A322 roundabout with Swinley Road

[eybic]

I use the A322 every night to go home to Bracknell and just before the roundabout with Swinley road, the left lane is straight on (towards Bracknell) and the right hand lane is right turn only towards Ascot.

Every single night there are idiots using the right hand lane to go straight on to avoid being slowed down by the traffic in the left hand (correct) lane. What is the offence? I assume it would be the same as a red light as the lane is clearly marked as a right turn only. I'm normally one to live and let live but this really winds me up. Is it worth reporting to the Road Safety Partnership or whatever they are called? Are they likely to do anything?

This is the junction I'm talking about: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ll=51.376...

[Ranger 6]

I'll probably get shot down for this but I do that occasionally and don't see it as an offence. It's not what I 'should' be doing but there's nothing legal to say I 'must' stay in the left lane. I don't commute that way and must admit that 99% of the time I do go the 'right' way.

What I would say is that IMHO it's those who cut into the queue before the junction that cause the braking 'ripples' rather than those who go through the junction and stay in the right lane of the d/c after the funnel.

[eybic]

It's definitely the "cutter inners" that cause the slow traffic as you say. If they pulled in when the signs suggest the lane break then it wouldn't cause an issue and traffic would flow a lot smoother but instead they try and wait until about 2ft before the hatchings to pull into the left lane.

[Ranger 6]

eybic said:

...I assume it would be the same as a red light as the lane is clearly marked as a right turn only...

Re-reading your post, it's not marked as 'right turn only'. The signs are straight on for Bracknell and right to Ascot, I don't remember any lane instruction signage?

[ViperDave]

I'm sure some people would say its more fun to go through the chicane than the straight left lane, I've heard it can be taken at surprisingly high speeds, wouldn't know myself as apparently my cars don't do corners so obviously I always go the straight on route

[eybic]

Ahhh so they're all PH'ers then, I might join in but my Puma would probably fall over

[MX-5 Lazza]

Follow that route on Google Maps Street View. It looks like the camera van took the right hand lane through the "chicane" and straight on to Bracknell

[SVTRick]

Cant see any offence as the road layout allows you to do that through the bends to go straight,,and there are double whites on the exit to help the smooth flow of traffic
Idiots that cut in at the last chance before that are the issue
I often take the tanker or artic through that and have stopped many trying the last gasp pull in before the lanes divide followed by the middle digit

[eybic]

SVTRick said:

Idiots that cut in at the last chance before that are the issue
I often take the tanker or artic through that and have stopped many trying the last gasp pull in before the lanes divide followed by the middle digit

I may or may not take a similar approach to them too

I wasn't sure if road markings HAD to be adhered to, if not then I guess there is no offence.

[hornetrider]

Definitely steam up L2 and take the chicane

[FurtiveFreddy]

There's no offence being committed, it's perfectly acceptable to do based on the road markings. You're irritated because you are being held up by using the left hand lane. Simple answer is to try the right lane approach!

I bet you don't like 'merge in turn' lanes either...

[ViperDave]

The real dangerous ones are coming from ascot to Bracknell and cut across the double whites to get in the left hand lane of the DC at 10mph when someone is coming down the bypass lane, fortunately I saw it coming form a long way back and took appropriate action as I'm always nervous of people from the roundabout.

As for using the chicane, there is no "ahead only" sign or "no left turn", and the writing on the road is an "Indication of traffic lanes".

The whole thing would work better if both lanes were marked with Bracknell, in the RHL with a B'nell left arrow and ahead arrow for Ascot, then the panic late lane changers would just carry on through the chicane.

[eybic]

FurtiveFreddy said:

There's no offence being committed, it's perfectly acceptable to do based on the road markings. You're irritated because you are being held up by using the left hand lane. Simple answer is to try the right lane approach!

I bet you don't like 'merge in turn' lanes either...

No I'm irritated as I am following the markings/ signs which show left lane for Bracknell right lane for Ascot. Merge in turn doesn't bother me at all, it's a totally different thing as I am sticking to what the signs say I should do as I do with the merge in turn "like a zipper"

[FurtiveFreddy]

All the signs you're referring to are advisories, though. You choose to do what they say, but you don't have to.

I choose to decide what I do based on current conditions and other traffic. Just because a sign says 'merge in turn' it doesn't mean you have to stay behind the old boy doing 10mph when it's perfectly safe and clear to stay in lane 2, pass him and follow the car in front of him through to the merge.

I use that road often and if there's loads of traffic in the left lane but the right lane is clear, you can imagine what I do...

[bigdom]

hornetrider said:

Definitely steam up L2 and take the chicane

If I drive to the office, its the only option I generally take unless the traffic is light.

[Skaffen]

Regardless of whether it's legal or not to use the right lane I always use the left-hand lane as I view it as safer and more considerate to anyone wanting to pull out of the junction to the right (as it's not a great junction to pull out of, especially if you're in something gutless). I don't travel through there very often but when it's been busyish I still reckon the savings would be in seconds by going to the right.

I presume it was designed to try make it safer for the junction to the right and to help with traffic slowing for the lights on the roundabout.

[Challo]

I do normally take the left lane towards Bracknell, but sometimes you get people joining from the A30 so the traffic can be heavy and actually cutting into the left lane would be more dangerous and force everyone to brake.

In that case carry on in the right hand lane and use the chicane. I don't see a problem with it.

[Simes110]

I take the left if the traffic is light and the right 'chicane' if the left lane is heavily trafficked.

I agree that pulling into the left can be very hazardous and there's often a lot of late brakers at that point.

Using the right lane avoids another slight hazard point just after the chicane, too. I've found that if using the left and then wanting to overtake can be a problem due to traffic density and the speed difference on occasion. So it's smoother (and possibly safer) to stay right and avoid two potential lane changes.

[edc]

Challo said:

I do normally take the left lane towards Bracknell, but sometimes you get people joining from the A30 so the traffic can be heavy and actually cutting into the left lane would be more dangerous and force everyone to brake.

In that case carry on in the right hand lane and use the chicane. I don't see a problem with it.

Me too. I'll move back to left lane if it is safe enough to do so otherwise the chicane it is.

[silverfoxcc]

The very junction where i wrote the Volvo off and made first Report at 5pm on Sally traffic