[Closed] 540º on a roundabout.

Nobbish and completely against everything good about this country.

I would also do this, intelligent driving innit 🙂

So there we have it folks.
You can close the thread now mods. 😛

It's selfish.

I do it, but I have a white van.

I'd probably do this, but I'd be pretending to myself, for the benefit of those psychicly reading me from the left hand lane queue, that I didn't really know which way I was going until it was too late, and by then, I just had to go with it.

And as this is definitely going to get argumentative, I'm going to wade in now and say it's no different to changing lanes in slow moving motorway traffic.

I do it all the time, not nobbish at all. I view it the same as driving past all those queuing at a petrol station to get a pump the same side as their filler cap

My mad Aunt does this, though not for reasons of queue jumping, she does it just for fun.

It also helps with her poor sense of direction: a few laps to recce the situation gives her time to make sure she's got the right exit.

So if you see a Barbie-pink Citroen 2CV with leopard-print upholstery emitting a dense fug of Benson & Hedges smoke doing several laps of a roundabout, give her a wave.

Reminds me of the where the M67 ends at the roundabout, everyone waiting to go straight on towards Mottram, some people turn right and then come right round the roundabout, pretending they've just driven up from Stockport etc...

Assuming you're in the UK, we're generally a nation of polite non-queuejumpers. Except some people in cars. Which winds up other people in their cars and is bad for everybody on the road. So don't.

two lane entry, one lane exit - forget the extra 360 deg & barge your way in like every other dick

I used to do 450 at the top of a slip road (a3 Burpham if anyone cares) as I wanted to turn left and 99% of the queuing traffic was going straight on. But I don't do the 540 on my current commute (Yateley roundabout on the A30) as the queue is never that long, so saved time vs nobbishness doesn't pay off. Plenty just ignore the right turn only arrows and go straight on, but I give them a righteous tutting. That'll learn em.

roundabouts are weird, twin roundabouts on A413 near great missenden, going south all straight ahead traffic queues in the right lane but going north all straight ahead traffic queues in the left lane, seems to be nothing more than tradition so I just pick the route with the shortest queue 🙂

Agreed its pretty nobbish, but have been known to indulge in the odd 630° when i really need to get somewhere in a hurry.
Folks doing it on a regular basis probably need castrating before they pass said behaviour onto any offspring.

Agreed its pretty nobbish, but have been known to indulge in the odd 630° when i really need to get somewhere in a hurry.

When i'm really in a hurry I do a full 7,735,383,990°

I do it all the time, not nobbish at all. I view it the same as driving past all those queuing at a petrol station to get a pump the same side as their filler cap

No, quite different. That's making using of unused capacity. If everyone did it, the queues would be shorter.

Doing a circuit of the roundabout is just queue jumping. As you complete your 360, you prevent someone who was in front of you from entering the roundabout, and you've also used up more of the junction's capacity by being on it for longer. If everyone did it, queues on all approaches would be longer.

I like to just drive round & round so fast that no ****er can get on at all 8)

I've always been pretty shit at maths and the whole circle degrees thing so I just sit in the queue so as not to get confused and turn too early or too late.

's probably an education thing...

If it's a spiral roundabout you end up getting fired into orbit

If everyone did it, queues on all approaches would be longer.

Let's think about that one for a while...

It's fine, it's the sensible thing to do

Ps I drive a BMW,but I do indicate correctly all the way round

Right lane and filter in. My car isn't very smart looking.

Back home, double roundabout at top of a hill, everyone queues up at the right roundabout to go right. Left roundabout 270 to butt in on the right due to the way traffic flows. Steep hill to queue on in a fully loaded van. Left roundabout method was quite an accomplishment if towing the 18'trailer too.

I wonder what the percentage of people who think this is ok are also tories.

Reminds me of the end of the M67 as well discjockey. We just don't travel that way when it's going to be bad nowadays.

Diskjocky ..M67
The ammount of times i could murder people on Mottram moor is untrue , im looking at around 1000 life sentences atm.

I love the ones who try it right at the lights normally resulting in my seatbelt being removed and a 20 foot walk !

What about turning right in the left hand lane at a roundabout to beat the queue? 😡

I did that once when I was younger, became confused and took the wrong exit onto a dual carriageway. Miles until next roundabout. Haven't tried it since!

Common sense I would say, not much of that about these days though.

I think about doing it occasionally then I can't be bothered, I'm never in that much of a hurry to get anywhere

It may be better than the Kier roundabout in Dunblane, where again tonight, locals were doing a 320* turn (exit 4 of 5 roads in) from the shorter queue in left hand lane....

It may be better than the Kier roundabout in Dunblane, where again tonight, locals were doing a 320* turn (exit 4 of 5 roads in) from the shorter queue in left hand lane....

Yes, I've seen that one. I was in a large van going straight through onto the A9 when a car in the inside lane went across my nose doing a right turn from the LH lane. Sooner or later that maneuver isn't going to end well.

At the roundabout leaving Dumbarton on the A82 bypass road I've stopped using lane 2 (of 3) for going straight on as twice I've had to brake when drivers thought using the LH of 3 lanes to go right was a good idea.

Maximises traffic flow. Thumbs up

Why would you do 1.5 laps? I don't get it.

[quote=jamj1974 ]

If everyone did it, queues on all approaches would be longer.

I've thought about it and can't decide if you're being picky or simply don't understand how junction capacity works.

It's the only way of getting out of Barnstaple.

It's a duck move because of how it affects all the other roundabout entrants.

I've thought about it and can't decide if you're being picky or simply don't understand how junction capacity works.

This may be my misunderstanding and I'm prepared to be corrected but if there is: -
1). A fixed volume of vehicles entering a junction
2). A fixed capacity of vehicles able to leave the junction via a selected exit
3). A fixed capacity of the junction for vehicles within it

How can it be a negative impact if some vehicles enter that junction via a left lane or a right lane? Surely if a vehicle travels down an empty right lane then waits in the right lane before entering the junction and travels 540 degrees before exiting - all it does is shorten the queue in the left hand lane for moment....? It doesn't reduce the capacity of the junction, or the exit?

It removes a turn for the people using the roundabout correctly - so slows them slightly ie its a queue jump as folk that were infront would now be behind.

Failed my first test for not going around again so I'm conditioned to do it. Saves time too!

How can it be a negative impact if some vehicles enter that junction via a left lane or a right lane? Surely if a vehicle travels down an empty right lane then waits in the right lane before entering the junction and travels 540 degrees before exiting - all it does is shorten the queue in the left hand lane for moment....? It doesn't reduce the capacity of the junction, or the exit?

Nothing wrong with it at all, compared to texting, using a laptop, reading and all the other dim witted actions I see on the road every day in the 40 k miles I do a year I've Been known to do it if I can be arsed. I'm pretty sure the majority of commuters won't even notice it's happened.

I would do it.

HTH.

[quote=jamj1974 ]It doesn't reduce the capacity of the junction, or the exit?

Well the nobber's car spends approximately 3 times as long in the junction and crosses at least two entrances which traffic heading in the direction the nobber is going otherwise wouldn't cross, so directly holding up vehicles trying to use the junction from those entrances. It's hard to see how it doesn't affect the capacity of the junction for traffic entering from those roads.

[quote=allthepies ]I would do it.
HTH.

You're on the list

HTH

..but he's got the kettle on half an hour before you lot still sat at the roundabout.

It's just not British.

So if the exit is full it could have an impact. If the exit is empty on a typical multi-lane island, probably not so much.

Thankfully, I understand the priority at roundabouts! 😀

Ooooh, I'm all conflicted. It feels like it's a shit trick to pull but if (and really only if) all the other approaches have short queues AND the exit you want is free-running after the roundabout, then the dicks are actually evening things out at what might be an imbalanced traffic flow that maybe should be light-controlled.

Still, dicks gonna dick whatever I think

Depends...if no direction arrows on road then either lane can go straight on, typically left lane for left or straight on and right lane for right or straight on if no markings or other indicators and left lane is rammed...

[quote=jamj1974 ]So if the exit is full it could have an impact. If the exit is empty on a typical multi-lane island, probably not so much.

If the exit is full then it simply has the effect of queue jumping and holding up traffic coming from other directions as described above. If the exit is empty, then the impact is potentially higher, as the traffic going in the direction the nobber is going is limited by the junction capacity - which the nobber has just decreased, so the queue in that direction is actually likely to be lengthened.

I don't get it either. Why do 1.5 laps?

Isn't a 540 just a glorified U turn?

Assuming the OP meant 720 or 360 then absolutely not thats very rude and non british.

Howevever... doing a 270 to turn left yes I do that fairly often, somehow thats OK in my mind, no idea why they should be different !

I'd say this one is fair game.

Watch out for big roundabouts with traffic lights on though. Nothing worse than sitting at a red light watching all of those cars which were behind you drive past!

Fair game I say. Switching lanes every 2 mins in slow moving traffic is for bell ends though.

I don't see any issue with it, then I'm not a great considerate driver who worries about the feelings of others because I see a more efficient route home. As long as no laws are broken and it is only feelings, then what is the problem?

Most people who would be bothered by it are only pissed off because they were either too dumb to think about it or too scared.

Very clever OP, we now have a list of all the nobbers on the forum whose opinions we don't have to take seriously any more 😆

but he's got the kettle on half an hour before you lot still sat at the roundabout.

Unlikely most poor driving manoeuvres save only seconds.

Ah but many seconds add up, fair to assume there is more than 1 time saving exercise on the go...

^ He gets it 🙂

I believe the correct term is 'making progress'. 🙂

I've done it once or twice, normally on unfamiliar roads when you're in the outside and miss the end of the left-turning queue. You can either sit there holding up traffic in your lane hoping some passive aggressive IT manager will stop pretending to ignore you and let you back in, or cruise serenely round as they sit there boiling their piss.

It's nearly as awful as people who don't queue properly for the self-serve checkouts at my local Tesco. Death's too good for them!

Is this in a car or on a bicycle?

"wonder what the percentage of people who think this is ok are also tories."

Nah, it'll be a socialist thing. The I haven't got it but some one else has so its ok to steal it idea. 😆

I do this all the time. Don't see what's wrong with it

Isn't a 540 just a glorified U turn?

It doesn't affect the overall capacity of the junction or the flow of traffic, you'll still get the same number of cars flowing through the junction. However, it does create a sense of injustice for the people who obey the rules of the road. It's is blatant queue jumping. Just the same as if you were to walk to the front of a queue at the supermarket check-out. It wouldn't take long for people behind you to tell you where to go. If everyone did it then the second lane and roundabout would very quickly become clogged up affecting the flow of the other roads leading to that roundabout and the inside 'proper' lane would grind to a halt as they would have to give way to those on the roundabout.

It's rude. It's arrogant, it's provocative. You're not breaking any rules in the black and white interpretation, but you are breaking the obvious intent of the rules. People who do it are ds. There is alot of dish behaviour you see on the roads every day and this is one.

Go for it. I have no problem remembering drivers that do this and move onto the roundabout slow enough to all the car behind me and the one behind that on at the same time leaving you trapped on the inside lane.
People that do the extra lap of the roundabout to jump queues just spoil the flow at the roundabout making the situation worse.

Strictly for bell ends with no manners & little patience.

the angle between your incoming and outgoing paths. So 180º and 540º are straight on.

If you don't turn, the angle is 0. If you turn left or right, it's 90, if you go back on yourself, it's 180.

Not far from my house there is a T junction. 90% of traffic turns right, thats fine. Its a 2 lane exit with enough space for maybe 4 cars in each lane before it goes back to a single lane feed.
Traffic coming from left and right can be heavy , so it can take a minute or so to exit.
The local boy racers turn left , then use the next right turn entrance/exit to pull a quick 180' and re- enter the traffic flow , just to avoid sitting in a short queue.

What if the queue's only backed up behind the junction because there's roadworks and a "merge in turn in 800 yards" and everyone's insisting on leaving the right lane empty because it's the right and proper British thing to do?

What if the queue's only backed up behind the junction because there's roadworks and a "merge in turn in 800 yards" and everyone's insisting on leaving the right lane empty because it's the right and proper British thing to do?

What we need are signs! Brits love signs and will generally accept anything if told to do so. Case in point. Drive through the Scottish highlands on narrow roads and there are signs clearly saying "Please use passing places to allow faster traffic to pass". Rarely do you need to go further than the first passing place for a slower car to let you by. Now we don't have those signs in Wales and you can sit behind a slow moving tourist admiring the view for miles and miles. They would never consider letting you past as they have not had it justified by signage.
In germany there are frequently signs where 2 lanes become one saying "use both lanes and merge like a zip". And guess what, no single queue with d**ks pushing in at the front, just a steady merging of 2 equal length lines of traffic.

I'm pretty sure the majority of commuters won't even notice it's happened.

[quote=welshfarmer ]In germany there are frequently signs where 2 lanes become one saying "use both lanes and merge like a zip". And guess what, no single queue with d**ks pushing in at the front, just a steady merging of 2 equal length lines of traffic.

Well that's where your theory fails. On a short bit of 2 lane DC local to me* which merges into one they have signs saying use both lanes when queuing. When I last drove that way the left lane was solid all the way back to the previous roundabout - I was in the lane on the roundabout which exits onto the right lane, so cruised up an empty lane almost to the front. I don't know if that makes me a dick, but I know it's actually the correct thing to do in such circumstances, so I did it fairly slowly to avoid looking like too much of a nobber and didn't feel at all guilty. I think part of the problem there (apart from that whole bit of road being a dogs breakfast) is that before the roundabout it's a SC only splitting into 2 lanes just before the roundabout - the right lane is signed to go straight on and I routinely use it, but I think a lot of drivers are too stupid to do so.

*the next junction after is a roundabout where I've seen people doing similar to as described in the OP - at that roundabout it definitely uses up capacity and makes traffic flow worse.

In germany there are frequently signs where 2 lanes become one saying "use both lanes and merge like a zip". And guess what, no single queue with d**ks pushing in at the front, just a steady merging of 2 equal length lines of traffic.

Yeah, sadly the signs that say "use both lanes when queuing" are a step too far for some british motorists. Last week we came across a caravan who felt it his duty to block both lanes to prevent anyone doing so. Have had similar issues at other roadworks with these signs. Genuinely curious to know what these people think those signs mean.

It doesn't affect the overall capacity of the junction or the flow of traffic

Seriously? OK, for simplicity imagine a single lane roundabout operating at capacity i.e. you've got queues on all approaches and traffic is circulating on the roundabout such that every time someone pulls off at an exit, someone waiting to join from that road pulls into the gap they left. Now imagine if everyone on the roundabout does an extra 360 before pulling off. The frequency of gaps appearing for people to pull into has more than halved, meaning all queues are moving at least twice as slowly.

A multi-lane roundabout as described by the OP doesn't really change anything: as the traffic doing the 540 trick completes their extra turn, they'll be sat in the lane that the "proper" queue is trying to pull into.

Doing the 360degree+ trick at a roundabout is obviously selfish, something to be reserved for occasional in a massive hurry situation.

I've had roundabout traffic models that initially have about half the queueing/delay that is actually occuring on site and only after adding the indirect route choices has the model validated to the much longer queues actually taking place.

What can happen is that once the queues hit a certain threshold the most selfish people take the indirect route, which makes the queue longer to the extent that slightly less selfish people also start to take the indirect route, etc.

If you don't turn, the angle is 0. If you turn left or right, it's 90, if you go back on yourself, it's 180.

It doesn't affect the overall capacity of the junction or the flow of traffic