Me, the junction or silly driver?

Haleakala

Hi all,

Just looking for a little advice as to whether I'm completely in the wrong on the following junction, or whether it is driver error, and if so how can I avoid it.

The same thing has happened twice in past two weeks, is a little hairy and I go this way every day. Approaching towards Poplar Row to the junction the road splits into a clear left turn only lane and straight on+right turn lane.

I always position myself centre-left of the latter, generally staying in the flow of traffic at a good speed to progress through the junction - you need to take a line similar to that on the map (i.e. slightly to the left).

Twice when I've been at the tail end of the traffic, a car further behind, seeing the last remnants of a green light, has accelerated up the left only lane to go straight on. Particularly if a car is waiting to cross from the opposite side this results in a potential pincer movement with me in the centre.

It hasn't resulted in anything close just yet, but it is fairly unsettling having a car pass you on the left side.

Should I just put it down to impatient drivers, or would hogging the right hand side of the left only lane be a more sensible (if not technically correct) option?

droidus

Its the fault of the drivers ignoring the road markings. The solution is to take the right hand line. Cycle in the centre of it so no traffic can pass you on your right.

seamus

I would put it down primarily to impatient drivers. Obviously they've changed the layout of the junction since that google maps image was taken?

If traffic coming from the opposite side, turning across your path, is routinely in your lane when you go through the junction, then I would place myself at the right-hand side of the left lane when going through.

Otherwise I would just put it down to impatient drivers and stick with what you're doing. If the road has been newly split into two lanes, then there's a certain period of time before regular users of the road come to accept that they can't go straight on from the left-hand side of the lane, so you'll be dealing with this for a while.

Haleakala

EDIT: apologies this is the junctioning I'm referring to actually. Approaching poplar row. Sorry. Cheers for the advice though, which stands.

seamus

Ugh. Yeah, little bit messy because traffic going straight on has to press left to get where they're going.

It's hard to say without experiencing it myself. My gut feeling says that there are two scenarios:

1. You're going straight ahead and there's a line of traffic turning left: Stay in the center of the right-hand lane.
2. You're going straight and the left-hand lane is empty: Stay in the right-hand lane until you're a few metres from the junction, then check to make sure no-one is still in the left-hand lane, and move into it, to go straight. Don't go too far over, and don't go too early - oncoming traffic might assume you're turning left.

Doctor Bob

@OP- you are on Clonliffe Road, travelling east, and going straight on, yes? (I'm just not entirely clear from your post.) Anyway, working on that basis...

I'd agree with seamus here, but I'd stress that I really don't think the junction is fit for purpose: the lanes entering the junction from Clonliffe Road are not properly aligned with the lane (which is actually wide enough for two lanes) exiting the junction onto Poplar Row, which is a total no-no in road design terms. It's something you see quite often in Dublin, and it's something you should never see, because it requires drivers to shift laterally within the junction. Your experience is evidence of the design flaw.

Why does the junction look like this? A combination of historic alignment and a desire to maximise the capacity throughput.

The simplest solution would be to put a build-out at the west end of the northern footpath on Poplar Row - the road is, after all, only one lane wide and gets narrower as you travel east - which would discourage drivers on Clonliffe Road from using the left-turn lane to go straight on.

As for the advice, I think seamus nailed it.

To answer the qestion in your title, the junction layout is the main culprit (70%?), with driver behaviour the balance. I don't think you're doing anything wrong.

Lumen

As you describe it, the car appears to be deliberately using the wrong lane, undertaking and accelerating through an amber.

Each of these things is against the ROTR. All three together might be prosecution-worthy (although IANAGOAL).

I know someone who has been pulled over and warned for going straight on in a left turn lane, with care and clear indication, purely as a result of bad planning/lack of familiarity.

droidus

That junction gets very busy at peak times. I would definitely take the right hand lane within 50 to 100m of the lights, then go through the lights keeping an eye out for cars going straight from the left hand lane as I moved back to the left once I cleared the junction.

Haleakala

Thanks for all that guys,

I think a slight modification of road position should do it, accompanied by maximum awareness. I was pretty annoyed this morning but suppose it just confirms you need to expect the unexpected.

Of course as always happens, I passed the driver further down the road stopped at lights - I refrained from driver education FWIW.

Cheers again