grinds my gears

Merch

A What is it with people and roundabouts? I'd only just utterly given up on ever expecting people to understand/use indicators correctly, I think that tapered off and it seems most people have given up too, (that is given up bothering to indicate) but thats ok, I'd much rather they didnt, then for them to indicate all over the place,
but now,
B now people dont seem to yield to traffic on a roundabout? ok this seems mostly to happen on roundabouts with two lanes, yeh, so I'm in the offside lane, but Im still on the roundabout, you cant just come up and off the slip road without even or barely glancing a look, slowing down nor yielding, it looks to me as if they're going to cut right across me, has anyone noticed this or is it just me

Anan1

Merch wrote: »

B now people dont seem to yield to traffic on a roundabout? ok this seems mostly to happen on roundabouts with two lanes, yeh, so I'm in the offside lane, but Im still on the roundabout, you cant just come up and off the slip road without even or barely glancing a look, slowing down nor yielding, it looks to me as if they're going to cut right across me, has anyone noticed this or is it just me

Try speeding up a bit - people will tend to go when they feel that they can get away with it.

ondeball

In some parts of the country, roundabout outside of Enniscorthy as you're heading to Dublin, they've even changed the lane layout so that in the left hand lane you can only take the first exit.

Two issues with this: 1. People don't understand how to use roundabouts in the first place so why add to confusion by changing it and 2. it's against the rules of the road as far as I'm aware.

Anan1

OSI wrote: »

Personally I find drifting sideways across both lanes helps a lot too..

Seriously though, i've a friend who's a bit of a hesitant driver. People see him coming, shape up for a last-minute-dash, he momentarily comes off the gas, cue much wailing & gnashing of teeth. Did they bully in or did he (albeit unwillingly) let them out? Drive decisively, and people won't generally be tempted.

MrDerp

There's a roundabout I use every morning with 2 lanes in each of the left/right directions. Typically more cars from my approach want to go right, so a little queue develops. Every second morning while I'm on my way around the roundabout some f**ker approaches from the left to jump the queue for turning right and circumnavigates the outside of the roundabout at speed, cutting off my natural movement as I prepare for my exit. Drives me nuts!

The very same roundabout has a pedestrian crossing within 10m of the left exit. When this goes red, traffic approaching from the right (the numbers are significant) generally completely blocks the roundabout instead of keeping it clear for straight through and right-turning traffic from my approach.

S**t, inconsiderate drivers. Everywhere. Every f**king day.

conzy

ondeball wrote: »

In some parts of the country, roundabout outside of Enniscorthy as you're heading to Dublin, they've even changed the lane layout so that in the left hand lane you can only take the first exit.

Two issues with this: 1. People don't understand how to use roundabouts in the first place so why add to confusion by changing it and 2. it's against the rules of the road as far as I'm aware.

I like those roundabouts! But your right, they are not covered in the rules of the road and only some of them are signposted. But they do speed things up a lot and they make sense but its always a scary experience hoping the numpty on the outside doesnt go straight on!

Merch

Anan1 wrote: »

Try speeding up a bit - people will tend to go when they feel that they can get away with it.

I understand what you are saying about people holding off so someone else thinks I'll fit in by the time they arrive, I'm not a slow driver that doesnt make their intentions clear, I dont dawdle, an increase in speed is not going to be safe here as this is when I'm already on the roundabout almost at their exit, its especially disconcerting in the wet where I am already not moving in a straight line (ie negotiating the roundabout) where braking could cause me to skid

ondeball wrote: »

In some parts of the country, roundabout outside of Enniscorthy as you're heading to Dublin, they've even changed the lane layout so that in the left hand lane you can only take the first exit.

Two issues with this: 1. People don't understand how to use roundabouts in the first place so why add to confusion by changing it and 2. it's against the rules of the road as far as I'm aware.

I think this is a particularly bad idea, as usually its not signposted (as if there werent enough signs anyway) so if its painted on the road, it cant be seen, I see it at places where the right lane has heavier traffic and its necessary to use the left lane to go straight, plus why restrict a lane for only one direction when usually there are two lanes on the road it leads to? also I agree that it adds confusion as it isnt standard, roundabouts should be standard and deviations for different road layouts should be standard (ie it shoulkd be marked by standard signposts)

Also while Im at it, you know what really grinds my gears??

Traffic lights, its probably been done to death already but why in Ireland are you presented with a red and a green at the same time.
In situations where there is a right filter, if the filter is on you can go, if it isnt on, you cannot go (like the UK) why do people have to be told you cannot cross the other line of traffic coming from the opposite direction when you dont have the right filter arrow and the only green is a/for a straight filter????

and why cant we have an amber before the green so slow arses can have a warning the lights are about to change!

And signs?? how can there be so many BUT that convey so little information, ie on journey, twice I saw this recently, coming up to a roundabout no information as to the direction i should take only a sign for another place on the first turn and another sign before the next turn but which i could not see (the layout was like a Y shape, so first turn greater than 90 degrees ie about 135 degrees, next turn 90 after that), I get on the roundabout and the next turn has the info at the roundabout??? why?
This conveys to me a certain amount of local knowledge is needed, so useless for out of towners or tourists!
why isnt the info in advance of the junction, have seen this on many (not just roundabout) junctions in Ireland, signs on top of or at the junction. I drove all the way across a US state and back and only looked at the map twice! once at each end before starting my journey.

Tom, you know what really grinds my gears?

Merch

Anan1 wrote: »

Seriously though, i've a friend who's a bit of a hesitant driver. People see him coming, shape up for a last-minute-dash, he momentarily comes off the gas, cue much wailing & gnashing of teeth. Did they bully in or did he (albeit unwillingly) let them out? Drive decisively, and people won't generally be tempted.

I understand what you are saying, but thats the thing, I am not a hesitant driver, these people are pulling up a slip lane or coming onto the roundabout and just going for it, I'm already on the roundabout and moving, not slowing, in most cases these people have not even looked or barely glanced, I end up on top of them, if I dont slow myself (ie take the foot off the accelerator , edit and I mean I have to slow after they have pulled out/not yielded not before, so its not hesitancy) we'd likely be to close for comfort even for my liking!

edit and oh yeh i forgot, you know what really grinds my gears,Signs in front of/very near other signs, why? I cant read the other sign, why did you do that? did you the person putting in the sign not see the other sign??? or signs that block the view of traffic lights from certain angles or those that block the view of traffic at a junction (usually when stopped at the junction)?? why for the love god or whatever, why?

Anan1

Merch wrote: »

IAlso while Im at it, you know what really grinds my gears??

Traffic lights, its probably been done to death already but why in Ireland are you presented with a red and a green at the same time.
In situations where there is a right filter, if the filter is on you can go, if it isnt on, you cannot go (like the UK) why do people have to be told you cannot cross the other line of traffic coming from the opposite direction when you dont have the right filter arrow and the only green is a/for a straight filter????

If you have a green light (not arrow) then you can cross oncoming traffic to turn right, you just don't have right of way.

Merch wrote: »

and why cant we have an amber before the green so slow arses can have a warning the lights are about to change!

+1

Merch

Anan1 wrote: »

If you have a green light (not arrow) then you can cross oncoming traffic to turn right, you just don't have right of way.

+1

I know the green light means you can cross the oncoming traffic lane but doesnt give right of way. I was meaning where there are two filter arrows, one for straight and one for turning right, theres a few on routes I drive at times (and some places I see it in passing/places I dont drive regular, where I get caught out) and the first thing you see coming around the (longish) bend from or from a bit off is the red as it is more apparent than the small green arrow pointing straight ahead, especially at night, now while my first instinct isn't to hammer on the brakes or even tap them (I will take my foot off the accelerator) to slow, so I slow down, I think its just the instinct of seeing red, puts you on alert when there is no need as then I realise the (small/less apparent) green arrow for straight ahead is on!!

So I dont think in the case of a lights with two arrows (one for straight and one for right) that there is a need for a red also to be presented to the drivers of oncoming traffic as they are conflicting signals (I didnt see it in the UK) when the right turning green filter is off and the straight filter arrow is on, to me straight ahead arrow is straight only, whereas a green light (the round one ) means straight or you can cross the oncoming lane if it is safe to do so/no cars coming your way, the red to me is defunct and tbh a nuisance. I'd say most Irish people need it to stop them from crossing but I think better roadcraft/education would do the same thing.
I think it is poor traffic management and likely contributes (probably overall vehicle use to increased fuel/CO2 emissions)

conzy

The amber light before the green is epic! Makes every set of lights infinitely more exciting

biko

Is it roundabout time again already?
Galway can be bad for them but usually the collisions I see are just before the RB when someone stops suddenly and the next person bumps into them.

Joe 90

OSI wrote: »

Personally I find drifting sideways across both lanes helps a lot too..

The only way to negotiate them.:)