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 Post subject: Familiarity etc.
PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:00 
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I nearly got caught out yesterday evening (Thursday) on a road I am very familiar with as I use it twice a week.

This road has a series of humps and tables along it and the nice road people painted a mini-roundabout on top of one of the tables since I last used the route on Tuesday. This junction is a cross roads and the change is probably down to a new estate being built on an ex-MOD site off to one side.

As it happens these humps are of the extremely rare variety that actually allow progress at a reasonable speed so I was travelling at 30mph. Another car was approaching from the opposite direction and indicating a right turn so I had already backed off and covered the brake as I neared the junction 'just in case'. I noticed the new lines etc. and hit the brake in time to stop before entering the roundabout, not a maximum brake by any means but effectively an emergency stop. The other driver had stopped before I reached the roundabout and by the look on their face had no idea why I had stopped suddenly, I saw her look down and realise she had right of way.

I think the other driver was expecting to wait until I had passed before they could turn so I doubt this would have lead to a crash but it does worry me that in slightly different circumstances it could have been a lot closer.

There are two new signs for the roundabout though just a standard ones not 'new road layout ahead' types.

I was paying attention to the other road users and was ready for another vehicle to pull across my 'right of way' as I saw it but failed to spot a change in the environment. If I had been driving down an unfamiliar road this would not have happened but because I 'knew' the road I did not see the change.

Anybody else experienced this kind of event?

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:09 
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Almost *exactly* the same thing happened to me a few weeks ago - a mini-roundabout had been introduced on a traffic table on a road where the main route previously had right of way.

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:25 
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PeterE wrote:
Almost *exactly* the same thing happened to me a few weeks ago - a mini-roundabout had been introduced on a traffic table on a road where the main route previously had right of way.


Was there another vehicle approaching the roundabout in your case?

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:56 
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toltec wrote:
PeterE wrote:
Almost *exactly* the same thing happened to me a few weeks ago - a mini-roundabout had been introduced on a traffic table on a road where the main route previously had right of way.

Was there another vehicle approaching the roundabout in your case?

Yes, and like you I had to do a near-emergency stop which led me to reflect on the circumstances that had caused it.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 13:24 
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I'm afraid I have to admit to having worn that teashirt on several occasions over the years, thankfully all without incident.


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 14:26 
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PeterE wrote:
toltec wrote:
PeterE wrote:
Almost *exactly* the same thing happened to me a few weeks ago - a mini-roundabout had been introduced on a traffic table on a road where the main route previously had right of way.

Was there another vehicle approaching the roundabout in your case?

Yes, and like you I had to do a near-emergency stop which led me to reflect on the circumstances that had caused it.


There is a road to the right just before the roundabout and on my approach a car drove up to the end of this road in preparation to turn right in my direction. My attention was drawn to it and away from the 'crossroads' in readiness for it to pull out, once clear and eyes front the junction is ahead and another potential hazard, i.e. right turning car, pulls my attention. Now while I did a quick scan of the junction what I am looking for is vehicles & pedestrians etc. not for changes in road furniture/markings.

So a possible reason for missing the roundabout until quite late was that there were higher priority items taking my attention.

One of the things I have noticed about my driving is that I have a tendency to focus on the most immediate potential hazard for a bit longer than I feel I should. I am only talking about 1-2 seconds but obviously a lot can happen in that time. The problem is that I find drivers around here will pull out when you are less than a second or two away so taking your eyes off them can be a bad move.

I am not too sure that I am happy that you guys have been caught out too, after all if you were how often does it happen to everyone else?

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 18:28 
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There's a mini-roundabout in Bridport that had a sharp-edged raised central island (about 4 inches high) built on it.

The first time I drove straight across this afterwards I took off.


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 19:00 
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Johnnytheboy wrote:
There's a mini-roundabout in Bridport that had a sharp-edged raised central island (about 4 inches high) built on it.

Is that legal? I thought they had a maximum height.

I can't say this has happened to me but then I do tend to notice new signs. Or at least I notice that something is different.

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 Post subject: Re: Familiarity etc.
PostPosted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 12:42 
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Why did I get an alert to this thread earlier today - was it a bit of spam that mods subsequently kindly removed?


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 Post subject: Re: Familiarity etc.
PostPosted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 12:46 
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Roger wrote:
Why did I get an alert to this thread earlier today - was it a bit of spam that mods subsequently kindly removed?

Possibly. I nuked two large-ish-scale spammers today.

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 Post subject: Re:
PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 03:34 
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Ziltro wrote:
Johnnytheboy wrote:
There's a mini-roundabout in Bridport that had a sharp-edged raised central island (about 4 inches high) built on it.

Is that legal? I thought they had a maximum height.

I can't say this has happened to me but then I do tend to notice new signs. Or at least I notice that something is different.

I was just there the other day and thought precisely that - too high. I was surprised that it was like this (raised), as I have never come across one that has a raised central payment - I thought they were only coloured centers with smooth edges, to aid lorries and emergency vehicles.
I also came across a chicane arrangement that had large humps in the central section too which were not that 'obvious' and in my opinion dangerous for those less observant.

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 Post subject: Re: Familiarity etc.
PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 13:44 
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Roger wrote:
Why did I get an alert to this thread earlier today - was it a bit of spam that mods subsequently kindly removed?
Ah, I thought it was just me. Had some strange notifications of a new post where the last post was back in 2008 :? It made me make a mistake, which I quickly deleted :oops:

I've had the same familiarity situation where it must have bred contempt in me. Luckily, I haven't come close to an accident but my heart does miss a beat. Just thought I'd throw my thoughts in as it seems we're far from alone on this.

In the old days they always used to put a sign up saying "New roundabout ahead" but I think they don't bother so much now, or maybe just not with these mini ones. It's not good :x

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 Post subject: Re: Familiarity etc.
PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 14:50 
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Big Tone wrote:
Roger wrote:
Why did I get an alert to this thread earlier today - was it a bit of spam that mods subsequently kindly removed?

Ah, I thought it was just me.

Yes, spammers often make posts to random old threads, which will generate alerts to anyone who is subscribed to them. If one of the mods then nukes the spammer's posts before you see the e-mail, you will get a puzzling blank link.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed


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 Post subject: Re: Familiarity etc.
PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 15:52 
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Oh.. Thanks Peter. That explains a lot :thumbsup:

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.


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 Post subject: Re: Familiarity etc.
PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 17:59 
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Quote:

This road has a series of humps and tables along it and the nice road people painted a mini-roundabout on top of one of the tables since I last used the route on


Could it be, that the fact that the roundabout was on a raised table and not on the normal road, at the height that your eyes would normally be scanning, be the problem? (It would appear to be if it has caught other people out too such as Peter and the person approaching you)
It may be worth keeping an eye on this and if signs of other accidents are noticeable, on this roundabout, then contact the highways dept and police to register your concerns. It sounds like one of these ill thought out schemes, which look good on a computer screen or in a text book, but don't work in "real life" situations.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.


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