If you know Leicester he was going up Colchester Rd (north outer ring road) to turn left onto the A47 towards Uppingham. I always split the lanes here airing on lane 2 but not leaving enough space for a car to undertake. Now strictly speaking you can just make the turn by staying in the left lane, but it’s very tight (as the bent railing and scuffed curbs illustrate). Surely it’s bad training to make him take that particular turn maintaining lane discipline? Or would an examiner expect it?
What an examiner expects and what happens later are different things.
Reminds me when my instructor drove me back after I’d passed me Class 1 in 1976;
he drove like a ■■■■ and said this is how you how drive these things else you’ll get nowt done. 
When I learned 2 years ago I was taught its better to take some of the other lane (providing you check mirrors blah blah blah) than to risk getting yourself anywhere near a kerb, which if you touch is test fail straight away. I think the examiner would rather see you safely use the whole available road space than see you touch the kerbs.
I learnt to drive with J Coates. Class 2 was a nightmare with an instructor who didn’t like me at all, four days of hell, sleepless nights, dreading another day confined in the truck with him. Class 1 was totally different, relaxed, fun and an easygoing instructor who did a great job.
I got a minor fault on my Class 1 test for leaving too big a gap on my nearside. I wasn’t faulted for straddling lanes, just overcooking it a bit (erring too much on the cautious side).
I’d say if it is tight but just about manageable staying in lane then the wise thing to do would be to take a bit of wriggle room with a bit of straddling, but not too much.
It is possible, of course, that the learner simply didn’t know what he was doing and took the corner tighter than the instructor would have been comfortable with. Maybe he just got lucky…
Most LGVs doing that left turn have at least their o/s wheels on or just over the lane line - I watched an artic do that turn just before noon today
On training the trainee is advised to SAFELY take a little more room than they think they need on approach rather than take too little and get into trouble
ROG:
Most LGVs doing that left turn have at least their o/s wheels on or just over the lane line - I watched an artic do that turn just before noon todayOn training the trainee is advised to SAFELY take a little more room than they think they need on approach rather than take too little and get into trouble
With that junction it’s not wise to just nick a little bit of lane two as the cars will squeeze in on your right then you can’t turn until they’ve cleared or you’ll wipe one out with your trailer, by which time the lights could be changing to amber. The safest way is to pull as far into lane 2 as you can to stop them squeezing in there, whilst not leaving enough space in lane 1 for them to undertake. It takes out all the risks. It’s a real problem junction, at least 50% or artics get into trouble on it as they’re not expecting it to be that tight.
Tris:
Google Maps Dropped pin
near 3 Colchester Rd, Leicester LE5 6RDCheck out the curb.
Haha just had a look, moved a bit on the street view and what do I see but a tipper driver holding a mobile to his face.
I’ll generally hold 2 lanes if I know it’s for the best as things are flowing, and I’m probably only holding up the ones trying a sneaky over/undertake, without a clue to the line my trailer will take. If I’m queuing I won’t restrict another lane!
From google maps looks definitely like a white line straddler in an artic. I wouldn’t want to be sitting on a red inside the offside lines 
. You can give road space away but taking it back is harder
Evil8Beezle:
I’ll generally hold 2 lanes if I know it’s for the best as things are flowing, and I’m probably only holding up the ones trying a sneaky over/undertake, without a clue to the line my trailer will take. If I’m queuing I won’t restrict another lane!
If I’m queuing I’m more inclined to block them from jumping in front. Again in Leicester the outer ring is mostly single lane, but annoyingly opens up to dual before and after lights. At busy times I reduce to a crawl on the single section leaving clear road in front of me to block the cars/vans and then get a nice run at the lights to keep my place in the queue. I think of it like Moses holding back the tide.
Tris:
Evil8Beezle:
I’ll generally hold 2 lanes if I know it’s for the best as things are flowing, and I’m probably only holding up the ones trying a sneaky over/undertake, without a clue to the line my trailer will take. If I’m queuing I won’t restrict another lane!If I’m queuing I’m more inclined to block them from jumping in front. Again in Leicester the outer ring is mostly single lane, but annoyingly opens up to dual before and after lights. At busy times I reduce to a crawl on the single section leaving clear road in front of me to block the cars/vans and then get a nice run at the lights to keep my place in the queue. I think of it like Moses holding back the tide.
Fair enough, and as I don’t know the area I can’t comment about whether blocking is OK or not. My comments on not blocking a lane is more about single lane roads that open up to 2 lanes at a roundabout. If I’m going straight over and things are moving I’ll probably hold both lanes, but if I’m queuing, I’ll stay to the left and let those that are turning right crack on. However the amount of people who aren’t prepared to wait their turn and use the right lane to jump a few cars does frustrate me, but I ain’t the police…
my instructor used to say the lanes are marked out for cars not trucks if you need the room take it
Whether it’s OK or not is debatable, it slashes 10-15 minutes off getting through at rush hour though.
Tris:
Whether it’s OK or not is debatable, it slashes 10-15 minutes off getting through at rush hour though.
What slashes 10-15 minutes off?
malcob:
my instructor used to say the lanes are marked out for cars not trucks if you need the room take it
Lanes marked for cars?
Is it not just todays roads are not ‘made’ for HGV’s in the first place…? 
There’s a new roundabout / road layout near me, and the way it’s been designed…
Local people have said it was designed by a chimpanzee, and signed off by Steve Wonder!!!
And as for the cambers on it?
I counted about 7 switches between positive and negative from entering and exiting… 
Road planners play with perceptual lane width to slow drivers down. Some large roundabouts are a joke now. Trying to maintain lane discipline means taking exaggerated swings to clear the lines. Add some adverse camber and it is a roll-over waiting to catch out the unwary and inexperienced.
Tris:
If you know Leicester he was going up Colchester Rd (north outer ring road) to turn left onto the A47 towards Uppingham. I always split the lanes here airing on lane 2 but not leaving enough space for a car to undertake. Now strictly speaking you can just make the turn by staying in the left lane, but it’s very tight (as the bent railing and scuffed curbs illustrate). Surely it’s bad training to make him take that particular turn maintaining lane discipline? Or would an examiner expect it?
Know it well, on my class one lessons was told just pinch a bit of the second lane…it is on the test route so yes all the learners have to enjoy that turn…
Manage to go that way after I passed my test and did straddle both lanes…I mean why make it harder on yourself!!
From what I see these days is far too many drivers block lane’s when it’s not needed.
A bit selfish way of driving really.
Tris:
I think of it like Moses holding back the tide.
It was King Canute who failed on holding back the tide, Moses parted the Dead Sea so his followers never had to wait for a ferry … 