Steve wrote:
dcbwhaley wrote:
Joining a busy road where the traffic is travelling at NSL or above and where earlier traffic control doesn't punctuate the flow is almost impossible. The drivers on the fast road tend to enter a mindset where they will not slow down to allow traffic to join.
If the traffic flow is fast and dense then I wouldn’t expect that number of drivers to have to slow and stop just to let me in. I'm patient so I will wait for an appropriate gap.
Otherwise, I can honestly say I've never noticed such a problem when I’m driving.
Either way, I don't think I have ever needed to wait "several minutes" to be able to join, let alone on any frequent basis. Perhaps I'm alone in this, perhaps I'm not...
Having travelled a lot of the Country especially over the last two years especially - with and without trailer, I can actually sit on both sides of the fence here, but I have techniques to help me 'go'. I 'ask' or 'say' - 'I AM ready to go, please just 'pause' and let me in', (so = 'I will inconvenience you as little as possible)' - so my car 'posture & position' is in a ready state. No one wants to pull out on someone, but the flows do need new techniques. Also cars that have some acceleration help greatly and enable less inconvenience to others.
I cannot say that i have had this happen frequently, but if you have to regularly pull out onto a busy trunk route with cameras it is becoming much more frequent in places on those roads. In town the often forced bunched traffic due to bad management is exacerbating factors.
I do know where a right turn across a DC near Aberdeen has caused many complaints to the Council, however is a roundabout justified for what might be a low amount of traffic?
I can be harder to pull out into traffic that now 'flows streams of tailgating vehicles', but by showing a 'ready to go stance' and looking at the drivers, I can show that I will be as little inconvenience to them as I can, and usually get out fairly easily.
Crossing these flows to do a right may often be easier to go left with the traffic, and then double back, but I can understand people never seem to like doing this.
If we see traffic waiting, how long have they been waiting? How can we tell?
What can we do to help ?
I leave good gaps anyway and if I can see a side road with traffic waiting I will increase my gap and hope they are paying attention and pull out.
If they don't I might conclude they having been waiting for ages, and are in a 'give up' moment, than an attentive ready to go stance.
Sometimes they wait longer than necessary as they maybe they lack confidence or have a 'slow' car (perhaps due to a trailer) or if a big vehicle need a much larger gap.
I do know that when I see traffic built up in a side road and 'constant traffic flow' (mostly streams of tailgating queues) side traffic is having a harder time pulling out as the flow is condensed and bunched.
In towns this has been causing a new problem for pedestrians too as there are no 'gap'. This additional apparent congestion is entirely caused by appalling traffic management.