[Closed] roundabouts!

Should have drawn that picture badly on ms paint and used more caps. Very poor. 1/10.

this isn't as rant, i just want to know why it seems so hard to use a roundabout?

See that blue line?

See how it doesn't cross the green one?

WHY DOES NO-ONE ELSE?!

Bastards.

What are those little glowing things on the corners of the cars?

So why do so many people not seem to have a clue?

The answer is in the question...

what are those orange blobs?

Beat you to it JoB 😉

Ah, you two must drive BMWs.

How very dare you!

See that blue line?

See how it doesn't cross the green one?

WHY DOES NO-ONE ELSE?!

Bastards.

This +1

I cross this A1/A69 roundabout http://g.co/maps/h3taf every day.
It has very clearly painted lanes on it, with arrows and words.

Every day I see someone sweep clean across the lanes and then back again. Why??

i don't drive a BMW, i've just never seen those orange glowing things on a roundabout

Where is your green line now?
[img] [/img]

Is that Swindon perchance?

When I drive in Ibiza each year, the hardest bit is the local drivers stay on the outside of the roundabout, even if going all the way round!

Never sure whether to join them in this bad practice, as otherwise they often try to overtake on the roundabout and cut me off on exit.

Is that Swindon perchance?

or near a hellmouth?

What are those little glowing things on the corners of the cars?

ESP enhancers I think - but they NEVER BLOODY WORK!

I was following a brand new Yaris, right round 2 roundabouts this morning.
Not one single use of the glowing orange things.
Was thinking, that is weird, maybe they are not fitting indicator stalks to new cars?
Then we got onto the motorway slip road... sure enough [u]WHEN ITS COMPLETELY FARKING OBVIOUS TO ALL AROUND WHERE YOU'RE GOING AND THERE IS NOWHERE ELSE TO SODDING WELL GO[/u] the f^%$ing right indicator comes a-flashing...

Boils my piss, as they say.

Have to admit that on the roundabout above I don't usually signal right.

I know I probably should, but I'm on the inside lane of the roundabout, in a clearly painted right-only lane. Where else am I going to go?

I know I probably should, but I'm on the inside lane of the roundabout, in a clearly painted right-only lane. Where else am I going to go?

What about the people on the opposite side of the roundabout to you? They may not know you were originally in the right lane...

They are stopped at the lights anyway. And by the time I get to where they come on I am signalling left to come off the roundabout.

Where is your green line now?

There's one of those outside Hatton Cross station near Heathrow. Actually not as bad as they look. You just treat them a seperate roundabouts.

I know I probably should, but I'm on the inside lane of the roundabout, in a clearly painted right-only lane. Where else am I going to go?

You know where you are going, but does the traffic around you? Do the pedestrians (granted, there shouldn't be any on your example) know what you're doing? Does the traffic waiting in other joining road? Is that roundabout ALWAYS traffic light controlled? Most of the others for Ncl/A1 aren't.

It's good practice. It's the safe thing to do. It's how drivers are taught. You'd probably get a minor in your driving test if you didn't.

GrahamS, so on a roundabout with no lights, nobody needs to know you're turning RIGHT and not coming off the roundabout?

Last person I heard say that was my mother-in-law.

I have to concentrate hard NOT to indicate. It's just a natural thing as part of driving.

WRT that original diagram:

That's not right, surely? (Well, it is, I checked, but,)

Take a look at the two green exit arrows; they're saying you can go straight from the right-hand lane of the roundabout to the left-hand lane of the exit road? God help you there if there's two lanes of traffic.

[i] God help you there if there's two lanes of traffic.[/i]

I think you're supposed to actually look where you're going. (crazy, I know!)

It's just a natural thing as part of driving

A friend recently passed his bike test and was told NOT to indicate if there was no traffic around though - apparently it shows that you are aware of other road users.

Sounds silly to me and I can't quite believe it is correct either.

I think you're supposed to actually look where you're going.

You're what???

pffft are none of you AWESOME? i bunnyhop roundabouts in my skoda

A friend recently passed his bike test and was told NOT to indicate if there was no traffic around though - apparently it shows that you are aware of other road users.

You know where you are going, but does the traffic around you?

They should - there is only one way for me to go and the lane is clearly painted.

Does the traffic waiting in other joining road?

I'm coming on from the A69 (to the left of that image) and heading off on the A1(s) out the bottom of the image. The other joining roads are held at lights.

Thing is, if I did actually signal right till my exit then I might confuse cars behind me when the extra lane appears to the inside as we pass the first joining road. (at the end of the hatching about 3o'clock).

Every day I see someone move into that inside lane (which should mean they are going all the way around) then get to the Al(S) exit and sweep across two lanes to get left lane on the exit (!) then usually move back to the right lane once they are on the slip.

Is that roundabout ALWAYS traffic light controlled?

Yep (rather pointlessly - it never used to be).

GrahamS, so on a roundabout with no lights, nobody needs to know you're turning RIGHT and not coming off the roundabout?

No I [i]usually[/i] signal right on roundabouts. Just not this one.

It does strike me as a little redundant to signal right when you're in the inside lane of a roundabout. I kinda think that should be assumed unless you signal left, but I suppose it shows you've actively thought about it.

One day, I shall visit this wondrous place, and marvel at it's beauty:

My old driving instructor used to say, "indicating when there's nobody else around is like talking to yourself. It's the first sign of madness."

There's no point indicating if there's no-one to see it; however, for the regular test you're (generally?) taught to always use it so that you've less chance of forgetting.

My old driving instructor used to say, "indicating when there's nobody else around is like talking to yourself. It's the first sign of madness."

I actually tried what my friend told me just after we had discussed it and then found myself in exactly the above situation and decided it was a stupid rule.

Elf: I like that even the animated cars don't understand it. Watch the confused red car at 8 seconds in.

Heh! The red car buggers off, never to be seen again. All just a bit too much for it, obviously. 😆

If I indicate, but there's nobody around to see it, do they make any light?

We have interesting roundabouts here where the lane markings are in a spiral not a circle - so you go into whatever lane you are supposed to for the exit you want and if you stay within lines you will end up going off at the right exit

think this will show it
http://g.co/maps/a5ueb

We have interesting roundabouts her where the lane markings are in a spiral not a circle - so you go into whatever lane you are supposed to for the exit you want and if you stay within lines you will end up going off at the right exit

[i]No I usually signal right on roundabouts. Just not this one.[/i]

Beg your pardon then.

Yeah this one is a spiral too TJ.

I do the green line, but nearly everyday I see someone take the red "racing" line:
[img] [/img]
(Apologies for MS Paint art)

So I justify not signalling right by saying that folk might think I'm taking the red line.

I used to drive Beemers you know. Though I don't now, you know. The last newbeemer I collected from the garage was accompanied by my mate (then mate, not now, we fell out, but that’s another story, maybe later, when I've got a tea and some biccies, dunnno', I’ll fill you in, I'll see how I feel) So, upon collection garagebloke handing over the keys (you know the pushbuttontypes) So keyfob in hand he’s pressing and the orange things are flashing showing the alarms set/unset and I’m laughing as my mate (you know him, the one above, keep up) is sitting in his porkerBoxterSroofdownstereoon is sitting there pretending the flashy things are in time with the music. Well, garageblokes having fun, me I want to just get into the car an booogeroff, and the orange flashythings stop flashing. Garagebloke turns to me and says “them’s the indicators, but you’ll be driving too fast for anyone to see them right” At that point my mate (yes him) pop’s up with “he drives like your granddad” I stood there about to bust laughing and garagebloke points to my mate (yeah you know him better than me by now) and says “see you bought the ghay version sonny” I howl, mates storms off in a huff, garagebloke giggles and continues to show me around the car.
That is all.

You'd probably get a minor in your driving test if you didn't.

No, that'd be a serious fault, even a dangerous one if it lead to someone else reacting to it in a way that put either person at risk, eg they assumed you were going straight on and pulled out infront of you when you caried on round. I failed my first test when the indicator self canceled before I'd crossed a give way line joining a DC!

Indicating late is a minor.

WRT that original diagram:

That's not right, surely? (Well, it is, I checked, but,)

Take a look at the two green exit arrows; they're saying you can go straight from the right-hand lane of the roundabout to the left-hand lane of the exit road? God help you there if there's two lanes of traffic.

You are always supposed to pull off into the left hand lane, the right hand lane is ofr overtaking (i.e. if there is already somethign in the left lane). You should be pulling into the left lane some time just after the last exit if it's clear. Aiming for the right nad lane and not indicting runs the risk of someone pulling onto the roundabout at the last entry and T-boneing you.

On a interesting note, you can fail your test for indicating right if you're taking the 2nd exit and there is no straight ahead, you should treat it as a straight ahead!

Just taken my MC test so spent 6 hours being told off by a loud northen biker bloke for doing all the things I'd picked up driving a car, including slowing down to turn right at lights when the filter arrow is lit you should cary on without slowing unececeraly!

You are always supposed to pull off into the left hand lane, the right hand lane is ofr overtaking

Whit??? Surely not.

In fact I failed my first test for pulling off into the left lane (having joined the roundabout in the right), which is why it bugs me when other people do it.