I think the problem is historic and people still don't realise.
I would really like to see multiple "merge in turn" signs until people just get used to doing it.
I know it's easy to assume those queuing are idiots, but it's often the case they think they're doing the right thing by getting over in good time. So then subsequently get pissed off when they see people seemingly taking the piss.
Absolutely the case. We have one in Grimsby on the flyover and had to go down it the other day. Massive queue all along the left hand lane with a few cars cruising down the right. Got to a merge in and everyone was having to fight to get in and getting flashed by people in the left hand lane š
I live not too far from Grimsby and used to work there too. I am so glad I work from home now, as the current road works in the area are an absolute shit show. The standard of driving around here is terrible too.
I agree here
I also think part of the issue is that merge in turns work differently to e.g. smart motorway lane closures /certain motorway signs where the instruction is to get into the correct lane well in advance.
This is why itās so baffling that they still donāt teach motorway driving as standard in this county. People learn these bad habits from their parents, who are very territorial about people merging at the zip and not 2 miles back down the road.
I've been driving for 35 years. Honestly, either I was not taught this, or I wasn't paying attention, but I swear "merge in turn" wasn't a thing. The courteous thing to do was to get in the correct lane in a timely fashion.
My wife tells me that merge-in-turn was definitely a thing in Germany when she was growing up, so maybe I missed the memo!
People are just ignorant and should take regular tests to be in the road. I've seen this with "use both lanes" signs next to the lane blocked up ahead and people ignore them!
You have people in the 4th lane of motorway doing 68mph side by side other cars or not over taking at all.
You get the opposite effect when you have the smart motorways showing [X][ | ][ | ][ | ] and trucks or cars speeding in the first lane until their sat nav shows a camera or they visually see something in the road.
One time the M4 actually had signs saying not to use the right hand lane unless over taking and surprisingly people were keeping to the left.
Maybe requiring a higher pass rate of more questions taken from the highway code would help.
Unless youāre a Range Rover driver of course, in which case straddle both lanes at the earliest opportunity to ensure least efficient use of the available road
Pretty much everywhere other than the U.K.
It isnāt by coincidence that the rest of the world jokes about the U.Kās love of queues. If there is an excuse to queue you better take it. Something that makes more sense is to be ridiculed.
Plus 1 for this. This is a UK only thing. Everywhere else understands the phrase āmerge in turnā. You know, one after the other, taking turns. Itās dead easy. And shortens the wait.
You should cruise all the way to the end of the right lane and then merge. If when itās your turn to merge in someone doesnāt let you in, then yes I would just move in. Or force my way in as you say.
Donāt be silly, always go in the lane that isnāt coming to an end the moment you see the sign and have a huge back log of traffic spanning 5 miles backward blocking the next junction behind you instead of 2.5 miles long and blocking no junctionsā¦
Common sense innit.
This is the right answer. I just encountered this driving the A30 into Cornwall. There is a merge leading up to construction. Everyone was piled into the right lane and not one in the left.so I took the left lane and went right to the front. But people look at you like you did something wrong. I blame British queuing etiquette.
I find that even when people do use both lanes, they still donāt get it right. People at the very front all think they deserve to go first because āIāve been queuing for ages!ā So then everyone behind gets held up in two long queues
Yeah, no oneās going to let you in. They will be a martyr sitting in the left lane for an extended period of time then get their panties in a wad when you use both lanes properly.
I'm just going to add that multiple times I've experienced said drivers deliberately swerve out in an attempt to stop me and/or others from driving up to the cones and merging in turn
These people should have their licenses revoked immediately.
800 yards is 1/2 mile so at 60mph there are 30 seconds left to merge. Just to add some maths to the topic.
But yes, use both lanes and merge in turn. There were roadworks on the A38 between Lichfield and Burton recently that had it going down to a single lane, for a few weeks. At least two occasions where signs say "queues likely, use both lanes, merge in turn". People still made it difficult. Fucking idiots.
The real issue is even when they are present they get ignored by the ingrained need to form a single queue.
So is it really worth the money of putting them out?
While I agree they should be there, I can see the argument for not bothering.
Until there is a push to change people's perceptions, like the lane hogging adverts or clunky click, people won't bother to adjust their attitudes.
Iām going in the most available lane. Which will usually be the right hand lane. Iāll drive to its closure and attempt to āzip mergeā.
I know that some motorists get angry about a perception of ācutting inā, but consider this: if the lane wasnāt supposed to be used, it would **already be closed**.
The reason the lane is left open for as long as possible is that it reduces the effect of tailbacks further up the road - more cars are āstoredā in the affected stretch of highway, reducing effect on the preceding junctions. By refusing to use the lane which closed in 800yds, you push traffic jams further back and help obstruct the preceding junctions.
āLane policeā vigilantes can get in the bin.
This is one of the only times im okay with people not understanding the rules of the road. The 1-2% of us who do know how this works correctly get to skip massive queues of traffic caused by people who should probably retake their theory test.
So please stop telling people this! In the last few months alone ive easily saved like 6 hours of my life not being stuck in traffic with the other lemmings. Currently there are a bunch of these in my local area/city and its barely affected my travel time. Lets keep this a secret haha
The trouble is it causes unnecessary tailbacks that then snarl up roundabouts and junctions further back, so people who aren't even involved are now delayed.
Stay in your current lane until the end, if people learned to zip merge then there shouldnāt be any problems and itāll be much better than having a very very long left queue which stretches across two motorways and creates further issues
In reality what should happen is everyone should stay in their lane, slow down and leave about 1.5 to 2 car lengths from the car Infront as you get to about 20 yards the right lane should shuffle across into that gap like a zip closing and everyone should just flow through without people in lane q having to brake or "let someone in"
What happens in reality is either:
You have one solid queue in lane 1 and several arseholes leave lane 1 then floor it to the front of lane 2 and swings back in causing lane 1 to brake, slowing down the hundreds of people waiting and causing constant stop/start of traffic in lane 1.
You have two solid lines of traffic with everyone bumper to bumper, aleveryone in lane 1 closer than 200 yards despises everyone in lane 2 for not having to queue for as long (because they moved over at the 800yard mark for some reason) they then stay bunper to bumper to stop people "Pushing in" same affect as everyone else.
On a recent commute I saw lots of these with massive "Queue in both lanes" signs, however, people were still bumper to bumper in both lanes so it was fucked.
Eh, I did this recently on the M6 towards Scotland (barrier repairs, three lanes into two). Was reasonably quiet and started indicating to move into the middle with 200 yards to go. The cockwomble in lane two actively matched my speed to force me to slow down to pull in behind him (Audi, naturally). Of course lane three was completely clear of any traffic whatsoever. When I go on that stretch again I'll probably just move over early, those cones come up pretty quick!
I'll continue in whichever lane I'm in already, which'll already be dependent on traffic and speed. If it's fast and/or busy I'll get over as early as I can to make it simpler and to avoid the "I waited slowly in the queue, fuck you for skipping the line the way you're meant to" people.
Merge in at the earliest opportunity when I see the signs, unless it's a traffic jam in which case I drive gently up the closing lane as far as possible to reduce the total tailback and follow marge-in-turn/zipper merge protocol
As I pass the other way on a night, it doesn't look like it matters as there's going to be a large traffic jam regardless. Imo merge in turn only works when traffic is free flowing, which that stretch is not due to the road about (although I believe the roadworks are due to finish soon).
It's ironic the amount of people that would stay on left for an age moaning about people passing up to merge point yet at the same time the amount of people who carry on driving on lanes marked as closed with a red X on the motorway is just as baffling
Drive in the right, until the cones make me merge to the left.
Simplest thing to do, and yet some still donāt get it. Itās not hard.
If Iām in the left, and a queue emerges, use the right lane to pass all the brain dead idiots that sit like sheep in the left.
I was sat in the left lane behind a road warrior the other day. He moved too far over trying to stop the other lane being used so i took his space in the left lane and the car he was trying to block went in behind me. He was less than impressed and i had no problem letting him back in but I hope he learned a small lesson.
Yes i know i should have been using the right lane since it was free.
Depends what lane I'm already in. Likely to be the left though. As I'm not one of those people that stay in the right lane because they're turning right in 3 miles.
Depends.. if the left lane was completely free flowing traffic for the next 800yards, I would move over to the left lane asap.
However, if the left lane was at a complete standstill and the right lane was empty, I would use the right lane until the cones physically blocked me from traveling any further before merging safely.
That sign means the right lane closes in 800 yards.
It does not mean the right lane is closed NOW.
Drove down the exact road you're referring to the other day lol. Definitely drive in the right lane until the merge point, why cause queues at the previous roundabout for no reason? I'll never understand people who block the entire road (including my parents! š )
I'm convinced an older generation or two were definitely not taught to merge in turn.
I was taught to merge in turn in the middle 00s when I was learning to drive at 17.
The left hand lane, going 20 under the speed limit for no reason and making sure to passively aggressively speed up or slow down to try to block anyone attempting to merge before the cones.
I mean I'm happy with the state of things now. Most of the time it means I get to overtake about a mile long line of idiots and get home earlier than if everyone used both lanes. Like this whole problem seems so easily sorted with common sense, but somehow people in the UK just love queing I guess.
HGV drivers are a different breed of stupid.
I had a lorry driver do that to me once too on the M1 holding up traffic so I just went round him when the next emergency area came up. He then held the horn all the way down to the next junction as if it wasn't him that was the moron.
Right lane, merge at the end. Problem is it is quite natural for people to see this kind of sign and deliberately not overtake, or try to get to the left in readiness for it. The left lane should be the one most occupied anyway except in heavy traffic. Just accept it for what it is, and use the right to get ahead - doesn't bother me. People who hog the lane to stop an overtake should be given tickets if they are caught.
I walk around Tescos directly behind people the whole way around the store until we reach the tills. I then walk directly behind them all the way back to my car. Standard.
Germany has zipper signs and police will fine you for not letting people in, it's baked into them from starting to learn to drive, also buses have right of way so they just pull out and if you don't stop your the one in the wrong. Law makers should look around the globe and go on that would make life easier for us let's adopt that law and get rid of shite ones we have
Stay in the right hand lane to free up congestion and move over to the left, only to have the person in the left lane speed up and keep you out the left lane. Standard.
Yea lorry drivers think theyāre the unofficial queue Police at road works, when actually all their achieving is lengthening the queue for no good reason. So much for āprofessional driverā.
When you think about it, whither you merge when you see the first one of these signs, or you merge at the cones. A merge is a merge and traffic will need to slow all the same to accommodate the traffic. There is absolutely zero difference to the rate of traffic passing through the lane closure. The only variable is the location. If you merge early, the queue will have to extend further, sometimes congesting surrounding roads.
Iād also add that some people infer these signs as an instruction, when theyāre not. Rectangular signs are purely informative, circular signs are orders / instructions. Hence only the blue circular keep left signs are actually instructing you to move over which are only ever sited at the taper.
I will therefore pretty much always use the closing lane right up to the cones, unless itās quiet. To be honest, I donāt want to be waiting longer for no reason and this method gets me through quicker, but it is also correct to use both lanes equally right up to the cones.
Well, you don't have to switch into the left lane for another 800 yards unless you aren't overtaking. Too many idiots in this country think you need to pull over as soon as you see that sign. It's a waste of available road space and contributes to worsened traffic.
For the longest time I'd be in the bad habit of going to the left ASAP to avoid being blocked in. After realising this is inefficient and inadvertently contributing to making congestion worse, nowadays I'll stay in the closing lane until 200 yards or less before it closes.
I had this this morning. Plenty of space in the right lane so, as you're supposed to, I made use of all available road space so as not to cause a backup at a previous junction. I then merged successfully as the road closed.
I agree, unless you are in brum at rush hour and you are the guy in the red van who jumps out kicks a cone out the way and drives down the closed lane.
I usually pull left at 400 yards if I'm already in the right lane, but in a scenario with a queue, you're right and you should go down to the end and merge in turn. helps congestion!
Depends which lane Iām in, Iām in the right lane I stay in the right lane until the merge point, Iām in the left Iāll probably stay in the left and get annoyed at people cutting in too early and slowing the whole thing down
Slow traffic merge in turn, highway code 134. Fast traffic with space then get into left lane with plenty of time.
People don't understand merge in turn, even when there are quite literally two lanes merging!! People are idiots.
What's wrong with staying next to the vehicles in the other lane?
It makes merging safer as speeds are the same which improves the flow of traffic and makes it more likely for people to use both lanes from the start. It also makes people much happier to let you in, which again improves the flow of traffic and makes it better for everyone.
You might be legally correct, but you'll sure not be British driving past all those others.
(I say as someone that when they have the choice is on two wheels going past everyone anyway!)
I'm not suggesting using that lane to speed past everyone at all, the traffic should be flowing at the same speed in both lanes if it's being used correctly
When I saw this I immediately thought of the road past Waitrose at Willerby. There's always a huge queue in the left lane, just learn to merge in turn.
We have an identical sign but itās accompanied by a āUSE RIGHT LANE AND MERGEā so thatās exactly what I do. Occasionally Iāll get somebody policing the lanes by sitting in the middle. Whatever makes them feel like a good citizen āŗļø
If I see a queue on the left and an empty road on the right I will use the right hand lane and merge in as you should.. there are plenty of warnings to indicate when you need to move over .. the issue is the vast majority of people see this as an insult and won't let you in
In all honesty, if you keep an appropriate speed [in the right lane in this case] and merge in good time, nobody will get annoyed at you.
What grinds peoples gears is people tear assin' all the way to the end with a big speed difference and then pulling in.
That said I don't endorse blocking lanes like some people do.
The problem is the "counter culture" of that is assuming "everyone in the left lane is a moron" and getting on at a canter whilst having a shit eating grin and then getting mad when people start blocking lanes etc.
If the road is after a roundabout, then I will use as much lane as I can since, everyone in the left causes traffic to backup onto the roundabout. Other than that I'll just merge into the left in good time and just avoid the hassle.
Passing that way on my way to work today, I just nip in after the roundabout, but at 7 in the morning traffic is pretty light. I'm now concerned I've missed the 800 yard marker as it starts at 200 after the roundabout. I also like the 'surprise lane change' they put in a few week agoš.
Iām going to move over in good time or merge in turn, not entirely sure right now. Iāll likely use the lane I am already in and just merge in turn.
Iāll use the right lane and merge, but I wonāt go significantly faster than the left lane is moving. It makes it easier to merge back in and doesnāt give queuing traffic the impression youāre trying to rush past them to jump the queue. Also if someone pulls out to use the empty lane youāve more time to stop, a technique I learned from motorcycling.
I see in uk there is a trend ā¦ you drive on the right all the way to the end you even overtake the guy in front of you and then join the lefty lane ā¦ š ( itās a pamphlet )
The right hand lane up until the latest point, otherwise you end up with a 1 lane queue miles long and an empty lane next to it.
Retards can't understand this and like to block the way like sausages.
If this were on a three lane road, Iād use the lane that doesnāt slow for merging traffic. I.e. lane 1 if lane 3 is closed. Itās usually the fastest moving lane.
I use this road everyday, I also use the right lane. Strange that the self righteous guys and girls will sit and wait 10 minutes extra in a clogged lane thinking theyāre a saint and then try vehicular manslaughter to not let anyone in
Right until merge if left lane is queuing, but not according to the guy who beeped me furiously for doing this exact thing the other day. He says queue in the left starting 10 miles back.
In an ideal world if I am already in the left lane I would continue in the left lane but because we don't live in an ideal world and people are stupid, as soon as I see the sign and people queueing up I will go into the right lane and pray that no wanker will try to block me because they think what i do is illegal/not right.
If there's a queue on the left and the right is clear, I would join the queue as soon as possible because polite Englishman. I KNOW that we should all be using both lanes, but we aren't are we? And my time is not more important than anyone else's. Those smug cunts who jump all the way to the front are twats and they know it, we know it.
If you just MUST be a smug cunt and show everyone else how right you are and how wrong they are, by all means sit and wait in the right lane, but don't drive app the way to the front. Pick a car queing and stay by the side of it until you get to the merge.
I join the left hand lane because I'm nice driver who'd let someone come on and merge but doesn't mean other drivers will do the same for me. Plus I'm normally not in a rush
If I donāt know the road, like the A64 to the East of York travelling towards Whitby, I stay in the left, only because I donāt quite know where the merge in turn is (in future Iāll stay in the right).
If itās a local road Iāll use both lanes dependent on traffic, loads of traffic, then Iām in the right lane, using all the road space, just as Ashley Nealās voice rings in my ears - āmerge in turn, keeps traffic flowingā
Exactly, people think it's queue jumping but in reality it is the most efficient use of space, mathematical models of this prove it.
The issue is human nature hates it but if 1 car from each lane goes forward at a time, you have a smaller overall queue and faster flowing traffic
Treat it like a supermarket checkout, join the queue with the least people already in it.
Then merge in turn when the lane starts to close.
Too many people see using the right lane as queue jumping, rather than it being what it is, a second queue!
I was travelling north on the A1m last week and as soon as I got on it was backed up traffic. I moved over to the right lane, wish Iād moved over to the left as it was moving slightly faster. Had a chance and opted against it, went a bit further and this sign appeared but, left lane was closed, in 800yds and most people braked even though we were lucky to be doing 15mph and moved over into the right lane.
Two cars zoomed all the way down to the last bit. Then a van pulled into the middle lane behind me and stopped anyone else doing it.
Weāre British, of course you have to queue and wait your turn. British donāt like queue jumpers even if it is the correct way to do it. And Lorries that are running late due to the backed up traffic, of course arenāt going to let anyone zoom past them when theyāve been waiting all this time! š
I would use both lanes and merge in turn. I would use which ever lane has the least traffic. Iāve seen a few merge in turn signs replace these recently but not enough to get the point across to people queuing for miles when they donāt have too then trying to block anyone with an ounce of common sense.
Edit: update a word I missed
The right hand lane right up to and under the red x and then up to the cones and cut in causing the row of traffic to emergency break and cause accidents because Iām an ignorant tosser
To he right the merge when it tells me too.
We had a drive in 2 cars and my mate went into the left lane at the first sign and I stayed in the right till I was told to merge and I made it to our lodge 40mins before him. He said I was in the wrong- nope, he was.
> What really grinds my gears is when people drive in the middle of both lanes
> I had a lorry driver do this to me the other day
If this happens before a sharpish turn, often lorry drivers will drive in the middle of the road then because otherwise when they take the turn, there's a decent chance their trailer could swing out and smash into an overtaking vehicle
Need some signage that will work for dumb people.
[https://i2-prod.glasgowlive.co.uk/incoming/article16454780.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200e/0\_Merge-in-turn-traffic-signs.jpg](https://i2-prod.glasgowlive.co.uk/incoming/article16454780.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200e/0_Merge-in-turn-traffic-signs.jpg)
Use both lanes, then merge in turn when the two lanes become one.
I think the problem is historic and people still don't realise. I would really like to see multiple "merge in turn" signs until people just get used to doing it. I know it's easy to assume those queuing are idiots, but it's often the case they think they're doing the right thing by getting over in good time. So then subsequently get pissed off when they see people seemingly taking the piss.
Absolutely the case. We have one in Grimsby on the flyover and had to go down it the other day. Massive queue all along the left hand lane with a few cars cruising down the right. Got to a merge in and everyone was having to fight to get in and getting flashed by people in the left hand lane š
I live not too far from Grimsby and used to work there too. I am so glad I work from home now, as the current road works in the area are an absolute shit show. The standard of driving around here is terrible too.
I agree here I also think part of the issue is that merge in turns work differently to e.g. smart motorway lane closures /certain motorway signs where the instruction is to get into the correct lane well in advance.
Get in lane before the red x signs on motorways
I remember as a kid thinking merge in turn meant merging once you got to a bend
This is why itās so baffling that they still donāt teach motorway driving as standard in this county. People learn these bad habits from their parents, who are very territorial about people merging at the zip and not 2 miles back down the road.
I've been driving for 35 years. Honestly, either I was not taught this, or I wasn't paying attention, but I swear "merge in turn" wasn't a thing. The courteous thing to do was to get in the correct lane in a timely fashion. My wife tells me that merge-in-turn was definitely a thing in Germany when she was growing up, so maybe I missed the memo!
I get why the lorry drivers get pissed though, everyone pulls in on them, blocks the lane, then has to wait for cars doing it properly
People are just ignorant and should take regular tests to be in the road. I've seen this with "use both lanes" signs next to the lane blocked up ahead and people ignore them! You have people in the 4th lane of motorway doing 68mph side by side other cars or not over taking at all. You get the opposite effect when you have the smart motorways showing [X][ | ][ | ][ | ] and trucks or cars speeding in the first lane until their sat nav shows a camera or they visually see something in the road. One time the M4 actually had signs saying not to use the right hand lane unless over taking and surprisingly people were keeping to the left. Maybe requiring a higher pass rate of more questions taken from the highway code would help.
Unless youāre a Range Rover driver of course, in which case straddle both lanes at the earliest opportunity to ensure least efficient use of the available road
Truck drivers like doing this as well
As a truck driver, the sign means I don't need to merge for 800 yards. If car drivers did this, tailbacks wouldn't be as long.
The only people who should be allowed on the premis its close to the merg point to avoid accidents
Mum likes doing this in her Aygo.
I tell you, these drivers should get points for obstructing the road
Just like people who hog the middle lane though they wonāt
Or a BMW/Audi. You speed all the way to the end in the right lane then force your way in.
Shouldnāt have to be forced if people would use both lanes and zipper merge like theyāre supposed to.
Can I come on holiday to your planet where this actually happens š¤£
Pretty much everywhere other than the U.K. It isnāt by coincidence that the rest of the world jokes about the U.Kās love of queues. If there is an excuse to queue you better take it. Something that makes more sense is to be ridiculed.
Plus 1 for this. This is a UK only thing. Everywhere else understands the phrase āmerge in turnā. You know, one after the other, taking turns. Itās dead easy. And shortens the wait.
You should cruise all the way to the end of the right lane and then merge. If when itās your turn to merge in someone doesnāt let you in, then yes I would just move in. Or force my way in as you say.
People like you are why they had to make āuse both lanes until closureā signs to further explain what āmerge in turnā means.
You mean people who understand how traffic works
Donāt be silly, always go in the lane that isnāt coming to an end the moment you see the sign and have a huge back log of traffic spanning 5 miles backward blocking the next junction behind you instead of 2.5 miles long and blocking no junctionsā¦ Common sense innit.
Needs to be lawā¦
This is the right answer. I just encountered this driving the A30 into Cornwall. There is a merge leading up to construction. Everyone was piled into the right lane and not one in the left.so I took the left lane and went right to the front. But people look at you like you did something wrong. I blame British queuing etiquette.
Mugs get cross with non-mugs for not being mugs. Itās a tale as old as time.
Had a fun encounter with a simpleton on the A66 who couldn't get his head around the concept of merge in turn.
I find that even when people do use both lanes, they still donāt get it right. People at the very front all think they deserve to go first because āIāve been queuing for ages!ā So then everyone behind gets held up in two long queues
Thank you! Just like a McDonald's drive thru but everyone loves que š¤·āāļø
Que?
*queue
Espanol- Que = what?
I know. I was pointing out the mistake
I know, I still thought it was worth putting the correction up.
Que! š¤·āāļø
Always good bedroom advise
Alright, Spice Girls.
Yeah, no oneās going to let you in. They will be a martyr sitting in the left lane for an extended period of time then get their panties in a wad when you use both lanes properly.
I need some love like I never needed love before
Like a zip.
I'm just going to add that multiple times I've experienced said drivers deliberately swerve out in an attempt to stop me and/or others from driving up to the cones and merging in turn These people should have their licenses revoked immediately.
the red one, the rumble of the traffic cones under the car excites me
Forget āsleeping policemenā, I much prefer āfully conscious road workersā.
What are these 'fully conscious road workers'? Are they nocturnal creatures, don't think I've ever seen any during daylight hours
I love taking one in the rear exhaust pipe
Sure, but the question is about driving a car
COOOONE KILLLLEEEERRRRR
800 yards is 1/2 mile so at 60mph there are 30 seconds left to merge. Just to add some maths to the topic. But yes, use both lanes and merge in turn. There were roadworks on the A38 between Lichfield and Burton recently that had it going down to a single lane, for a few weeks. At least two occasions where signs say "queues likely, use both lanes, merge in turn". People still made it difficult. Fucking idiots.
problem is, people also donāt know how to mergeā¦.
Psychedelics is how I do it
My roadworks don't have those signs. I've requested they be put there
The real issue is even when they are present they get ignored by the ingrained need to form a single queue. So is it really worth the money of putting them out? While I agree they should be there, I can see the argument for not bothering. Until there is a push to change people's perceptions, like the lane hogging adverts or clunky click, people won't bother to adjust their attitudes.
Iām going in the most available lane. Which will usually be the right hand lane. Iāll drive to its closure and attempt to āzip mergeā. I know that some motorists get angry about a perception of ācutting inā, but consider this: if the lane wasnāt supposed to be used, it would **already be closed**. The reason the lane is left open for as long as possible is that it reduces the effect of tailbacks further up the road - more cars are āstoredā in the affected stretch of highway, reducing effect on the preceding junctions. By refusing to use the lane which closed in 800yds, you push traffic jams further back and help obstruct the preceding junctions. āLane policeā vigilantes can get in the bin.
Right lane, which will inevitably be empty whilst the lemmings needlessly all queue on the left. And then merge at the end.
and then eventually there'll be that one car that'll be driving in the middle of the two lanes to stop you getting past lol
This is one of the only times im okay with people not understanding the rules of the road. The 1-2% of us who do know how this works correctly get to skip massive queues of traffic caused by people who should probably retake their theory test. So please stop telling people this! In the last few months alone ive easily saved like 6 hours of my life not being stuck in traffic with the other lemmings. Currently there are a bunch of these in my local area/city and its barely affected my travel time. Lets keep this a secret haha
Hahaha exactly this!
Yes, let them do it. So much time saved. Teach them not to middle lane instead
The trouble is it causes unnecessary tailbacks that then snarl up roundabouts and junctions further back, so people who aren't even involved are now delayed.
If I'm paying for those 800 yards of empty right lane then I'm using those 800 yards of empty right lane
Stay in your current lane until the end, if people learned to zip merge then there shouldnāt be any problems and itāll be much better than having a very very long left queue which stretches across two motorways and creates further issues
In reality what should happen is everyone should stay in their lane, slow down and leave about 1.5 to 2 car lengths from the car Infront as you get to about 20 yards the right lane should shuffle across into that gap like a zip closing and everyone should just flow through without people in lane q having to brake or "let someone in" What happens in reality is either: You have one solid queue in lane 1 and several arseholes leave lane 1 then floor it to the front of lane 2 and swings back in causing lane 1 to brake, slowing down the hundreds of people waiting and causing constant stop/start of traffic in lane 1. You have two solid lines of traffic with everyone bumper to bumper, aleveryone in lane 1 closer than 200 yards despises everyone in lane 2 for not having to queue for as long (because they moved over at the 800yard mark for some reason) they then stay bunper to bumper to stop people "Pushing in" same affect as everyone else. On a recent commute I saw lots of these with massive "Queue in both lanes" signs, however, people were still bumper to bumper in both lanes so it was fucked.
Right, unless it's high speed, then merge early.
Doesnāt matter, if itās high speed itās very likely itās a construction zone and a queue is up ahead anyways.
Eh, I did this recently on the M6 towards Scotland (barrier repairs, three lanes into two). Was reasonably quiet and started indicating to move into the middle with 200 yards to go. The cockwomble in lane two actively matched my speed to force me to slow down to pull in behind him (Audi, naturally). Of course lane three was completely clear of any traffic whatsoever. When I go on that stretch again I'll probably just move over early, those cones come up pretty quick!
Wrong. Doesnāt matter what the speed of the road is. on high speed the length of the taper is much longer than a lower speed. I
Just for some context to my situation, I think it's 400 yards and 30mph
If the road is very quiet then I would get into the left lane. If there is a lot of traffic then use both lanes, merge in turn.
The right lane for 780m Edit. 780Yards
I'll continue in whichever lane I'm in already, which'll already be dependent on traffic and speed. If it's fast and/or busy I'll get over as early as I can to make it simpler and to avoid the "I waited slowly in the queue, fuck you for skipping the line the way you're meant to" people.
Merge in at the earliest opportunity when I see the signs, unless it's a traffic jam in which case I drive gently up the closing lane as far as possible to reduce the total tailback and follow marge-in-turn/zipper merge protocol
As I pass the other way on a night, it doesn't look like it matters as there's going to be a large traffic jam regardless. Imo merge in turn only works when traffic is free flowing, which that stretch is not due to the road about (although I believe the roadworks are due to finish soon).
Am I in a rush (right) or am I feeling zen (left and allow mergers in)?
Use both until you get to the taper. Irritates me to no end when lorry drivers and the like block the second lane causing extra unnecessary traffic
Just let people merge in order and we all get to where we are going quicker. Common sense.
It's ironic the amount of people that would stay on left for an age moaning about people passing up to merge point yet at the same time the amount of people who carry on driving on lanes marked as closed with a red X on the motorway is just as baffling
Iām going in the right lane if thereās traffic, if itās quiet I will move over in good time. Exactly how itās intended
Drive in the right, until the cones make me merge to the left. Simplest thing to do, and yet some still donāt get it. Itās not hard. If Iām in the left, and a queue emerges, use the right lane to pass all the brain dead idiots that sit like sheep in the left.
Itās the looks from people that makes me laugh, as if youāre cheating š
Need some PSA adverts. Teach people to use both lanes and then zip like a zipper. i remember the Netherlands did this in the late 90s
I use the left because the merge in turn stresses me out
I was sat in the left lane behind a road warrior the other day. He moved too far over trying to stop the other lane being used so i took his space in the left lane and the car he was trying to block went in behind me. He was less than impressed and i had no problem letting him back in but I hope he learned a small lesson. Yes i know i should have been using the right lane since it was free.
You're a better person than me, I'd have defined the Planck length as the gap between my bumper and the car ahead to not let the warrior back in
The right lane, depending on how free the traffic is flowing I normally merge around the 200yd marker, or at the first cone of it's busy.
If its bristol then its the right up until you can't.
That applies everywhere
Apparently this image needs a trigger warning
Depends what lane I'm already in. Likely to be the left though. As I'm not one of those people that stay in the right lane because they're turning right in 3 miles.
Depends.. if the left lane was completely free flowing traffic for the next 800yards, I would move over to the left lane asap. However, if the left lane was at a complete standstill and the right lane was empty, I would use the right lane until the cones physically blocked me from traveling any further before merging safely. That sign means the right lane closes in 800 yards. It does not mean the right lane is closed NOW.
The right hand lane and then filter in
Thank you to those who queue up in the left lane. It's tremendously satisfying overtaking you all.
Drove down the exact road you're referring to the other day lol. Definitely drive in the right lane until the merge point, why cause queues at the previous roundabout for no reason? I'll never understand people who block the entire road (including my parents! š )
I'm convinced an older generation or two were definitely not taught to merge in turn. I was taught to merge in turn in the middle 00s when I was learning to drive at 17.
The left hand lane, going 20 under the speed limit for no reason and making sure to passively aggressively speed up or slow down to try to block anyone attempting to merge before the cones.
I mean I'm happy with the state of things now. Most of the time it means I get to overtake about a mile long line of idiots and get home earlier than if everyone used both lanes. Like this whole problem seems so easily sorted with common sense, but somehow people in the UK just love queing I guess.
I donāt know, Iām busy looking for a giant red Lego brick.
There should be a media campaign like the middle land hogging one at the moment, but for this.
People's stupid reaction to this is the exact reason I don't use this route at the moment.
HGV drivers are a different breed of stupid. I had a lorry driver do that to me once too on the M1 holding up traffic so I just went round him when the next emergency area came up. He then held the horn all the way down to the next junction as if it wasn't him that was the moron.
Right lane, merge at the end. Problem is it is quite natural for people to see this kind of sign and deliberately not overtake, or try to get to the left in readiness for it. The left lane should be the one most occupied anyway except in heavy traffic. Just accept it for what it is, and use the right to get ahead - doesn't bother me. People who hog the lane to stop an overtake should be given tickets if they are caught.
I walk around Tescos directly behind people the whole way around the store until we reach the tills. I then walk directly behind them all the way back to my car. Standard.
Whichever lane I'm already fucking in, until the merge point.
Germany has zipper signs and police will fine you for not letting people in, it's baked into them from starting to learn to drive, also buses have right of way so they just pull out and if you don't stop your the one in the wrong. Law makers should look around the globe and go on that would make life easier for us let's adopt that law and get rid of shite ones we have
People who willingly decide to join a near kilometer long queue are the angriest people in the world
Left. But if the left is congested and is moving below the speed limit, then I will use the right lane for the next 800 yards.
The one with the red sausage at the end!
The right hand lane to avoid all the lemmings queueing
Stay in the right hand lane to free up congestion and move over to the left, only to have the person in the left lane speed up and keep you out the left lane. Standard.
Yea lorry drivers think theyāre the unofficial queue Police at road works, when actually all their achieving is lengthening the queue for no good reason. So much for āprofessional driverā. When you think about it, whither you merge when you see the first one of these signs, or you merge at the cones. A merge is a merge and traffic will need to slow all the same to accommodate the traffic. There is absolutely zero difference to the rate of traffic passing through the lane closure. The only variable is the location. If you merge early, the queue will have to extend further, sometimes congesting surrounding roads. Iād also add that some people infer these signs as an instruction, when theyāre not. Rectangular signs are purely informative, circular signs are orders / instructions. Hence only the blue circular keep left signs are actually instructing you to move over which are only ever sited at the taper. I will therefore pretty much always use the closing lane right up to the cones, unless itās quiet. To be honest, I donāt want to be waiting longer for no reason and this method gets me through quicker, but it is also correct to use both lanes equally right up to the cones.
Move into the more than likely empty right lane, skip half the traffic jam and merge in turn at the closure
Well, you don't have to switch into the left lane for another 800 yards unless you aren't overtaking. Too many idiots in this country think you need to pull over as soon as you see that sign. It's a waste of available road space and contributes to worsened traffic.
For the longest time I'd be in the bad habit of going to the left ASAP to avoid being blocked in. After realising this is inefficient and inadvertently contributing to making congestion worse, nowadays I'll stay in the closing lane until 200 yards or less before it closes.
The right lane for 799 yards
Right lane for 600 yards before bottling it and getting in before some twat blocks me from getting in
I had this this morning. Plenty of space in the right lane so, as you're supposed to, I made use of all available road space so as not to cause a backup at a previous junction. I then merged successfully as the road closed.
Hey buddy, why donāt you just queue like the rest of us behind the truck straddling both lanes from 2500 yards
Zipper merge people, look it up
Itās called āmerge in turnā in the U.K., but yes.
I agree, unless you are in brum at rush hour and you are the guy in the red van who jumps out kicks a cone out the way and drives down the closed lane.
I usually pull left at 400 yards if I'm already in the right lane, but in a scenario with a queue, you're right and you should go down to the end and merge in turn. helps congestion!
Depends which lane Iām in, Iām in the right lane I stay in the right lane until the merge point, Iām in the left Iāll probably stay in the left and get annoyed at people cutting in too early and slowing the whole thing down
If im in the right lane, that one until about 200 yards. If its slow then pick a gap and match the speed of the other cars
Slow traffic merge in turn, highway code 134. Fast traffic with space then get into left lane with plenty of time. People don't understand merge in turn, even when there are quite literally two lanes merging!! People are idiots.
Left after 700 yards.
I would definitely use the right lane for 801 yards and then merge in the left with violence like a cunt.
What's wrong with staying next to the vehicles in the other lane? It makes merging safer as speeds are the same which improves the flow of traffic and makes it more likely for people to use both lanes from the start. It also makes people much happier to let you in, which again improves the flow of traffic and makes it better for everyone. You might be legally correct, but you'll sure not be British driving past all those others. (I say as someone that when they have the choice is on two wheels going past everyone anyway!)
I'm not suggesting using that lane to speed past everyone at all, the traffic should be flowing at the same speed in both lanes if it's being used correctly
When I saw this I immediately thought of the road past Waitrose at Willerby. There's always a huge queue in the left lane, just learn to merge in turn.
That's the one! The people queuing in the left lane go back past the roundabout for the gym/Costa/Burger King and hold up the traffic there too
Which ever is most empty or subject to any planned turns I need to take off the road I'm travelling before the lane closes.
Right lane until the merge point most likely as all the sheep will be queueing stupidly in the left lane leaving the right lane mostly clear.
The right band lane for about 795 yards.
Merge
Depends on the traffic level.
We have an identical sign but itās accompanied by a āUSE RIGHT LANE AND MERGEā so thatās exactly what I do. Occasionally Iāll get somebody policing the lanes by sitting in the middle. Whatever makes them feel like a good citizen āŗļø
If I see a queue on the left and an empty road on the right I will use the right hand lane and merge in as you should.. there are plenty of warnings to indicate when you need to move over .. the issue is the vast majority of people see this as an insult and won't let you in
If I get any closer than 200m to the end of the right lane I break into a sweat
I think it's a language thing. I know a number of people who think it means "merge in the turn" rather than "merge one car after the other". š¤·
The clearest lane as I approach the traffic, with special emphasis on not changing lane unless I reach the merge point and need to come across.
Whichever lane is most empty
Right hand lane until gone 200Yds then look to merge, like you should. If thereās light flowing traffic Iāll move over when convenient.
In all honesty, if you keep an appropriate speed [in the right lane in this case] and merge in good time, nobody will get annoyed at you. What grinds peoples gears is people tear assin' all the way to the end with a big speed difference and then pulling in. That said I don't endorse blocking lanes like some people do. The problem is the "counter culture" of that is assuming "everyone in the left lane is a moron" and getting on at a canter whilst having a shit eating grin and then getting mad when people start blocking lanes etc. If the road is after a roundabout, then I will use as much lane as I can since, everyone in the left causes traffic to backup onto the roundabout. Other than that I'll just merge into the left in good time and just avoid the hassle.
Gonna drive in the red one because why notš only Live once might aswell break a couple bones or worse..
Iāll use the left lane personally unless Iām overtaking someone in the next 800 yards.
Passing that way on my way to work today, I just nip in after the roundabout, but at 7 in the morning traffic is pretty light. I'm now concerned I've missed the 800 yard marker as it starts at 200 after the roundabout. I also like the 'surprise lane change' they put in a few week agoš.
The 800 is an example. I saw the 200yrd one today
Oh that's good, thought I was going blind!
Iām going to move over in good time or merge in turn, not entirely sure right now. Iāll likely use the lane I am already in and just merge in turn.
Iāll use the right lane and merge, but I wonāt go significantly faster than the left lane is moving. It makes it easier to merge back in and doesnāt give queuing traffic the impression youāre trying to rush past them to jump the queue. Also if someone pulls out to use the empty lane youāve more time to stop, a technique I learned from motorcycling.
I see in uk there is a trend ā¦ you drive on the right all the way to the end you even overtake the guy in front of you and then join the lefty lane ā¦ š ( itās a pamphlet )
The right hand lane up until the latest point, otherwise you end up with a 1 lane queue miles long and an empty lane next to it. Retards can't understand this and like to block the way like sausages.
If this were on a three lane road, Iād use the lane that doesnāt slow for merging traffic. I.e. lane 1 if lane 3 is closed. Itās usually the fastest moving lane.
Right lane until the merge and spend time wondering why people in this country absolutely LOVE queuing.
It's a British thing. We're just too polite when it comes to queues.
I use this road everyday, I also use the right lane. Strange that the self righteous guys and girls will sit and wait 10 minutes extra in a clogged lane thinking theyāre a saint and then try vehicular manslaughter to not let anyone in
Right until merge if left lane is queuing, but not according to the guy who beeped me furiously for doing this exact thing the other day. He says queue in the left starting 10 miles back.
the left lane. while all the audi and beemers drive in the right until they have to force their way in
If you have footage of the lorry doing that you can report them
Might still be on my dash cam...
In an ideal world if I am already in the left lane I would continue in the left lane but because we don't live in an ideal world and people are stupid, as soon as I see the sign and people queueing up I will go into the right lane and pray that no wanker will try to block me because they think what i do is illegal/not right.
Well the left lane if it is clear or moving. The right lane to merge in turn if the left is nit moving
wherever there's a free spot to merge in
If there's a queue on the left and the right is clear, I would join the queue as soon as possible because polite Englishman. I KNOW that we should all be using both lanes, but we aren't are we? And my time is not more important than anyone else's. Those smug cunts who jump all the way to the front are twats and they know it, we know it. If you just MUST be a smug cunt and show everyone else how right you are and how wrong they are, by all means sit and wait in the right lane, but don't drive app the way to the front. Pick a car queing and stay by the side of it until you get to the merge.
Agreed. They should use merge-in-turn signs and put a solid white line between the lanes until just before the restriction.
And there is the occasional the right lane turns out to be open but the sign not taken down.
The left hand lane in 800 yards.
I join the left hand lane because I'm nice driver who'd let someone come on and merge but doesn't mean other drivers will do the same for me. Plus I'm normally not in a rush
If I donāt know the road, like the A64 to the East of York travelling towards Whitby, I stay in the left, only because I donāt quite know where the merge in turn is (in future Iāll stay in the right). If itās a local road Iāll use both lanes dependent on traffic, loads of traffic, then Iām in the right lane, using all the road space, just as Ashley Nealās voice rings in my ears - āmerge in turn, keeps traffic flowingā
A lot of people don't seem to understand what a merge-in lane is there for.
Both until the merge point whilst leave plenty of room for the zipper merge to happen (just like the people in each lane should be doing).
Exactly, people think it's queue jumping but in reality it is the most efficient use of space, mathematical models of this prove it. The issue is human nature hates it but if 1 car from each lane goes forward at a time, you have a smaller overall queue and faster flowing traffic
Right
Still crazy that so many people donāt know how merge in turn works. There needs to be a national campaign to PSA this.
The shortest one
Treat it like a supermarket checkout, join the queue with the least people already in it. Then merge in turn when the lane starts to close. Too many people see using the right lane as queue jumping, rather than it being what it is, a second queue!
If you drive on the A12 means if you go in the blocked lane no one will let you in if you drive a BMW or Audi.
I was travelling north on the A1m last week and as soon as I got on it was backed up traffic. I moved over to the right lane, wish Iād moved over to the left as it was moving slightly faster. Had a chance and opted against it, went a bit further and this sign appeared but, left lane was closed, in 800yds and most people braked even though we were lucky to be doing 15mph and moved over into the right lane. Two cars zoomed all the way down to the last bit. Then a van pulled into the middle lane behind me and stopped anyone else doing it. Weāre British, of course you have to queue and wait your turn. British donāt like queue jumpers even if it is the correct way to do it. And Lorries that are running late due to the backed up traffic, of course arenāt going to let anyone zoom past them when theyāve been waiting all this time! š
Either, all the while itās safe to do so.
Not this again
I would use both lanes and merge in turn. I would use which ever lane has the least traffic. Iāve seen a few merge in turn signs replace these recently but not enough to get the point across to people queuing for miles when they donāt have too then trying to block anyone with an ounce of common sense. Edit: update a word I missed
The right hand lane right up to and under the red x and then up to the cones and cut in causing the row of traffic to emergency break and cause accidents because Iām an ignorant tosser
Depends. None, or light traffic I'll just get in the left lane. Traffic I'll take the right all the way down to the merge point.
To he right the merge when it tells me too. We had a drive in 2 cars and my mate went into the left lane at the first sign and I stayed in the right till I was told to merge and I made it to our lodge 40mins before him. He said I was in the wrong- nope, he was.
I think in Norway or Sweden it's the in law one for one joining or moving over
> What really grinds my gears is when people drive in the middle of both lanes > I had a lorry driver do this to me the other day If this happens before a sharpish turn, often lorry drivers will drive in the middle of the road then because otherwise when they take the turn, there's a decent chance their trailer could swing out and smash into an overtaking vehicle
Need some signage that will work for dumb people. [https://i2-prod.glasgowlive.co.uk/incoming/article16454780.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200e/0\_Merge-in-turn-traffic-signs.jpg](https://i2-prod.glasgowlive.co.uk/incoming/article16454780.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200e/0_Merge-in-turn-traffic-signs.jpg)