Safe Speed Forums

My wife has just called me, she has been abused ("shouted at" in her terms) by a police officer. I'm tempted to complain, but she did not get any details of the officer.

She was on a roundabout, where there was a queue to get off the roundabout. The police officer shouted at her for blocking the entrance onto the roundabout from the previous entrance to the one she was queueing to exit from (if you know the area, it's the A577 exit from the M58 / M6 junction, which is a pair of roundabouts under motorway rules).

He shouted at her that she was blocking the flow of traffic. She was on the roundabout, he was on the road trying to enter the roundabout.

As far as I am concerned, she did the right thing, she had priority as she was on the roundabout. Am I right?

[edited to add]

The following link shows a picture of it: http://www.cbrd.co.uk/badjunctions/6-58.shtml
the map is wrong though, the motorway rules apply right up to the junction with Orrell Road, unless the A and Motorway end signs don't mean what I think they do - they are set back abou 10 feet from Orrell Road.

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COAST Not just somewhere to keep a beach.

A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

Is it possible to join the roundabout from the entrance that she blocked and go anywhere other than where she was trying to go? If so it is extremely bad practice to block the way onto the roundabout, thus hindering the progress of other traffic. She can technically be booked for obstruction. I realise that if traffic trying to join from where the police officer was is also queueing to go the same way the waiting would allow traffic to jump in infront of you, but in this instance she should be attempting to allow the joining traffic to zip-merge anyway.

I hope that made sense....

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

yeah, it made sense - I think the point is that she was in traffic (on the roundabout) and it all stoped at once - there are lights at the Orrell Road junction, so traffic goes in fits and starts.

So roundabout priority goes out the window when there is a queue on the roundabout? grrrr ... pet hate .... grrrr .... lights on roundabouts (or very close by, in this case.

I guess I'm more annoyed about the copper shouting at my wife - all 8 stone of her - with 4 kids in the car with her.

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COAST Not just somewhere to keep a beach.

A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

Yes its out of order for him ot shout at her, but maybe she should have left a gap anyway to make provision for the entrance? Sorry, its hard to say for sure without actually seeing the junction and we all know the rules go out of the window in heavy traffic.

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

In a similar situation (heavy traffic) I got beeped at for blocking an exit on a roundabout. The next roundabout I got beeped at by the person behind for leaving a gap. You can't really win sometimes :roll:

I think if you can sensibly avoid blocking it, then its perhaps best to do so. Indeed some of the roundabout around here have "KEEP CLEAR" to allow this. Police Officers should remain proffesional at all times however.

would you prefer it if you just got a fine in the post in 2 weeks time?

Good point!

well unless it has yellow hatching, technically i assume she's in the right.

actually leaving a gap for people to enter often raises a whole load more problems. unless you're very kind and letting them in front of you in the queue they'll be wanting to cross infront of you and into a lane to the right of you..... if there's room (or a lane) to your right often people shoot round and your in just the right position to block the two drivers from seeing each other.... if you leave a gap and wave someone out to get pranged.. then what?!

there's no excuse for a copper verbally abusing someone.

Blocking a junction, whether box or not, is inconsiderate. It's a bit like a Talivan parked on double yellows, part on a pavement opposite a traffic island!