Merge In Turn, why does no one do it properly!

It doesn't make misuse correct.

I am sure you have seen people accelerate and almost race down the outside merge lane to basically overtake, not join
If the "misuse" is aggressively speeding, then sure...it's not a great thing to do. Dangerous and stupid.

But they are not actually misusing the open lane, that is on everyone else for not using it in the first place.
 
I'm not arguing about how it should be used by more. I agree, those that complain about it being used, should just move into that lane and flow.

But you must have seen people miss using the lane? Driving down the outside lane to the pinch point can be done at a speed not much different to the inside lane, or it can be done as fast as possible to overtake as many as possible. And that is the point I am trying to make.

A lot of the issues are caused by road planners just doubling up lanes before and after known traffic holdups, to increase the amount of cars the stretch of road can hold. 2 lanes of traffic rather than 1.

I've also seen lanes on motorways closed, with an "X" on the gantry above and people still speeding down those lanes. Again, speeding to get to the front of the queues.
 
But you must have seen people miss using the lane? Driving down the outside lane to the pinch point can be done at a speed not much different to the inside lane, or it can be done as fast as possible to overtake as many as possible. And that is the point I am trying to make.

I've seen them fail to merge, at the merge point everyone else merges, then floor it hoping to find a 'spot', then having failed - gone through the cones..
 
Because the stupid idiots who don't understand the highway code ruin it and make it difficult for the rest of us. One that gets me is people not moving into the yellow hatch at box junctions when the exit is clear.
Or not moving into the yellow hatch when turning right. Happens regularly at one junction up here. My sister is one of the guilty ones - she will not accept you can move into it when waiting to turn right.

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Yes this one is local to me, another perfect example and edging into the yellow box also lets you see further up the road if the left hand land is full of cars, which it frequently is.

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What frustrates me is people turning Right at a Round-a-Bout but entering and staying in the Left Hand lane of the R-a-B even when the road markings indicate the LH lane is a left turn filter. At one local R-a-B I've seen one driver enter from the LH lane, marked Turn Left, not indicate and attempt to use the hatch marked LH lane of the R-a-B and then wonder why they are hit in the drivers by another driver correctly following the road markings and signage.
 
Yes this one is local to me, another perfect example and edging into the yellow box also lets you see further up the road if the left hand land is full of cars, which it frequently is.

Where I live, there is a right turn, into a busy side road, yellow box. Just in the side road is a bus stop, which the bus turns left into. What can happen, is your right turn is clear, you are just waiting for the oncoming to clear, so you are in the box. A bus turns in, stops, cars build up behind, and there you are stuck in the box.
 
I'm not arguing about how it should be used by more. I agree, those that complain about it being used, should just move into that lane and flow.

But you must have seen people miss using the lane? Driving down the outside lane to the pinch point can be done at a speed not much different to the inside lane, or it can be done as fast as possible to overtake as many as possible. And that is the point I am trying to make.

A lot of the issues are caused by road planners just doubling up lanes before and after known traffic holdups, to increase the amount of cars the stretch of road can hold. 2 lanes of traffic rather than 1.

I've also seen lanes on motorways closed, with an "X" on the gantry above and people still speeding down those lanes. Again, speeding to get to the front of the queues.
Ahh, you are talking about the merge in turn lanes that are part of existing road infrastructure.
Yes, these can be nasty little traps and people do abuse them at excessive speed.

I take the approach that, if someone wants to do that, just let them, I just ensure there is a gap so it's as safe for me as possible, and let them in. I used to me more defensive about it, but at some point it clicked with me....what is the point.

Where I do sometimes use those lanes is if there is a queue at a traffic light only using one of the lanes. Again, if both lanes go straight on and then merge, use them both. But again, people don't like it. However I find that if you position your car in a non-aggressive manner, people are usually more willing.

But that situation is different from a lane closed merge in turn, where no one uses the lane as intended, using both lanes right up to the merge, and then if one person does dare to use it as intended, they get the ire from those in a needlessly extended queue.
 
Does anyone else get frustrated that no-one seemingly knows how to do a lane closed merge in turn.

I was driving yesterday, and entering a duel carriage section off a roundabout, there were signs informing everyone that in 200 yards the outside lane was closed.

Everyone had got into the inside lane immediately from the roundabout causing a tailback to the roundabout, eventually snarling it up.

Predictably the outside lane was totally empty for the 200 yards all the way up to the merge.

So, I did what anyone who knows what should be done in this situation and went down the empty right hand lane, and merged at the merge point.

While doing this I could feel the seething anger as I passed the needless queue on the left. Thankfully no-one self policed me/tried to prevent me from proceeding and no one prevented me from merging. But, I have the feeling of having to not look at anyone while they stare at me tootling down the empty lane.

But....I must say....does no one know the correct procedure? Does no one realise they are causing an extended queue that is causing far more problems than if they used both lanes and merged one by one?

Because we're BRITISH, damnit! We were BORN to queue!

Seriously, I do think that's the problem. It's a cultural thing. Even when the signs tell us otherwise.

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To be honest, I think there are better signs in other countries. "zip merging" is better understood elsewhere.

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All I see on that second image is some odd diversion warning about Space Invaders
 
Last year I encountered a ghost queue on the motorway. It was actually the most bizarre thing I have experienced while driving.

The overhead gantry indicated all lanes except the outside lane was closing in a few miles.

As per usual, everyone was already queuing in that lane. The tail back went on for miles.

I stayed in the still open middle lane.....alone..... expecting to meet up with a merge at some point, and must have driven past 5 miles of solid queue.

When I got to the end, it turned out there was no longer any lane closure.....but only the people at the front were starting to notice.

I literally just avoided perhaps 30minutes or more waiting in phantom traffic jam.

Apart from the part I made bold, I would have done exactly as you did.

Leftmost lane, unless you can't. (y)
 
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