Coming up the M6 yesterday around Lancaster, traffic started slowing up about a mile and a half before roadworks where it eventually goes into two lanes, with inside lane 1 closed.
I stayed in lane and around 1200 yds before closure (estimate based on fact that I could not see 800 yd warning sign) everything was moved into lanes 2 and 3. So I just thought sod it, it’s Saturday going home, and kept it going, (thinking I was doing nothing wrong as according to Highway Code guide to undertaking when traffic moving in queues)
Got through 800 yd marker to 600 yd marker, and one self appointed traffic marshall in a car, started to pull over to block me.
Rightly or wrongly I took him in hard shoulder, only other option was to ram him up the arse. As I passed him I got the inevitable blast on his horn with a few hand gestures noticed in my mirror.
I got past 200 yd marker where traffic was moving slowly and got flashed out by a friendly rigid driver…job sorted.
What would you have done ? the same as me or pulled in to lane 2 with the rest of them, at nearly a mile before closure.
The reason I ask is I put a similar post up last winter.when I pulled into lane 2 on thin snow/slush and passed everything, most agreed with me, but one guy gave me a ■■■■ dog’s bollocking for it on here calling me an irresponsible knob head and all the rest of it.
So bring it on …, what would you do in that situation?
Btw I was not teararsing past on the limiter just in case some ■■■■ (as he did) tried to offer up his arse end to me.
You cant win either way Rob. There are so many ■■■■■ on the road it’s unreal. If you would have moved over earlier, chances are someone would have pulled in front of you and then hit the brakes.
Its a [zb]ing lottery when it comes to slip roads, merged lanes etc. I would have probably done the same as you.
It’s a bit like these ‘Smart’ stretches where it goes into 4 lanes, and very few move over turning it from a 4 lane stretch to a 3 lane (blocked) stretch, or when the hard shoulder is opened up, many are reluctant to use it for some obscure reason.
I always leave a large gap in front of me for trucks that are coming down the inside lane so they can filter in. That way, I keep rolling whilst they squeeze in, everyone’s a winner!
It’s a live lane right up to the cones so you’re ok on that front but shouldn’t have gone on the hard shoulder, in me car I’d have copied you but in the company wagon I’d have toed the line reluctantly.
In this day of mobile phones and minimal attention spans, these queues at pinch points are made artificially longer by everyone moving over too early, and then not keeping up with person in front because FB is more interesting than watching what they are meant to be doing. This means there is nearly always a healthy gap for you to get into nearer the merge.
Also at a lot of these pinch points the sign “merge in turn” appears at the closure so really you are doing nothing but making a longer queue by moving over too early.
robroy:
Coming up the M6 yesterday around Lancaster, traffic started slowing up about a mile and a half before roadworks where it eventually goes into two lanes, with inside lane 1 closed.
I stayed in lane and around 1200 yds before closure (estimate based on fact that I could not see 800 yd warning sign) everything was moved into lanes 2 and 3. So I just thought sod it, it’s Saturday going home, and kept it going, (thinking I was doing nothing wrong as according to Highway Code guide to undertaking when traffic moving in queues)
Got through 800 yd marker to 600 yd marker, and one self appointed traffic marshall in a car, started to pull over to block me.
Rightly or wrongly I took him in hard shoulder, only other option was to ram him up the arse. As I passed him I got the inevitable blast on his horn with a few hand gestures noticed in my mirror.
I got past 200 yd marker where traffic was moving slowly and got flashed out by a friendly rigid driver…job sorted.
What would you have done ? the same as me or pulled in to lane 2 with the rest of them, at nearly a mile before closure.
The reason I ask is I put a similar post up last winter.when I pulled into lane 2 on thin snow/slush and passed everything, most agreed with me, but one guy gave me a [zb] dog’s bollocking for it on here calling me an irresponsible knob head and all the rest of it.
So bring it on …, what would you do in that situation?
Btw I was not teararsing past on the limiter just in case some ■■■■ (as he did) tried to offer up his arse end to me.
Obviously perfectly legal and right to use the inside lane, but charging past traffic is always going to wind someone up and passing on the hard shoulder is illegal. The trick is to stay on the inside but do it at a pace where everyone will think that you are the one preventing the BMs, Mercs, VWs and Audis from charging up the inside, you are then the good guy rather than another ■■■■■
Snow and ice, too many idiots driving to close together too slowly, an artic is the next best thing to a snow plough, crack on! (within reason)
Sod it Rob, using that lane was fine. Yeah maybe shouldn’t have used the HS, but it’s not crime of the century, meanwhile half the cycling racing fraternity were holding the tour de France on the A1 this morning so who gives a crap, the Po don’t.
Now he’s posting on here again I’m just waiting for Chuck -Conor -Norris to waid in.
I drive down the lane which is closing till the last 200yrds normally until a space appears - normally in front of a lorry that can’t pull away quick enough to close the gap between them and the cars in front when pulling away.
robroy:
Coming up the M6 yesterday around Lancaster, traffic started slowing up about a mile and a half before roadworks where it eventually goes into two lanes, with inside lane 1 closed.
I stayed in lane and around 1200 yds before closure (estimate based on fact that I could not see 800 yd warning sign) everything was moved into lanes 2 and 3. So I just thought sod it, it’s Saturday going home, and kept it going, (thinking I was doing nothing wrong as according to Highway Code guide to undertaking when traffic moving in queues)
Got through 800 yd marker to 600 yd marker, and one self appointed traffic marshall in a car, started to pull over to block me.
Rightly or wrongly I took him in hard shoulder, only other option was to ram him up the arse. As I passed him I got the inevitable blast on his horn with a few hand gestures noticed in my mirror.
I got past 200 yd marker where traffic was moving slowly and got flashed out by a friendly rigid driver…job sorted.
What would you have done ? the same as me or pulled in to lane 2 with the rest of them, at nearly a mile before closure.
The reason I ask is I put a similar post up last winter.when I pulled into lane 2 on thin snow/slush and passed everything, most agreed with me, but one guy gave me a [zb] dog’s bollocking for it on here calling me an irresponsible knob head and all the rest of it.
So bring it on …, what would you do in that situation?
Btw I was not teararsing past on the limiter just in case some ■■■■ (as he did) tried to offer up his arse end to me.
Would have done exactly the same pal, you have done nothing wrong. As far as I am concerned the lane is live until I meet a cone if needed. I also wouldn’t be aggressive but you should be able to merge and turn in.
As for the self appointed idiots, had one a few months back on some works heading in to Ulverston on a dual. I crawled along until the blocker appeared at 800 yds and then simply leaned on the horn until the shame made him move.
It’s a British thing to comply as soon as you see it, the amount of times I’ve cruised for well over a mile on the run up to a 2 lane wide load moving so slowly that the matrix are used is ridiculous.
Just to clarify, I am aware it aint the best idea to use hard shoulder, as well as being illegal, but it was just momentarily, and evasive, and as I said it was the better option than arse ramming him as he waited to last minute to display his displeasure with my driving.
Not back pedalling or trying to justify anything here btw, just telling it as it was.
It would be interesting to know what the law’s view would be if I had accidentally rammed him, as tbh I am pretty sure I was doing nothing illegal, and the fact that he only had one intention…to block and stop me.
In this day of mobile phones and minimal attention spans, these queues at pinch points are made artificially longer by everyone moving over too early, and then not keeping up with person in front because FB is more interesting than watching what they are meant to be doing. This means there is nearly always a healthy gap for you to get into nearer the merge.
Also at a lot of these pinch points the sign “merge in turn” appears at the closure so really you are doing nothing but making a longer queue by moving over too early.
Firstly it’s the slow merging operation ‘at’ the obstruction that’s ‘causing’ the ‘queue’.While it’s obvious that the government are all about artificially slowing down the road network in every way possible.
Which is why we don’t see the lane closure signs put at least 1 mile or more before the obstruction and the road works sign at 800 yds so everyone can merge into the correct lanes at higher speeds well before the obstruction.As opposed to vice versa which means that the merging operation has to be done at a crawl.
On that note,as it stands and without that change in the lane closure warning regime,it’s obvious that everyone just has to accept the situation of an artificially created bottle neck on the basis of slow zip merging at the obstruction rather than a high speed lane change to merge long before it.
Juddian:
I hope you did the traditonal lorry driver thing, cruised gently along clocking the totty though spotlessly clean windows as you went by…fnarr fnarr
Absolutely right what you did.
Yeh but I need to put my glasses on these days to get the full ‘Eyefull effect’
Not as good as when I was able to look down and see through mirrored shades where they did not notice me ogling, so I just look like an old perv now when I do it.
I wouldn’t have undertook him on the hard shoulder that’s for sure. Let’s hope for your sake nobody got it on camera.
As I said, thought it was least of 2 evils than arse ramming him, and if it is on camera it would be noticeable how long he waited before he did pull in.
Now if he had gave me plenty room, and I had aproached him in plenty of time, hard shoulder would have been a definite no no, as that would have been nailed on illegal, where as in this case I did have an element of defence for my (admittedly still illegal) evasive manouvere.
in a car, started to pull over to block me.
