Awkward Turn

therambler

Hi everyone! I've my driving test on Saturday and I've one question left that I forgot to ask my driving instructor. I was hoping the good people of 'Learning to drive' can help me! There is a very sharp left turn (I've included a photo of it from Google Maps) which I find impossible to make without crossing over a continuous white line. I'm not sure what my positioning at the stop line should be.. Any tips on what's the best way to approach this?

cantdecide

I can see little chance of achieving that turn legally as it appears without the aid of a unicycle. Assuming you're not expecting to hit that turn in your upcoming test, my advice is 'improvisation is everything'- put on your common sense trousers and your safety hat.

I'd make sure there was no traffic coming from any direction that might impede me and then as I approach the junction, at the last minute I'd swerve right and 'clip' the white line and hook back left on full lock to stop squarely on the stop line within my lane.

If another car approached the junction at the same time as me, I'd either try to slow to the point that the juntion was clear and safe or else I'd consider just aborting and turning right and find a safe place to turn about. up the road.

It may not be as tight in reality as it appears in the pic but it looks like a right pain to negotiate. Again, just do whatever you do staying mindful of other road users. If that junction is on your commute, I'd consider finding an alternative route.

therambler

cantdecide wrote: »

I can see little chance of achieving that turn legally as it appears without the aid of a unicycle. Assuming you're not expecting to hit that turn in your upcoming test, my advice is 'improvisation is everything'- put on your common sense trousers and your safety hat.

I'd make sure there was no traffic coming from any direction that might impede me and then as I approach the junction, at the last minute I'd swerve right and 'clip' the white line and hook back left on full lock to stop squarely on the stop line within my lane.

If another car approached the junction at the same time as me, I'd either try to slow to the point that the juntion was clear and safe or else I'd consider just aborting and turning right and find a safe place to turn about. up the road.

It may not be as tight in reality as it appears in the pic but it looks like a right pain to negotiate. Again, just do whatever you do staying mindful of other road users. If that junction is on your commute, I'd consider finding an alternative route.

Thanks for your reply Hopefully I won't have to make that turn during my test! I think a lot of experienced drivers would even struggle with that turn. The only thing is, if I stop squarely at the stop line then my tail end will partially block the other lane. It seems impossible to do without breaking a white line somewhere and just out of picture to the left is a humpback bridge so it's pretty dangerous.

Craftylee

I think the most important thing here is to not block the other lane when stopped and also to ensure it's clear both ways before going. If you position yourself for the turn and block / impede the other lane, that's bad. Especially if another car comes along and wants to go and you're blocking the lane.

If it's clear both ways and during the turn you enter the other side of the road that shouldn't be an issue considering how tight it is. It will be safe to do so as you made sure it was clear first