Driving in the middle lane

gubbie

I see it regularly on here, people giving out about those who drive in the middle lane, saying that they should be on the left most lane, that the middle lane is for overtaking.

Now if this was the case and everyone was sitting in the left most lane with the other two lanes being used for overtaking, then wouldn't this result in cars that are merging have a far more difficult time and two almost empty lanes to the right.

Now I normally drive in Cork and it rarely is a problem. I would say that the course of business on a 3 lane road is the left most for merging cars (who then further merge if they're going on further), the middle lane for regular drivers and the right most lane for overtaking.

But cork has much less traffic (yay!). From my experience of driving in Dublin traffic is split between the two leftmost lanes allowing space for merging and leaving.

Seriously, what's so wrong with this?

Mint Sauce

Oh this should be good.

Yes the left lane is used for merging, but it is also the driving lane. The other two are only meant for overtaking, the middle for overtaking the left, and the right for overtaking the middle.

Some do drivers out of curtosy pull into the middle lane to let the merging car enter, but are suppose to rejoin the left lane again as if over taking them, espically if the merging car has not reached the motorway or DC speed.

Capri86

Getting the popcorn now...

coylemj

I'll see your middle lane hoggers and raise you fog lamps.

gubbie

Thanks guys. Helpful

Mint Sauce

gubbie wrote: »

Thanks guys. Helpful

Well in fairness, it has been dicussed time and time again, as noted in your OP.

Mint Sauce

coylemj wrote: »

I'll see your middle lane hoggers and raise you fog lamps.

Not to mention now, only one working fog lamp due to them being in such constant use.

Big Nasty

irish-stew wrote: »

Well in fairness, it has been dicussed time and time again, as noted in your OP.

Wrong!

This hasn't been done before, ever.

FACT! :P

Bagenal

May I refer you to page 105 of the Rules of the Road book (2007 edition)

gubbie

irish-stew wrote: »

Well in fairness, it has been dicussed time and time again, as noted in your OP.

No, not discussed, just given out about them from what I've seen.

Owenw

The problem is when people sit in the middle or outside lanes when there is no traffic to pass and refuse to move left to allow other drivers to pass legally and safely.

There is no problem staying in the middle lane if you are passing a long stream of slower traffic. In rush hour traffic all available lanes should be used.


In regards to merging, if people accelerated to merge at the same speed as traffic on the main carriageway, and drivers on the mainline anticipated the merging of cars and allowed them space to join smoothly there would be no problems at junctions.

Good awareness, observation, anticipation, defensive driving and making good progress are alien concepts for a lot of drivers and this accounts for pretty much all the problems on our roads.

SV

I remember sticking to the left lane only for driving where it's 3 lanes, I found myself inadvertently being directed off the motorway with no room to merge in to a right hand lane due to traffic. I had to go off, through the roundabouts and merge back on to the motorway again.


Sticking to the left hand lane unless overtaking would work, if some of the roads weren't laid out so badly like this.

Ted_YNWA

I think that there should be a Sticky created for this topic & save this cropping up every 2 days

Mint Sauce

gubbie wrote: »

No, not discussed, just given out about them from what I've seen.

Well a mixture of discussing, and not this again for the first page or two, then given out about.

Pretty much the same way that this is going.

Damien360

Ted_YNWA wrote: »

I think that there should be a Sticky created for this topic & save this cropping up every 2 days

There is a fine thread on Ranting and Raving all about this.

corktina

Damien360 wrote: »

There is a fine thread on Ranting and Raving all about this.

good, they can keep it, we have it twice a week on here and are sick of saying "left hand lane is the driving lane, all others are overtaking lanes"

ironclaw

Anyone else notice people who merge and literally dash for the middle lane? I mean as soon as possible? I have a great video of two cars merging from the Dundrum exit, northbound on the M50. I merge to the centre and the first car cuts in front of me while the car behind him cuts across all two lanes to the rightmost.

Boggles.The.Mind.

But my absolute favourite is this one: http://goo.gl/maps/kYMDh

I've seen people go from extreme left to extreme right, vice-versa and then almost get hit in the centre (Southbound M50) when people in the left realise they are in the lane for Northbound. And then you get the cheeky sod's who shoot up the extreme right to cut in at the last second. Absolute circus.

FYI, street view is out of date. Its left (Northbound), Centre (Southbound) and Right (City)

slimjimmc

SV wrote: »

I remember sticking to the left lane only for driving where it's 3 lanes, I found myself inadvertently being directed off the motorway with no room to merge in to a right hand lane due to traffic. I had to go off, through the roundabouts and merge back on to the motorway again.


Sticking to the left hand lane unless overtaking would work, if some of the roads weren't laid out so badly like this.

What motorway was that?

Voodoomelon

Personally, I think there should be a forth lane on big motorways.
It should be finished with black and yellow hazard-like stripes on the tarmac and is specifically for the likes of the OP, who shouldn't be let near a motorway, leaving the rest of us to get on with using them properly.

Cungi

http://www.howmotorwayswork.co.uk/middle_lane.htm

the culture of deference

Here is a picture of a Motorway in the Netherlands.

Note how familiar it looks to drivers on the M7.

corktina

you jest I guess? it does look like the N (not M)7 I agree but in Holland they are driving correctly with the driving lane nice and full and the overtaking lanes in use to overtake. The guy in what looks like a Tourareg is obvious a Dub Tourist though.

RobertFoster

SV wrote: »

I remember sticking to the left lane only for driving where it's 3 lanes, I found myself inadvertently being directed off the motorway with no room to merge in to a right hand lane due to traffic. I had to go off, through the roundabouts and merge back on to the motorway again.


Sticking to the left hand lane unless overtaking would work, if some of the roads weren't laid out so badly like this.

Are you sure you weren't on a two lane motorway with an auxiliary lane? The lane to the right of the double-wide dashed line is considered the driving/left lane. Only drive in the auxiliary lane if you want to leave at the next exit.

antodeco

Personally, I dont think anybody should use the left lane. Driving down the N7, everyone seems to not use it, and I always get to where I am going much quicker in the left lane as a result :pac:

_Kaiser_

ironclaw wrote: »

Anyone else notice people who merge and literally dash for the middle lane? I mean as soon as possible? I have a great video of two cars merging from the Dundrum exit, northbound on the M50. I merge to the centre and the first car cuts in front of me while the car behind him cuts across all two lanes to the rightmost.

Um.. Unless I'm reading it wrong, did you not then do exactly what you're giving out about?

Personally on the M50 I always stick to the middle lane and move to the outer as needed - especially with all the ducking and diving that goes on between exit 9 (N7 exit - especially when heading northbound as they realise they've left it too late to start moving over after exit 10 - though the poor design doesn't help with these exits practically being on top of each other.. the merging lane for exit 10 doubles as the exit lane for 9!!) and exit 7 (N4 exit) what with people cutting across multiple lanes at the last minute and merging randomly after you pass the exit.

Safest place to be is the outside lane in those cases. I don't particularly care if it bothers these people. I'm not one to dawdle (maybe slightly over depending on conditions) and given the general standard of motorway driving (which ranges from "ok" to WTF?!) I'll move left when *I* feel it's safe to do so without fear of getting my car sideswiped by someone.

omega666

If driving in the left lane
1) You are on guard for merging traffic and having to adjust to allow them in.
2) Moving in and out constantly overtaking slower cars.
3) On occasions the left lane turns into a slip road for a exit.

As opposed to move into the middle lane, sit back and cruise.

When you decide to drive in the middle lane, I must leave the left lane, and cross two lanes just to get passed. That makes no sense.

If everyone used the lanes the way they should, those in the left lane would have space to move to the middle when traffic is merging to the left and move back when it is safe to do so.

Why would we bother spending so much money upgrading our roads to three lanes, just for merging traffic - effectively reducing a lovely road back down to two lanes? If the left lane is only for merging traffic, then what's the point in having a third lane between exits?

Do you sit in the right hand lane on two lane roads for the same reason? I doubt it, so why the difference?

creedp

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Um.. Unless I'm reading it wrong, did you not then do exactly what you're giving out about?

Personally on the M50 I always stick to the middle lane and move to the outer as needed - especially with all the ducking and diving that goes on between exit 9 (N7 exit - especially when heading northbound as they realise they've left it too late to start moving over after exit 10 - though the poor design doesn't help with these exits practically being on top of each other.. the merging lane for exit 10 doubles as the exit lane for 9!!) and exit 7 (N4 exit) what with people cutting across multiple lanes at the last minute and merging randomly after you pass the exit.

Safest place to be is the outside lane in those cases. I don't particularly care if it bothers these people. I'm not one to dawdle (maybe slightly over depending on conditions) and given the general standard of motorway driving (which ranges from "ok" to WTF?!) I'll move left when *I* feel it's safe to do so without fear of getting my car sideswiped by someone.

An e.g. of where sometimes plain auld common sense and an awareness of your surroundings trumps the ROTR!

Babysmurf

gubbie wrote: »

Seriously, what's so wrong with this?

Eeeh.....It's illegal?

The rules of the road say that you must drive in the left hand lane unless overtaking.

When merging traffic comes along you must either allow them space to merge in front of you or pull out into the overtaking lane and overtake them.

'Tis not rocket science!

creedp

Deleted User wrote: »

When you decide to drive in the middle lane, I must leave the left lane, and cross two lanes just to get passed. That makes no sense.

Why don't you stay in the left lane and progress as normal. I'll never understand the rigid application of rules as against a more common sense approach which in this case is infinitely safer. Or maybe someone can explain to me why its safer to cross from the left lane to the right lane via the middle lane and back again simply to maintain your own speed on the left lane.

If everyone used the lanes the way they should, those in the left lane would have space to move to the middle when traffic is merging to the left and move back when it is safe to do so.

Only if there is no one overtaking you in the middle lane.

Why would we bother spending so much money upgrading our roads to three lanes, just for merging traffic - effectively reducing a lovely road back down to two lanes? If the left lane is only for merging traffic, then what's the point in having a third lane between exits?

Do you sit in the right hand lane on two lane roads for the same reason? I doubt it, so why the difference?

The reason a 2 lane road is upgraded to a 3 lane road is for volume reasons .. it can simply handle a larger volume of traffic more safely. One of those safety issues is that it is easier to merge onto the road as a significant volume of traffic is occupying the middle and right lane. Don't get me wrong I agree staying left unless overtaking is the default rule but I don't engage in unecessary lane hopping on a 3 lane motorway.

ironclaw

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Um.. Unless I'm reading it wrong, did you not then do exactly what you're giving out about?

No, I was correctly in the left lane. I merged to centre to allow traffic to merge from the slip road (100% correct) But the merging traffic jumped to the centre lane for no reason other than plain studity and lack of basic driving etiquette.

omega666 wrote: »

1) You are on guard for merging traffic and having to adjust to allow them in.

That's call normal driving.

2) Moving in and out constantly overtaking slower cars.

Again, normal driving procedure.

3) On occasions the left lane turns into a slip road for a exit.

Emm... Read the signs, anticipate change? If you get caught out like this your not paying attention.

As opposed to move into the middle lane, sit back and cruise.

People who sit in the center lane are frankly brain dead. There is no justification for it.