View Full Version : Close call due to bad road signs, IMO
Was trundling off down to see MB & H at the weekend heading down the A12 and onto the M25. I travel up the sliproad and wait at the lights at the top. A lorry to my left and a Saab on my right. The lights go green and we all pull away. I get close to the M25 turn off but the lorry is still close by and I'm getting a wee bit squashed between him and the Saab. I'm now keeping an eye on the Saab who is carrying on around the roundabout and as I indicate and start to turn left up the M25 sliproad, the lorry is inches away from me :eek: And I mean literally an inch from my wing mirror. I have to come to a standstill on the roundabout rather quickly, let the lorry take my lane of the sliproad and then quickly nip back in behind him. It was bloody close and had Sinead shaking for the next 5 minutes :/
It turns out the two lane sliproad to the M25 has roadworks and is currently one lane. I can't see this as the lorry is blocking my view, and I guess he can't see me indicating to turn off. I don't remember seeing any other signs showing the sliproad is down to one lane.
Pee'd me off a bit. Shouldn't there be more signs out showing only 1 lane exit?
T'is treacherous roads to the Bannister's... on our way back we nearly missed the exit to the M25 due to poor signage.
It's like a rabbit warren their route.... so many ways to go!
BB x
Same on the A2 to M25 and M25 to A2 at the moment. It's a nightmare.
Yep, we were heading down the A2 at the weekend. On the way back you come up to the M25 roundabout and again, only one lane exit. As there were cars already on my left hand side I had to do another lap around. There just seems to be a complete lack of decent signage allowing you to get into the correct lane in time.
Agreed, that roundabout and slip roads are damned dangerous at the moment. There's often bumps on it with those roadworks going on. I quite often nip up the M11 instead to stay well clear.
Ah good, glad it's not just me then (not that I'd want others to almost crash), but you do start to wonder if you've done something wrong or stupid.
Admiral Huddy
05-11-2007, 18:21
glad you're ok. You have shaked my hand in the past and it's infectious you know ;)
There is a concentration of ****wits about at the moment. It seems that over the past few months the driving standards have declined enormously. I don't know what's happening. Lane discipline, anticipation, observation, indication, patience and graciousness have disappeared from people recently. There really are some 'tards on the roads - and my point is, they are so unforgiving should you make a mistake or if the road signs are ambiguous. I mean you're taught to forward plan and pre-empt, well how do you do it if you're not given any information.
I feel for you Jamie I really do, because so many times I've been in the same situation of being completely legitimate in my manoeuvre however it still caused an occasional hairy moment. Now you and I both ride bikes and I'd say generally have better anticipation, observation and reaction skills to non bikers, but in spite of this, we still end up in trouble. So if you think about it that way, it must mean there's something ****ed up on the roads if you get put into such an awkward position.
I'm glad all's well that ends well though - ultimately, nothing bad happened, and it was just some confusion and a few seconds of tension. I can imagine Sinead getting shaken up over things like that considering the bumps she's had in cars in the past. Hope she's not too shakey - I'm sure you'll give her some attention later ;)
But yes, the roads are a complete nightmare at the moment,. I don't know what's happening, but I'm starting to hate being out on the road.
Worst thing I see at that junction at the mo is people driving down the outside lane past the queue of people waiting to get onto the sliproad down to the roundabout, then diving across onto the sliproad and trying to shove into a gap that just isn' there.
Piggymon
05-11-2007, 19:09
the lorry is inches away from me :eek: And I mean literally an inch from my wing mirror.
YOUR Wing mirror ? Was my bloody side and I crapped myself !
I always get a little jumpy when we're driving and I can see cars changing lanes and they look as though they're going to crash into my side... imagine what I was like when I saw a great big huge lorry heading towards my door :'(
I screamed very loudly and for once it was for a good reason :p
It's crappy there isn't it :( And getting onto the M2 from the M25 is a bit of a mission now too.
I screamed very loudly and for once it was for a good reason :p
I don't know why but I find myself having difficulty imagining a loud piggy scream. :p
Anyway, even as a non-driver I've observed more than a few pillocks out on the roads recently. Dunno if it's a seasonal thing but I suspect that might be partly responsible. We get them going up and down the road outside the office playing like it's a race track. We also get drunks walking up and down the middle of that road in the early hours (I've seen them). It doesn't take a lot of intelligence to work out that these two situations will eventually prove to be incompatible.
They did a similar trick on the A42/A511 roundabout up by us recently.
As you come on to the roundabout, all is dandy, next thing you know the inside lane is coned off - no warning, nothing - and people start darting to the outside lane or grinding to a halt in the middle of the roundabout. Bit daft as it's used by loads of HGV's who need to swing wide there as it is.
I went to pick some goods up for work yesterday and was heading towards the M6 roundabout in Nuneaton when I noticed a metro just ahead of me start to move into the next lane, it then moves back suddenly and keeps driving in both of them. There's me hitting the brakes as fast as I can thinking the metro will be written if I'm not careful. Bloody useless drivers, seeing more and more of them lately. I swear they are giving driving licences away on the back of cereal boxes these days :(
vBulletin® v3.7.4, Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.