Motorways, "middle lane hoggers" ?

[Xt500]

Indeed you are supposed to match your speed accordingly and join the main carriageway without inconveniencing those already there. However, in regards the the bit in bold... Stopping on the slip road is highly dangerous and many accidents have been caused by such actions. Being stationary and then shunted from behind into traffic travelling at 50mph+ results in disaster.

 

If faced with the situation that you cannot join a fast moving main carriageway for whatever reason... You should utilise the hard shoulder to maintain your speed until you can 'slip in' the main flow of traffic.

 

People assume that the hard shoulder is for breakdowns only... This is incorrect. It is in fact an 'emergency lane' and you are fully entitled to use it in circumstances that justify its use. Being unable to join the main carriageway due to fst moving traffic is one of them. Just be aware of any debris, pedestrians or stationary vehicles in the hard shoulder if you do use it.

 

What a crock of crap!

 

Hard shoulders are not there for use of crap drivers!! They are for emergency ONLY!!!

 

 

If you cant filter into traffic on a motorway you really shouldnt be there at all!

 

 

I see day after day idiots coming down slip roads at 30 or 40 mph then stopping at the dotted lines or getting to the dotted lines before gaining proper speed.The speed limit on slip roads is the same as the main caraigeways for a good reason and few cars are unable to be up to speed before half way down a slip road.

These people are dam right dangerous but im sure they like some other muppets on here think they know what they are doing when infact they are clueless.

 

---------- Post added 07-03-2013 at 19:31 ----------

 

As a car driver I use lane 1 at 55 mph most of the time mostly for reasons of fuel economy. Do any HGV drivers have any hints regarding lane 1 etiquette so that I do not annoy HGV drivers?

 

Yes if you see a truck gaining from behind then accelerate away long before they get to you and make sure a good gap is maintained.If you travel at 57/58 instead of 55 you wont cause any problems.

[Mr_Squirrel]

 

Hard shoulders are not there for use of crap drivers!! They are for emergency ONLY!!!

 

 

Exactly. And that is why the hard shoulder should be utilised to avoid stopping on what is in effect a 'clearway'. Using the hard shoulder to maintain speed before entering the flow of fast moving traffic is technically, an emergency situation.

[geared]

As a car driver I use lane 1 at 55 mph most of the time mostly for reasons of fuel economy. Do any HGV drivers have any hints regarding lane 1 etiquette so that I do not annoy HGV drivers?

 

Don't make them overtake you.

 

Your fuel econamy will not suffer if you do a couple of mph more.

Trucks are limited to 56mph usually, so at least match that.

[alchresearch]

Exactly. And that is why the hard shoulder should be utilised to avoid stopping on what is in effect a 'clearway'. Using the hard shoulder to maintain speed before entering the flow of fast moving traffic is technically, an emergency situation.

 

Hard shoulders are becoming a thing of the past with "Managed Motorways".

 

Maybe this will make things safer like you claim if traffic comes straight off the sliproad into the "new" lane 1.

[Eater Sundae]

Hard shoulders are becoming a thing of the past with "Managed Motorways".

 

Maybe this will make things safer like you claim if traffic comes straight off the sliproad into the "new" lane 1.

 

 

But in the managed motorway scenario, there will already be someone in the new lane 1 (ie the old hard shoulder), so someone on the slip road will still have to give way to them. Alternatively, the motorway would need to revert to the current design before each junction, and the people in the new lane 1 move back out into the old lane 1 to recreate the hard shoulder prior to the junction. Only then could people entering the motorway have a clear lane (ie the hard shoulder) to drive onto.

 

It would then work a little like junction 34 of the M1, where joining drivers have their own lane.

 

I don’t know how they design the junctions on the new managed motorways. Whatever they do, it has to work both when the motorway includes the hard shoulder as a usable lane, and also when it doesn't

[Lockjaw]

Exactly. And that is why the hard shoulder should be utilised to avoid stopping on what is in effect a 'clearway'. Using the hard shoulder to maintain speed before entering the flow of fast moving traffic is technically, an emergency situation.

 

 

You're wrong.

[Mr_Squirrel]

You're wrong.

 

I dont give a toss what the link says.

 

Stopping on a slip road is sheer madness and is asking to be killed.

[alchresearch]

But in the managed motorway scenario, there will already be someone in the new lane 1 (ie the old hard shoulder), so someone on the slip road will still have to give way to them.

 

Not necessarily. On the newer part of the M60 lane 1 is a often dedicated lane to come off at the next junction.

 

---------- Post added 08-03-2013 at 13:18 ----------

 

I dont give a toss what the link says.

 

Stopping on a slip road is sheer madness and is asking to be killed.

 

Nobody stops on a slip road, unless the motorway is already congested, or managed by traffic lights.

 

A bit of foresight of the driver on the sliproad is all it takes to avoid any danger.

 

Maybe the limited strip of motorway in Sheffield is the reason for ignorance on this thread?

[Eater Sundae]

I’ve never actually been in a situation where the motorway has been travelling at speed, say 40+, and for there not to have been opportunity to merge. However, it could happen, especially if those on the motorway are travelling too close together, and I’ve no doubt is does happen on occasions. There have certainly been a few occasions where several HGVs have been nose to tail and I’ve either accelerated to in front of them, or slowed and then regained speed before dropping in behind, being close to running out of slip road.

 

If I were caught in the situation where there was no opportunity and there were no other options available, I reckon I’d use the hard shoulder in preference to stopping. A lot would depend on the speed everyone was travelling. If the motorway was so busy that everyone had slowed down, then I (and everyone else on the sliproad) would be travelling at this slower speed, so it might be best to stop, but the faster the motorway traffic, then the more dangerous it becomes to stop and so the hard shoulder would be the lesser of the two evils IMO.

[Mr_Squirrel]

Not necessarily. On the newer part of the M60 lane 1 is a often dedicated lane to come off at the next junction.

 

---------- Post added 08-03-2013 at 13:18 ----------

 

 

Nobody stops on a slip road, unless the motorway is already congested, or managed by traffic lights.

 

A bit of foresight of the driver on the sliproad is all it takes to avoid any danger.

 

Maybe the limited strip of motorway in Sheffield is the reason for ignorance on this thread?

 

Indeed. But i was only responding to a question posed earlier in the thread.

 

In 20 years of driving for a living, i personally have never had to stop on a sliproad unless the traffic on the main carriageway has been at a standstill. However, i have seen people stop at the end of a sliproad creating absolute mayhem.

Neither have i had to use the Hard shoulder as a continuation of the sliproad. I have always managed to adjust my speed accordingly to find a suitable gap.

All my point is regarding the use of the hard shoulder, is that its safer to utilise the hard shoulder as a continuation of the sliproad opposed to stopping at the end of it and trying to join the main carriageway from a standstill.