T-Junction etiquette

Author
Discussion

thomsonpop

Original Poster:

35 posts

199 months

Tuesday 31st May 2022
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Can't find any reference on here to this one, so apologies if this has been covered before. One of my pet hates is waiting at a T-junction to turn left or right, only for someone to pull up alongside me because they are turning the opposite way, thus blocking my view of oncoming traffic completely and effectively jumping the queue to emerge from the junction. I can't find anything in the highway code about this specifically, but I am right to be annoyed by it? Many junctions have such a wide splay onto the main road that it positively encourages people to do this, even when there are not two lanes marked for turning left or right.

markiii

3,843 posts

201 months

Tuesday 31st May 2022
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can't tell you what the right way is, but I agree it annoys me, hence I don't do it to others

Panamax

5,077 posts

41 months

Tuesday 31st May 2022
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Yup, it's an annoying one, especially if you're one of the few remaining people on this planet who actually drive a low sports car.

Try to position yourself centrally on the road so the muppets can't pull up alongside.

Fastdruid

8,877 posts

159 months

Tuesday 31st May 2022
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Panamax said:
Yup, it's an annoying one, especially if you're one of the few remaining people on this planet who actually drive a low sports car.

Try to position yourself centrally on the road so the muppets can't pull up alongside.
I really hate muppets that position themselves centrally when turning right so you can't turn left (which you can almost always do quicker) while they're waiting to turn right...

thomsonpop

Original Poster:

35 posts

199 months

Tuesday 31st May 2022
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Ha! Yeah, that's the problem though: While you wait for your gap to turn left, you block the view of the person who is trying to turn right so they have to wait for you to turn left before they can see what's coming!

Pica-Pica

14,468 posts

91 months

Tuesday 31st May 2022
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Some people just hate other cars on their road.

Kuroblack350

1,385 posts

207 months

Tuesday 31st May 2022
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In most circumstances, just hanging back a little is enough to get a good view to the right when turning left - pulling too far forward creates the issue whereby the right turner, can’t see left into on traffic they’re about to join. There’s classic near me, but again the view between car 1 and 2 waiting to turn right is perfectly acceptable to make a judgement on smile

7mike

3,093 posts

200 months

Tuesday 31st May 2022
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I nipped in to ASDA today (yeh, I know, not very PH) and couldn't find a single basket. Eventually a woman working there explained that they had almost 300 delivered a few weeks ago and now there are only 8 left. A significant proportion of the population are utter s and unfortunately a significant proportion of the s drive cars. Never figured out why people here think etiquette comes in to driving these days. More specifically, on topic though, I just love when van drivers in the right lane at a roundabout feel the need to stick their front wheels a few feet over the give way line completely obscuring the view to the right for anyone in the left lane. Can't say as I get annoyed about it though, just another of life's little inconveniences smile

Ham_and_Jam

2,567 posts

104 months

Friday 3rd June 2022
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Many junctions are specifically marked out in the way the OP Is describing, so the precedent set that it is perfectly acceptable.

markiii

3,843 posts

201 months

Friday 3rd June 2022
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whilst true, can't imagine it being much defence when someone pulls out blind and hits a motorbike they didn't see because some inconsiderate git pulled up alongside them.

Sure you can argue only go when you can see. But in heavy traffic if everyone does this, you will be there all day.

I prefer not to be the git that causes the problem

R56Cooper

2,505 posts

230 months

Monday 6th June 2022
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markiii said:
whilst true, can't imagine it being much defence when someone pulls out blind and hits a motorbike they didn't see because some inconsiderate git pulled up alongside them.

Sure you can argue only go when you can see. But in heavy traffic if everyone does this, you will be there all day.

I prefer not to be the git that causes the problem
If I'm coming up on someone in that position, I always try to hang back and let them move before I come alongside and block their view. Alternatively, depending on the junction it can be easier to stay back and look through their windows.

Hate it when someone does it to me though, all you can do is wait and refuse to be pressured into making an unsafe move.

"Creep and peep" as my instructor used to say!

thomsonpop

Original Poster:

35 posts

199 months

Tuesday 12th March
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Happened to me this morning at a really nasty closed junction where there really isn't room for two cars side by side. I was turning right and waiting for a gap in the traffic from the right (left was clear at this point). When I turned to check everything was still clear on the left a bloody great van had somehow squeezed between me and the hedge on my left, totally obscuring my view. I made the HUGE mistake of mouthing "Thanks" to him at which point he proceeded to make every hand gesture and expletive under the sun, folded his arms and sat there (even though it was clear for him to go) just so I couldn't pull out. After a while when the traffic had built up behind, he got bored and sped off!

Scary what happens to some people when they get behind the wheel...!

But I learned my lesson – don't gesture, shake your head, mouth words, or do anything to provoke those sorts of T**sers. Some of them are capable of much worse than just inconsiderate driving...

MitchT

16,230 posts

216 months

Tuesday 12th March
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There's a junction near me where it happens, though it wasn't a problem until the advent of SUVs as you can look through the windows of a normal height vehicle that's next to you. If I'm being followed by an SUV towards the junction in quesiton I position my car so there isn't room at the side of me for another vehicle. Sorry not sorry.

thomsonpop

Original Poster:

35 posts

199 months

Tuesday 12th March
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Yeah SUVS and vans. Cars less of a problem. There is nothing about it in the highway code so it really isn't clear what is and isn't acceptable.

Tom8

3,055 posts

161 months

Tuesday 12th March
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Fastdruid said:
Panamax said:
Yup, it's an annoying one, especially if you're one of the few remaining people on this planet who actually drive a low sports car.

Try to position yourself centrally on the road so the muppets can't pull up alongside.
I really hate muppets that position themselves centrally when turning right so you can't turn left (which you can almost always do quicker) while they're waiting to turn right...
This, nothing worse than someone blocking the whole junction with bad positioning. It is annoying if the vehicle next to you is bigger and blocks the view but c'est la vie.

Zeeky

2,936 posts

219 months

Wednesday 13th March
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Tom8 said:
Fastdruid said:
Panamax said:
Yup, it's an annoying one, especially if you're one of the few remaining people on this planet who actually drive a low sports car.

Try to position yourself centrally on the road so the muppets can't pull up alongside.
I really hate muppets that position themselves centrally when turning right so you can't turn left (which you can almost always do quicker) while they're waiting to turn right...
This, nothing worse than someone blocking the whole junction with bad positioning. It is annoying if the vehicle next to you is bigger and blocks the view but c'est la vie.
Nothing worse than the vehicle next to you blocking your view. It is annoying if the vehicle ahead prevents you from blocking their view but c'est la vie.

thomsonpop

Original Poster:

35 posts

199 months

Wednesday 13th March
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beer

Tiglon

241 posts

49 months

Wednesday 13th March
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It's a bit annoying when people do it, but intentionally blocking anyone else from turning alongside you would be worse, especially if you're turning right.

It would be nice if everyone was considerate enough to try not to block the other driver's view when pulling alongside, but not everyone will be considerate, or even think about it.

911hope

3,308 posts

33 months

Sunday 17th March
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Would it be the case that the left turn opportunity would be much more frequent than the right especially on a busy road?

Probably by at least a factor of 4.

Right turn requires clear on both carriageways simultaneously, so the right turner will still be there long after the left turner has gone.

Of course there may be some more left turners... Perhaps annoying, but there is no way a whole train of left turners is going to sit there forever.

Are right turners expecting this?



Panamax

5,077 posts

41 months

Sunday 17th March
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Zeeky said:
Nothing worse than the vehicle next to you blocking your view.
Exactly this. It's extremely selfish to drive up alongside someone else knowing it will prevent them from being able to move, whichever direction they may be turning.