exit.:rolleyes:

Jumpy

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Are you're discounting the two links that I posted above, then ? The ones that explicitly say "taking the first exit", "taking the second exit" and "taking subsequent exits" ?

One of those is from a driving school; also, ninty9er posted above that a driving tester marked down a learner for not using that rule.

Also, re:


Can you let me know what way lanes you would use coming through the Old Cork Road roundabout from either Roxboro or Ballysimon directions ?

From Roxboro, it would be the left lane to go straight on. The first "exit" is only an entrance.

Im not discounting the links, but they are are not official. It would be the same as taking the opinion of a random poster on the internet .

Jumpy

Builderfromhell wrote: »

Slightly off topic but ever notice how some people indicate as they go into roundabouts. They indicate left, not because they are taking the 1st exit but to veer left around the roundabout. They then indicate right as they go around the roundabout and finally indicate left again to take the 2nd exit.:rolleyes:

I have never seen that.

Liam Byrne

Jumpy wrote: »

From Roxboro, it would be the left lane to go straight on. The first "exit" is only an entrance.

I think you've missed the point of that post, Jumpy......you'd posted earlier that the number of exits wasn't a factor, but if you used your earlier rules then coming from the opposite direction - from Ballysimon - (left for 9 & 12 o'clock) then you'd be using the left lane for BOTH coming from Ballysimon.

Jumpy wrote: »

Im not discounting the links, but they are are not official. It would be the same as taking the opinion of a random poster on the internet .

We're not talking a forum or Wikipedia here; one of them is a driving school.

Liam Byrne

Jumpy wrote: »

I have never seen that.

Used to see that a bit, but thankfully must people seem to have copped on.

zuroph

Liam Byrne wrote: »

The satellite photo only applies if you believe the "12-o-clock rule", so it's not relevant if the rule in question is "first two exits / third and subsequent exits".

the rule is beyond 12 o clock. ask a driving instructor. call Irish advanced motorists and ask them.

Been there. Completely different rules, considering that traffic COMING ONTO the roundabout has right-of-way.

the traffic cominf onto the roundabout rule in france has been gone for about 15 years now. their roundabouts are the same as ours now.

That's irrelevant; there is a broken line for 3-quarters of the stretch and there is no excuse for crossing the continuous white line at the top or the bottom of the stretch. Yes, it is a poorly-thought-out design, but the same happens at the top of William St, where there is PLENTY of space to do it correctly.

agreed

ninty9er

zuroph wrote: »

the traffic cominf onto the roundabout rule in france has been gone for about 15 years now. their roundabouts are the same as ours now.

It still applies on Arc du Triomphe though!

zuroph

ninty9er wrote: »

It still applies on Arc du Triomphe though!

u sure?! is there traffic lights? I know theres no insurance on it!

Xennon

hammered here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055183610

Basically there are two systems at work, those who did their test a while back would be using the left lane for the first two exits, and those who studied the more recent rules would be going by the 'left lane for anything upto and including straight ahead' ethos.

Even instructors are confused, ask a few and you'll get different answers.

I think the bigger problem is people who believe their indicators give them right of way.

And as for the genius who came up with labeling the lanes on the ground so that unless you know the road, you haven't a hope of being in the right lane in heavy traffic, I reckon he got promoted to designing junctions for limerick.

I'd like to get a definitive answer to this from a reliable source. The ROTR booklet only deals in ideal situations.

Liam Byrne

zuroph wrote: »

the rule is beyond 12 o clock. ask a driving instructor. call Irish advanced motorists and ask them.

So, following that logic, if you're coming from Ballysimon to Roxboro through the Old Cork Road roundabout, you should queue in the left-hand lane with those turning left and leave the right-hand lane empty ?

zuroph

its marked differently.

ninty9er

Liam Byrne wrote: »

So, following that logic, if you're coming from Ballysimon to Roxboro through the Old Cork Road roundabout, you should queue in the left-hand lane with those turning left and leave the right-hand lane empty ?

Yes....the right hand lane is for a turnaround AFAIK. Unless there's an arrow pointing towards the Roxboro Roundabout.

zuroph

ninty9er wrote: »

Yes....the right hand lane is for a turnaround AFAIK. Unless there's an arrow pointing towards the Roxboro Roundabout.

if its not marked, then this is the rule.

Liam Byrne

zuroph wrote: »

its marked differently.

Don't think so, but to be fair I'll check the next time I pass through it.

Judging by the confusion in the other thread mentioned above, it seems like there's two trains of thought depending on when people did their tests.

Those of us who did the test a while back learned the 2nd exit rule, while those learning more recently seem to have learned a different one.

The problem is that with the ambiguity in the rules of the road book it doesn't seem to be clear which is correct; added to this the examples in the book show (a) a standard, perfectly symmetrical, 4-exit roundabout and (b) say in the text "taking the second exit" but in the captions "going straight ahead".

Given that the text mentions the second-exit rule, and that that rule covers BOTH (while the other way around doesn't cover both) the second-exit rule would SEEM to be the proper rule, but a few emails to the RSA would seem to be in order to clarify it properly.

How about we all email them, including non-four-exit examples that need proper clarification ? They'll hardly ignore all of us ?

Jumpy

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Don't think so, but to be fair I'll check the next time I pass through it.

Judging by the confusion in the other thread mentioned above, it seems like there's two trains of thought depending on when people did their tests.

Those of us who did the test a while back learned the 2nd exit rule, while those learning more recently seem to have learned a different one.

The problem is that with the ambiguity in the rules of the road book it doesn't seem to be clear which is correct; added to this the examples in the book show (a) a standard, perfectly symmetrical, 4-exit roundabout and (b) say in the text "taking the second exit" but in the captions "going straight ahead".

Given that the text mentions the second-exit rule, and that that rule covers BOTH (while the other way around doesn't cover both) the second-exit rule would SEEM to be the proper rule, but a few emails to the RSA would seem to be in order to clarify it properly.

How about we all email them, including non-four-exit examples that need proper clarification ? They'll hardly ignore all of us ?

I found an entry on another blog where someone had done just that. He was driven mental, he couldnt get a straight answer and after phone calls and emails they ended up answering the wrong question. He gave up.

zuroph

limerick traffic corp perhaps?

Liam Byrne

I sent this to info@rsa.ie today, in the hope of clearing this up once and for all.

Hello

A number of us were having a discussion relating to the use of roundabouts, and we would welcome clarification on this.

If you are travelling through a roundabout - one which is NOT the standard "4-compass-points" - what are the correct approach lanes to use ?

I would have thought - from when I did the test 20 years ago - that the first two exits were the left lane, all others were the right lane. However this "appears" to have been superceded (possibly because lots of newer roundabouts now have 5 or 6 exits) by a different rule.

Firstly, is this correct ? Does the "left lane for first 2 exits; right for subsequent exits" rule no longer apply ?

The current ROTR book seems to fudge the issue, saying "taking the second exit" in the text while labelling the diagram "going straight on"; these unfortunately coincide when it's a standard 4-exit, symmetrical roundabout, but not otherwise.


Assuming (a) no overriding road markings (b) that you are approaching from the bottom and (c) standard 2-lanes incoming, which lane applies in the following scenarios ?


Example 1:
No exit to the right. Which lane applies for going straight on ?

Example 2:
Skewed roundabout with top road "leaning" LEFT. Which lane applies for taking the "top" exit ?

Example 3:

Skewed roundabout with top road "leaning" right. Which lane applies for taking the "top" exit ?

Example 4:
Skewed 5-exit roundabout. Which lane(s) apply for taking either of the top exits ?

These are merely examples, and I know that in SOME cases the lanes are marked. But firstly, not all lanes are marked and secondly it is impossible to see the lane markings on the road if there is a car in front of you.

I look forward to receiving your reply.

Regards,
Liam Byrne

ninty9er

Liam Byrne wrote: »

I sent this to info@rsa.ie today, in the hope of clearing this up once and for all.

Was there a diagram with it. It would be difficult to answer each scenario with out a diagram.