Cross road junction with 2 lanes to turn into - near miss? Who's right?

whiskeyman · 10-12-2013 12:55pm #1

Incident occured just coming off Booterstown Ave turning left onto the Rock Road in Dublin.(https://maps.google.ie/maps?q=booterstown+google+maps&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x486708d12d43c11d:0xcac87fe9102e008d,Booterstown,+Co.+Dublin&gl=ie&ei=Sg2nUtiVO-6p7AaR-ICABg&ved=0CCoQ8gEwAA)

The oncoming traffic (cars from the Dart station) also get a green light, and I always presumed that a X roads junction was the siutation here i.e - I have right of way to go left or straight on.
On the green light, I proceeded to turn left into the right lane, as I know the left lane just turns into a Bus lane, and I also had a cyclist on my left so I cleared the turn giving him as much room as possible anyway.
However, an oncoming car from the dart station car park swung in and took the same turn into the same lane, narrowly missing me (the driver would have ploughed into me if I didn't suddently brake as they wasn't stopping...).
I can only presume the other driver thought the 'nearer' right lane was fair go for them and I should have turned into the left lane? Should this be the case?
It's not the first time I've seen this happen.
Anyone else seen this happen here, or in similar '2 lane' junctions?

kaimera · 10-12-2013 12:58pm

Know the junction;

He was wrong, he was crossing lanes to turn and you have right of way turning 'with' the flow of traffic;

Least that's how I'd understand it.

Atomic Pineapple · 10-12-2013 12:59pm

Other driver was completely in the wrong in here as far as I can tell.

corktina · 10-12-2013 1:01pm

don't you give way to traffic from the right? (I don't know the junction )

Atomic Pineapple · 10-12-2013 1:02pm

corktina wrote: »

don't you give way to traffic from the right? (I don't know the junction )

Traffic from the right is stopped at red lights.

djimi · 10-12-2013 1:06pm

Other driver was in the wrong; they should have given way.

djimi · 10-12-2013 1:07pm

corktina wrote: »

don't you give way to traffic from the right? (I don't know the junction )

Car isnt coming from the right. Its a crossroads with two cars coming opposite directions turning onto the same road. OP was turning left, other car was turning right onto the road. Other car swung across the path of the OP when they should have yielded right of way.

bugsntinas · 10-12-2013 1:12pm

I was taught in the uk and was told traffic crossing in front of other traffic had to wait so other driver in wrong.

corktina · 10-12-2013 1:12pm

I understand that, but isn't the car coming from the right in the same way as he would be on a roundabout?

Atomic Pineapple · 10-12-2013 1:20pm

corktina wrote: »

I understand that, but isn't the car coming from the right in the same way as he would be on a roundabout?

No, not in this case as they are crossing the road.

djimi · 10-12-2013 1:20pm

corktina wrote: »

I understand that, but isn't the car coming from the right in the same way as he would be on a roundabout?

No. The car is trying to cross a line of traffic and as such must wait until it is clear and safe to do so (in much the same way as the cars which are continuing straight would not have to yield to allow this guy cross them).

Guy:Incognito · 10-12-2013 1:30pm

corktina wrote: »

I understand that, but isn't the car coming from the right in the same way as he would be on a roundabout?

If your turning left at a crossroads do you stop and let cars coming from straight ahead of you turning right have right of way?

whiskeyman · 10-12-2013 1:36pm

thanks folks.
I guess the availability of 2 lanes to turn into may make some drivers presume the 'nearest' lane for them is theirs to turn into.

Anan1 · 10-12-2013 1:46pm

whiskeyman wrote: »

thanks folks.
I guess the availability of 2 lanes to turn into may make some drivers presume the 'nearest' lane for them is theirs to turn into.

There's a small turn on the town side of the Blackrock bypass at Temple Hill that suffers from the same thing - just be ready with the horn and the brakes!

tobsey · 10-12-2013 2:18pm

The other driver was in the wrong but when turning onto a dual carraige-way you should turn into the left lane. The other driver was still wrong to assume that you would and go into the right lane. You should turn into the left lane and then merge into the right before the bus lane.

ardmacha · 10-12-2013 2:32pm

The other driver was in the wrong but when turning onto a dual carraige-way you should turn into the left lane. The other driver was still wrong to assume that you would and go into the right lane. You should turn into the left lane and then merge into the right before the bus lane

.

Turning into the left would be the decent thing to do, but is not a rule of the road. As you say the other driver was in the wrong.

djimi · 10-12-2013 2:32pm

tobsey wrote: »

The other driver was in the wrong but when turning onto a dual carraige-way you should turn into the left lane. The other driver was still wrong to assume that you would and go into the right lane. You should turn into the left lane and then merge into the right before the bus lane.

Even if you were to turn into the left lane the other car would have no right to turn in front of/alongside you.

tobsey · 10-12-2013 3:01pm

ardmacha wrote: »

.

Turning into the left would be the decent thing to do, but is not a rule of the road. As you say the other driver was in the wrong.

It is a rule of the road. The left lane is the driving lane so that's the lane you turn into.

djimi wrote: »

Even if you were to turn into the left lane the other car would have no right to turn in front of/alongside you.

That's what I said. The other car was in the wrong, no question about that. I just made the point that the OP should have joined the road in the left lane.

As an aside that drives me mad. I hate when you are waiting to turn left onto a two lane road but the cars in front won't join the left lane because there is a bus lane ahead. They should join in the left lane and merge before the bus lane starts.

Case in point here. Cars coming down Belmont Avenue and turning left wait for a gap in the right lane, when they could just join in the left lane and merge 50 meters up the road.

Greyfoot · 10-12-2013 3:02pm

If it was full green on both sides as it should be then he MUST give way to those going straight or turning left AT ALL TIMES before completing their right-bigger radius-turn.

At least that is how I learnt back home even though with right hand side driving.
These sort of questions and situations in theory test were all high priority three point-questions btw.

Cross road junction with 2 lanes to turn into - near miss? Who's right?

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