Must I give way to a filtering car?

[lacmag3]

I'm in heavy, slow-moving traffic, in the left lane having exited from a roundabout. The right lane last only 150 yards before filtering in to the left. The right lane is empty until someone speeds down its length and needs me to brake to allow him/her in (we're all travelling relatively closely because of our lack of speed in the left lane). The driver gets annoyed when I don't brake to let him/her in. Am I just being pigheaded or both pigheaded and falling foul of the law??

[baza]

NO make the barsteward wait, should both lanes busy then I would work alternate cars into one lane as I am a gent, but road hogs/bullies I just give a one fingered salute.

[FredPuli43]

No, and I expect other drivers to ignore that driver too. I get quite irritated when someone lets him in ahead of his proper place. We have decided to stay in the left lane, or we have moved to it in anticipation, and he decides to jump our queue, the rude so and so !

[rojash]

You're being pigheaded. If no-one ever lets a driver filter from the right - what do you think is the point of the right hand lane? Maybe you think the road planners just has a bit of money left over so they decided to build a dead-end lane.

[gness]

I regularly use a roundabout that has two arrowed lanes for straight on but the exit lanes merge into one on the left. This isn`t obvious on approaching the roundabout so it would be churlish not to let those who have "lost" their lane filter left. On a long stretch of road with a lane closed or merge ahead sign I do pull out and keep the cocky overtakers behind me though.

[Marijn]

No, you shouldn't have to brake suddenly to let someone in. It should be slow transition.

[Zacs-Master]

If you came on to the roundabout from the left (i.e. were using the roundabout to make a left turn) and the other driver was using it to turn right then they had no choice but to use this lane if the left hand lane was queuing..

[sunny-dave]

It's all about perceived 'fairness' - I will always take my turn and 'zip merge' where everyone has been queuing or on the exit from a roundabout.

But, as gness says, if someone is taking the fosters by zooming up & expecting to break into an extablished line then I'm afraid I cock the proverbial deaf 'un ...

[Toureman]

There is a reason for dual carriageways, it is to make maximum room for vehicles!

The road authorities tried to introduce zip merging but found out that most drivers were to stupid to understand what that meant or to aggressive to drive like a normal person with sense.I completely agree with rojash.

[Brinjal]

I believe in using the zipper effect. If you filter one one the traffic moves. You should pull right move up and then filter in same as the other fellow. :)

[factor-fiction]

The other technique some people use to deal with these cases is to pull out yourself a bit so you are partly in the other lane, thereby blocking his passage.

[Zacs-Master]

Has anyone actually read my post? Maybe they had no choice!

[factor-fiction]

I did Zacs-Master. There will be cases where the person in the right hand lane has no choice. There are also cases where people go as far as they can in the lane that is disappearing and people in the left hand lane feel they should have slowed down earlier in the right hand lane and asked to be let in. I think people are more willing to let them in if they ask earlier.

[doctordb]

There is a similar junction near me that has a large yellow sign with bold black letters stating 'USE BOTH LANES AND MERGE IN TURN' but most people ignore the sign and blindly stick to the left whilst shouting at or trying to block drivers who are 'using both lanes and trying to merge in turn.'

[888sally888]

I look dead ahead and don't let them in. I can't stand arrogant people who jump queues whether in shops or on the roads. Some people seem to think their time is more precious than other peoples. Now breatheeeeeeeeeee!

[RATTER15]

I admit that I do it myself if there is a queue, why leave the lane empty, its there for a reason.

Would I let them in? well that depends how arrogant and pushy they appear. If SHE has a nice smile, then I certainly would!!

[Ellipsis]

> The right lane last only 150 yards before filtering in to the left

150 yards is quite a long stretch. If that 150 yards had been chock full of cars, the queue in the left hand lane would only be half as long, and would not stretch back potentially onto the roundabout. Why do you think the right hand lane is there, if not to be used? Why not block it off all the way up to the roundabout?

That said, it is as others have said about perceived fairness. If I had found myself in the right hand lane (often happens if you don't know the area, for example), I would have tried to merge into the left sooner rather than later.

[doctordb]

The fairest system is for everyone to use both lanes.

[ummmm]

Pigheaded.

I really couldn't care less if someone has queue jumped, just let them in.

[Ratty2E]

I agree with DoctorB, we have a similar situation at a couple of places near me. There is are very clear signs that tell you to use both lanes but people would still rather sit in the left and cause congestion on the roundabout and moan at the ones who can actually read and are doing what they are told.

[gness]

Apart from fairness surely the safest procedure is to merge early and calmly instead of hammering down the outside lane til it ends and then rudely shoving in?