Junction box - turning right

redout

How many vehicles can enter the junction box to turn right?

Is it only one vehicle and the second should remain behind the white line or can you push up ?

I ask because some roads there can be a considerable distance between say the middle of the junction box and the white line and possibility of getting marked for lack of progress.

The other problem I envisage is that if more than one vehicle enters the junction box to turn right and their is not let up in the traffic from the opposite direction then by the time the lights change only the first vehicle will realistically be able to make the turn without hindering traffic proceeding out of the road you are turning in to.

Advice?

**Timbuk2**

I remember wondering this and not getting a satisfactory answer from the ROTR book, and I asked my instructor and he said it is definitely only one on the junction at one time.

The reason being, as you correctly said, that if the lights change, there won't be time for 2 or more cars to go without the other traffic getting a green light and moving towards you.

While you are required to wait behind the line, you know that the guy ahead of you (on the junction) is waiting for a gap in traffic, you may be able to see this gap approaching and thus anticipate him moving off, so you can be ready to drive on yourself. Every traffic light sequence is different but a common one is there to be full green circle at the beginning and then before it goes red, a right turn arrow will come on, which means that you can go beyond the white line even if there is a car already on the junction (as the traffic coming opposite should be stopped, so there's no need to yield to them). However, they can sometimes work different i.e. right turn arrow first then 'full' green circle.

But I'm not fully sure - I'll have to check the ROTR very closely again!

MonaghanPenguin

This came up on my pretest. I entered the junction and got a grade 3 for it. Would have passed the pretest otherwise. Was a good lesson that no matter how good I think I am, if you're not concentrating you can muck up.

redout

MonaghanPenguin wrote: »

This came up on my pretest. I entered the junction and got a grade 3 for it. Would have passed the pretest otherwise. Was a good lesson that no matter how good I think I am, if you're not concentrating you can muck up.

I spoke this over with the instructor. Basically it is only one car in the junction. Next car should wait behind the white line until the first car has started to make the turn and also considering that your exit is not now blocked. Only exception to this is if you have a filter light. In that case you can pass the white line even if not the first vehicle once it is safe to do so. That said, my experience is that this rule is seldom if ever applied by drivers. Prime example of this at the 5 way junction in Finglas village this morning. There is no filter light yet I counted 3 vehicles all move beyond the white line and into the junction box to make the turn up the Jamestown road. The first vehicle made the turn when a gap appeared in the traffic. The other two vehicle were still sitting in the junction when the lights turned red. So in sum, if you do not have a filter light then stay behind the white line until the first vehicle starts to make the turn provided the exit is not now blocked otherwise you may as well drive back to the test centre with your grade 3 fault. Also remember the the green light (disc) has priority as such so do not wait for the filter light to appear if you are the first vehicle as the disc gives you permission to proceed once it is safe to do so.

threein99

So you guys are saying, depending on the sequence of the lights, but that when the lights goes green only one car can move into the junction to await a gap in traffic ? but when the filter light comes on you can follow the car infront into the junction.

I'm fairly sure my instructor told me you can follow the car infront of you into the junction, but on this particular junction the filter light always comes on after the green light so you wont be left in the middle of the junction when the lights change.