Motoring Middle Lane Hogging

[thetrees]

Late to this thread.

My first reaction was that I cannot remember the last time that I saw a police car on the motorway, and I use them every day.

Second is that I believe that the penalty for using a mobile phone while driving should be the same as for drink driving (I would also support the introduction of an offence for using a mobile phone away from your ear while walking!)

[snowychap]

I would also support the introduction of an offence for using a mobile phone away from your ear while walking!

 

What - like an early star trek communicator?

Edited June 6, 2013 by snowychap

[thetrees]

I would also support the introduction of an offence for using a mobile phone away from your ear while walking!

 

What - like an early star trek communicator?

Texters and tweeters jaywalking along drive me mad.

On another note there's a bloke in front of me at the match who continually 'tweets' throughout (is he a VTer?)

I don't know whether I think that he is sad, or I am just jealous as his 3G works! Clearly he is not a Vodafone user as their 3G seems to fail in crowds of 3 or more.

[snowychap]

You're just irate that you can't partake of the match threads!

[StefanAVFC]

 

 

I would also support the introduction of an offence for using a mobile phone away from your ear while walking!

 

What - like an early star trek communicator?

Texters and tweeters jaywalking along drive me mad.

On another note there's a bloke in front of me at the match who continually 'tweets' throughout (is he a VTer?)

I don't know whether I think that he is sad, or I am just jealous as his 3G works! Clearly he is not a Vodafone user as their 3G seems to fail in crowds of 3 or more.

 

 

My 3G doesn't work at VP, but it worked at the Britannia and the DW, but not at Carrow Road 

Edited June 7, 2013 by StefanAVFC

[snowychap]

My 3G doesn't work at VP, but it worked at the Britannia and the DW, but not at Carrow Road 

They only tweet when they're ploughing.

[CrackpotForeigner]

Has anyone who lives in, or has been to Australia noticed that Aussies just don't seem to get the concept of keeping in the leftmost practical lane?

 

It does the nation no credit.

[djdabush]

I think a lot of people genuinely don't realise they are doing anything wrong in hogging the middle lane. Similarly, people don't seem to realise that most bus lanes have operating times and that in off peak hours you can drive in them. Every night I drive home at 10pm and have to drive at 20 mph so as to not undertake someone who has moved into the right hand lane to avoid the bus lane and then when the bus lane ends at a traffic lights they just cut over to the left without indicating or checking their mirrors.

[The_Rev]

Late to this thread.

My first reaction was that I cannot remember the last time that I saw a police car on the motorway, and I use them every day.

 

Really?   I travel on the M6 between J3 and Spaghetti most days, and even though that is barely 15 miles I see police on it almost every time. 

[peterms]

 

Late to this thread.

My first reaction was that I cannot remember the last time that I saw a police car on the motorway, and I use them every day.

 

Really?   I travel on the M6 between J3 and Spaghetti most days, and even though that is barely 15 miles I see police on it almost every time. 

 

 

Perhaps you're under observation? 

[mockingbird_franklin]

Has anyone who lives in, or has been to Australia noticed that Aussies just don't seem to get the concept of keeping in the leftmost practical lane?

 

It does the nation no credit.

Yes, From my experience, they will happily sit in whatever lane they like, no matter what speed they are traveling at or how busy the inside lane is. I used to have to occasinally use the highway at 3am, and often You would come across someone dawdling along in the middle or outside lane with not another car on the road. The other culture shock was their total inability to grab the concept of blending into a gap in traffic by matching your speed to the vehicles already on a highway when you join a highway, they just tootal down the slip road at whatever speed they wish, and expect anyone in the inner lane has a duty to avoid them as best they can.

Edited June 7, 2013 by mockingbird_franklin

[The_Rev]

 

 

Late to this thread.

My first reaction was that I cannot remember the last time that I saw a police car on the motorway, and I use them every day.

 

Really?   I travel on the M6 between J3 and Spaghetti most days, and even though that is barely 15 miles I see police on it almost every time. 

 

 

Perhaps you're under observation? 

 

 

That would explain the mysterious clicking noise every time I take a phone call I guess.   

 

But I refuse to believe somebody who travels on the motorway daily never sees a police car, especially if it is around an urban area as densely populated as the west midlands.  

Unless they are as blind as Howard Webb.

[peterms]

 

Someone I work with has to cut through a bus lane to get into the driveway at their house.  They said they actually got a ticket once when a newly installed camera busted them.  Got off on appeal, but still, it's a crazy story.

Cameras have no common sense they are a taxation device

 

 

You've been reading the Daily Mail again, haven't you? 

 

On the bus lane story, I think I'd be asking if the guy was done because he turned across the bus lane to get into his drive (which would be mad), or because he entered the bus lane and drove along it because he intended to turn into his drive a bit further down the road (which would be an entirely justifiable reason to nick him).  I think we all see, every day, people who use the bus lane for several hundred yards because they intend to turn left at a later point.  It's not allowed, but they seem to convince themselves that they are in the right.

[Risso]

 

 

Someone I work with has to cut through a bus lane to get into the driveway at their house.  They said they actually got a ticket once when a newly installed camera busted them.  Got off on appeal, but still, it's a crazy story.

Cameras have no common sense they are a taxation device

 

 

You've been reading the Daily Mail again, haven't you? 

 

On the bus lane story, I think I'd be asking if the guy was done because he turned across the bus lane to get into his drive (which would be mad), or because he entered the bus lane and drove along it because he intended to turn into his drive a bit further down the road (which would be an entirely justifiable reason to nick him).  I think we all see, every day, people who use the bus lane for several hundred yards because they intend to turn left at a later point.  It's not allowed, but they seem to convince themselves that they are in the right.

 

 

On the other hand, cameras aren't programmed to be able to distinguish between people entering them illegally and those who need to cross them.  It's just as likely that the camera caught him doing nothing wrong whatsoever.

[mockingbird_franklin]

 

 

Someone I work with has to cut through a bus lane to get into the driveway at their house.  They said they actually got a ticket once when a newly installed camera busted them.  Got off on appeal, but still, it's a crazy story.

Cameras have no common sense they are a taxation device

 

 

You've been reading the Daily Mail again, haven't you? 

 

On the bus lane story, I think I'd be asking if the guy was done because he turned across the bus lane to get into his drive (which would be mad), or because he entered the bus lane and drove along it because he intended to turn into his drive a bit further down the road (which would be an entirely justifiable reason to nick him).  I think we all see, every day, people who use the bus lane for several hundred yards because they intend to turn left at a later point.  It's not allowed, but they seem to convince themselves that they are in the right.

 

Well under The universal Human Rights Charter, the right to travel unhindered and without fee or penalty is clearly stated, so that would say they do indeed do have a right.

Edited June 7, 2013 by mockingbird_franklin

[peterms]

On the other hand, cameras aren't programmed to be able to distinguish between people entering them illegally and those who need to cross them.  It's just as likely that the camera caught him doing nothing wrong whatsoever.

Yes, the cameras just take pictures.  But there's still someone who looks at the pictures and decides whether to take action.  If they prosecuted someone for crossing the lane rather than driving along it, that's wrong.

[BOF]

Here's good one: bus lanes.

 

On my way home every evening I drive along a busy road with a bus lane. Even when the traffic is slow, most people stick to the rules - but you get the occasional asshole who just zooms down the bus/taxi lane. On occasions I've seen them get busted for it, which is fine by me.

 

But... what if the car in front of you is stationary because he's waiting to turn right into a side road, against a steady stream of traffic coming the other way? Is it reasonable to "undertake" via the (probably completely empty) bus lane, immediately returning to your previous lane?

 

I think it should be, but I assume it's still illegal.

Illegal, a mate of mine got done by a camera only a few days ago for such a manoeuvre. This one doesn't bother me though I'm allowed in them

But tbh I tend to avoid bus lanes on the whole only use them when I can't see a bus ahead, otherwise its usually bloody slower

Well if that is true (and it held up) then it's bullshit. It's no different to going over a continuous white line to go around an obstruction. You're not intending on gaining an advantage by using the lane, merely continuing your journey. I'd be surprised if it was enforced even in the common-sense-free environmemt of the council.

[AValon]

The other day, I was watching this old guy hold a convoy of VERY irate motorists in tow, as he blissfully tootled along the outside lane of the dual-carriageway in his trusty old Metro. To say the geezer tailgating him was apoplectic was putting it mildy.....his face was purple with rage. And then, all of a sudden, the bloke calmly edged over and stuck his arm, middle-finger raised in victory, to the heavens.

Bad driving all round, for sure, but for one second there I saw my old man and I had to laugh.

[BOF]

My aul' lad does that. Looks in the rear-view at the 60 cars behind and says "We're winning, we're winning!".

[mockingbird_franklin]

 

 

Here's good one: bus lanes.

 

On my way home every evening I drive along a busy road with a bus lane. Even when the traffic is slow, most people stick to the rules - but you get the occasional asshole who just zooms down the bus/taxi lane. On occasions I've seen them get busted for it, which is fine by me.

 

But... what if the car in front of you is stationary because he's waiting to turn right into a side road, against a steady stream of traffic coming the other way? Is it reasonable to "undertake" via the (probably completely empty) bus lane, immediately returning to your previous lane?

 

I think it should be, but I assume it's still illegal.

Illegal, a mate of mine got done by a camera only a few days ago for such a manoeuvre. This one doesn't bother me though I'm allowed in them

But tbh I tend to avoid bus lanes on the whole only use them when I can't see a bus ahead, otherwise its usually bloody slower

 

Well if that is true (and it held up) then it's bullshit. It's no different to going over a continuous white line to go around an obstruction. You're not intending on gaining an advantage by using the lane, merely continuing your journey. I'd be surprised if it was enforced even in the common-sense-free environmemt of the council.

 

I actually think that the majority of statutes/bylaws no matter how poorly thought out and constructed are made for genuine reasons, to make rules that legally define what is fair and unfair for those that either refuse or seem unable to behave in a common sense way or in the common good way, unfortunately they so often then get highjacked and turned into rigid black and white rules that are their to enable a revenue stream where fairness and common sense mean nothing.