M50 - question about moving from right lane to middle lane

Johnny Storm

I have been commuting every day on the M50 for over 5 years.
On two occasions recently, while traffic is pretty busy, I have moved from the right-most lane (lane 3) to the centre lane and and have heard someone blowing their horn and seen someone coming from lane 1 to lane 2 behind me with an angry/horrified look on their faces.
I have found a good spot to move into, checked my mirror, indicated in plenty of time and looked over my shoulder to check my blind spot (same as I always do)
The first time this happened I assumed the person behind me was an idiot but now that it has happened twice I am beginning to wonder if I am doing something wrong?
I'm hoping for some practical suggestions here, thanks! :pac:

Isambard

if they are behind you, it's their problem. They are an idiot.

Red Kev

Is this the first time that an OP doesn;t have to be corrected on the "Slow-Lane/Fast-Lane" thing?

On that basis alone that they named the lanes correctly, the OP is right, even if they are wrong. :P

landmarkjohn

You can have a scenario where a car in lane 1 moves to empty lane 2 at the same time as you want to occcupy the same piece of lane 2. Around busy junctions more likely.

My methodolgy on busy parts like this is if I am not coming off at next junction is to stay out in lane 3 away from all the lane changing going on. As long as you are keeping up with traffic in lane 3 no issue. I am not talking about empty motorway here, I don't see the point of changing lane every 10 seconds to satisfy the purists, only putting yourself in danger, as you have seen lane changing is more hazardous than driving straight and keeping up with traffic.

freddieot

Did you slow down a bit as you moved over, in order to fit into the gap ? Sometimes this can confuse people who are accelerating from the left lane into the middle lane.

I find the safest way is to generally try to increase power when I switch lanes on the M50. It helps to avoid the situation you are talking about, as quite often I see two cars going for the same middle lane gap.

Henry Ford III

M50 lane discipline is a dangerous mistress.

stesaurus

Moving from 3rd lane to 2nd lane you have priority over someone coming from lane 1 to 2. They need to give you right of way.
It's an issue at times as most drivers in this country just don't have the experience of multi >2 lane motorways.

dudara

Technically by moving from lane 3 to lane 2, you are completing an overtaking manoeuver. The car moving from lane 1 to lane 2 is commencing an overtaking manouever and should give way. Of course, that's the theory. Practicality is another thing

TheShow

a dangerous task as the best of times. I've found that lane one seems to move the fastest even in slow moving traffic, so if those drivers that coast in the middle lane moved to the left the traffic might actually flow smoothly..

ironclaw

TheShow wrote: »

a dangerous task as the best of times. I've found that lane one seems to move the fastest even in slow moving traffic, so if those drivers that coast in the middle lane moved to the left the traffic might actually flow smoothly..

Funny you should mention that. I ran an improtu experiment a few mornings with a new GPS tracker in one of the cars, and yes, lane 1 is fastest point to point. The average speed is higher.

The M50 should have a solid white line 500m, during and 500m after every junction between lane 1 and 2. Let people get their sh*t together before the mad hop, skip and jump into lane 2 for usually no reason at all. It would keep lane 2 flowing smoother past junctions and leave lane 3 completely at pace. Better yet, make lane 3 a pool lane at peak hours where you can only exit at key junctions like in the US and Canada. Enforce the bejesus out of it and people might just stick to lane 1 and 2 out of fear of being fined.

Arcade_Tryer

If everyone simply kept a safe distance from each other on the M50 you wouldn't have these problems. Sheep.

wandererz

Are your signals (bulbs) working properly?

TheShow

wandererz wrote: »

Are your signals (bulbs) working properly?

I think its safe to say that we are exempt from using our indicators. Our at least you would get that impression from alot of drivers these days.

antodeco

wandererz wrote: »

Are your signals (bulbs) working properly?

Assuming this is a "you didn't indicate" comment, theoretically the OP doesn't need to, as they are returning to the driving lane. ie Indicate right when moving from driving lane into overtaking lane, no "real" requirement for moving back in. However, common sense kicks in!

At OP, this has happened me a few times. As others have said, the person moving from lane 1 into lane 2, is overtaking, so should give you right of way. Common sense approach is that the person in lane 1 would have better visibility of you moving back, as oppose to you seeing them in your mirror.

Damien360

antodeco wrote: »

Assuming this is a "you didn't indicate" comment, theoretically the OP doesn't need to, as they are returning to the driving lane. ie Indicate right when moving from driving lane into overtaking lane, no "real" requirement for moving back in. However, common sense kicks in!

At OP, this has happened me a few times. As others have said, the person moving from lane 1 into lane 2, is overtaking, so should give you right of way. Common sense approach is that the person in lane 1 would have better visibility of you moving back, as oppose to you seeing them in your mirror.

There are 3 lanes and an auxiliary lane. Yes they need to indicate every single time.

antodeco

You should indicate, but based on driving theory, you don't technically need to indicate to signal moving back into the driving lane, as it's "expected" that you'll return back to the driving lane.

Now obviously, common sense prevails and you should and you'd be stupid not to.

CiniO

Johnny Storm wrote: »

I have been commuting every day on the M50 for over 5 years.
On two occasions recently, while traffic is pretty busy, I have moved from the right-most lane (lane 3) to the centre lane and and have heard someone blowing their horn and seen someone coming from lane 1 to lane 2 behind me with an angry/horrified look on their faces.
I have found a good spot to move into, checked my mirror, indicated in plenty of time and looked over my shoulder to check my blind spot (same as I always do)
The first time this happened I assumed the person behind me was an idiot but now that it has happened twice I am beginning to wonder if I am doing something wrong?
I'm hoping for some practical suggestions here, thanks! :pac:

Is my understanding of the situation right, that you are moving from lane 3 to late 2, and at the same time someone is moving from lane 1 to lane 2, so you both are trying to enter the same space and at least one of you need to react to avoid collision?

If that's what you're asking, afaik there is no laws in Ireland to dictate who has right of way in such case, therefore you are both obliged to give right of way to each other, and in case of collision it would probably be 50/50.

CiniO

s.welstead wrote: »

Moving from 3rd lane to 2nd lane you have priority over someone coming from lane 1 to 2. They need to give you right of way..

Where did you get this from?
Nothing like that in any Irish traffic laws or Rules of the road...

Shame though, as most countries in the EU have very specific laws about that, and afaik it's always opposite to what you're saying.
It's driver from lane 3 moving to lane 2 who must give way to driver from lane 1 moving to lane 2.

Not in Ireland though.

Johnny Storm

Thanks for all the input lads. It doesn't sound like I am doing too much wrong. Its probably just a feature of using the M50. My indicators are working and I always use them

Dravokivich

CiniO wrote: »

Where did you get this from?
Nothing like that in any Irish traffic laws or Rules of the road...

Shame though, as most countries in the EU have very specific laws about that, and afaik it's always opposite to what you're saying.
It's driver from lane 3 moving to lane 2 who must give way to driver from lane 1 moving to lane 2.

Not in Ireland though.

The theory seems to put the need to give way to traffic already within the lane you are transferring to. Also that typically you should not be going faster than any lanes to your right. So someone going from Lane 1 to Lane 2, should not impede someone going from Lane 3 to Lane 2. The driver from Lane 1 should be behind whatever the driver in Lane 3 drove by.

hi5

Lanes 2 and 3 are overtaking lanes so all traffic in lanes 2 and 3 are by default trying to get back to lane 1 and should be allowed to complete their overtaking.

Silane

I've seen people get annoyed by this too. I've often seen a nice big gap, indicated and started to move into it, then the car behind starts to speed up to close the gap, but I'm already in, then they have to brake because they sped up, and then they're angry because they had to brake. They should have just kept texting, then they never would have noticed and wouldn't have gotten angry.

The J Stands for Jay

landmarkjohn wrote: »

You can have a scenario where a car in lane 1 moves to empty lane 2 at the same time as you want to occcupy the same piece of lane 2. Around busy junctions more likely.

It's called undertaking and they're not supposed to do it.

Isambard

what a lot of nonsense being posted here....

if you are ahead of the guy in lane one who wants to access lane 2 then you have right of way...if he's ahead, he has. It's that simple.

CiniO

Isambard wrote: »

what a lot of nonsense being posted here....

if you are ahead of the guy in lane one who wants to access lane 2 then you have right of way...if he's ahead, he has. It's that simple.

And what if no one is ahead of the other one and you both want to change to lane 2 (you from lane 3 and other driver from lane 1)

Isambard

then you proceed with caution.

The J Stands for Jay

I've been thinking about this one again. Was there actually any vehicle in lane 2 tht the op was overtaking? Perhaps op shouldn't have been in lane 3?

Johnny Storm

McGaggs wrote: »

I've been thinking about this one again. Was there actually any vehicle in lane 2 tht the op was overtaking? Perhaps op shouldn't have been in lane 3?

I was in lane 3 overtaking and wanted to move back to lane 2. I found a good spot to move into, checked my mirror, indicated in plenty of time and looked over my shoulder to check my blind spot and then moved. Despite that, someone, further back in lane 1, didn't see me or didn't look and decided to move into lane 2 at almost the same time.

CiniO

Johnny Storm wrote: »

I was in lane 3 overtaking and wanted to move back to lane 2. I found a good spot to move into, checked my mirror, indicated in plenty of time and looked over my shoulder to check my blind spot and then moved. Despite that, someone, further back in lane 1, didn't see me or didn't look and decided to move into lane 2 at almost the same time.

How far behind you was he when he started moving to lane 2?
What was his speed comparing to yours?

Isambard

yes, did you have a tape measure with you?

The J Stands for Jay

Johnny Storm wrote: »

I was in lane 3 overtaking and wanted to move back to lane 2. I found a good spot to move into, checked my mirror, indicated in plenty of time and looked over my shoulder to check my blind spot and then moved. Despite that, someone, further back in lane 1, didn't see me or didn't look and decided to move into lane 2 at almost the same time.

Sounds like you were right and they were undertaking.

TheDoc

Who knows OP?

I like to think I'm a safe driver with good knowledge and habbits, using M50 3 years now and I just pretty much have it boiled down to the below experience



Yesterday saw some spa react poorly to a taxi driver giving him ****. He made an illegal u turn before getting into the merging lane for m50 northbound, and swayed in and out in front of the taxi being just totally wreckless. Then proceeded to do it on the M50. Was doing nothing to me but through him a wanker sign on the way by.

I don't know what our traffic corp do to be honest, that was a serious incident at a high speed. I know they can't be everywhere, but I see traffic corp cars on the M50 at the times they really don't need to be patrolling there. Doing people for doing 120kmph at 3 in the morning like.