What on the roads has annoyed you today?

[Thracian]

A refresher course because you said I might "harm some elderly peoples confidence" I'm just saying I think older drivers should have to have another test, I really don't see the problem?

 

 

Another test? To prove what? I take a test every day I set out on the roads with some of today's incompetents who have either got a false licence, have never had a licence, have no idea where they are going, no experience of the capabilities of the vehicle they're driving or no respect for any of the laws on the road.

I've completed 50 years of driving probably 1,000 miles a week on average with no claims and handling everything from a 56-seater coach downwards.

As for fitness I'll happily play 36 holes of golf a day and load my van with half cwt boxes four times a day at virtual running pace, without giving it a second thought. I don't think I'm exceptional for my age either.

But when it comes to danger and lack of concentration it's not a person's age that's the greatest danger.

It's mobile phone users, people undergoing divorce/separation or other domestic/partner problems, medical worries, hassle from social services, the effects of substance abuse, job security worries and suchlike.

That, and the overloading of our highways with people who show no signs of ever having learned to drive properly judging by the way they hog the middle of the road while hunched over a steering wheel with clearly no idea or care as to where they should be.

[Royston.]

People who do u turns at mini roundabouts. I seriously wish they would make it illegal do to them rather than just "recommending" that they aren't done. If the roundabout is empty fair enough, but at a busy mini roundabout it's an accident waiting to happen. You do not indicate to come off a mini roundabout like you do a large one. So a right indication means you're going to turn bloody right not go all the way round.

 

Alot of these mini roundabouts are at tight junctions where previously there was no roundabout system in place and you would never even think to attempt a u turn there.

 

paint a white circle in the road and its game on!

[Thracian]

Without coming across rudely, would you mind or find it offensive if you had to take some form of test or refresher course?

 

 

There was a time when you didn't need a licence to be on the roads at all and it wasn't until 1931 that we had a Highway Code. Sadly I'm not sure that driving standards have improved since - and they've definitely not in all my 50 years on the road.

 

It isn't just driving either. I didn't need a degree to become a journalist as a youngster but you do now and yet I read two publications last week which were the worst professional journalistic examples I've ever seen in print.

 

Tests and licences don't make for competence. But experience helps.  

Edited 30 June 2015 by Thracian

[Babylon]

Again the traffic stops because people in the left lane decide to close the gap instead of letting people merge in the zipper. Theoretically if everyone used the zipper the traffic would flow perfectly fine. Why should people have to think if its feasible to use both lanes or not? If people just accepted to use both lanes in every circumstance and used the zipper properly traffic would run fine.

 

Thats my take on it anyway

If they didn't close the gap the left hand lane would stretch back three times longer than it already does. So the junctions etc you were previously so worried about are now going to be impacted by that traffic.

 

"Why should people have to think if its feasible to use both lanes or not?" You make judgements and decisions constantly on the road. It's not brain surgery. Heavy traffic, use both lanes. Not heavy traffic, get in lane and just tootle through with everyone else. There is zero need in low traffic to shoot up the outside and merge other than trying to gain an advantage.

[kingcarr21]

If they didn't close the gap the left hand lane would stretch back three times longer than it already does. So the junctions etc you were previously so worried about are now going to be impacted by that traffic.

 

"Why should people have to think if its feasible to use both lanes or not?" You make judgements and decisions constantly on the road. It's not brain surgery. Heavy traffic, use both lanes. Not heavy traffic, get in lane and just tootle through with everyone else. There is zero need in low traffic to shoot up the outside and merge other than trying to gain an advantage.

You wouldnt have a huge gap between every single car in the queue it would only be the ones at the merge point so its not gonna create a queue 3 times longer is it.

 

If there wasnt heavy traffic you wouldnt be in the right hand lane anyway. If it was a case of being say 5 cars and someone decided to pull into the right lane to get ahead of 1 or 2 cars then they are just daft and causing more hassle but that wasnt what the conversation was about. We were talking about heavy traffic, enough for lorries to feel the need to straddle both lanes.

[Babylon]

If there wasnt heavy traffic you wouldnt be in the right hand lane anyway. If it was a case of being say 5 cars and someone decided to pull into the right lane to get ahead of 1 or 2 cars then they are just daft and causing more hassle but that wasnt what the conversation was about. We were talking about heavy traffic, enough for lorries to feel the need to straddle both lanes.

Which was my point, people do get in the right lane in low traffic or when there is plenty of space all round. As for the conversation I refer you to my first response "True, but then there are time when it's quite feasible to just join the back of the first lane without causing any obstructions at the back"

Edited 30 June 2015 by Babylon

[kingcarr21]

Which was my point, people do get in the right lane in low traffic or when there is plenty of space all round. As for the conversation I refer you to my first response "True, but then there are time when it's quite feasible to just join the back of the first lane without causing any obstructions at the back"

fair enough i was only thinking of heavy traffic. When people decide to go over the speed limit to get themselves ahead of one car that you end up right behind at the next traffic lights then yeah they're c****

[Babylon]

fair enough i was only thinking of heavy traffic. When people decide to go over the speed limit to get themselves ahead of one car that you end up right behind at the next traffic lights then yeah they're c****

Nothing more satisfying than catching up to someone like that

[kingcarr21]

Nothing more satisfying than catching up to someone like that

Even better is to go past them over the roundabout. Like when you drive from Meridian to Hinckley Road so cars merge then when you get to Roundabout going straight over you take the middle lane to go past them

[DB11]

There have been a number of occasions when I have been driving in a city that I am not used to, in the left lane and approaching roadworks, only to get to them and realise I have to merge to the right. To someone with no knowledge it would have appeared that I was trying to gain an advantage. There was not sufficient signs to say that the left lane was closing otherwise I'd have merged asap.

[Carl the Llama]

After never seeing it before, that indicating to join a roundabout thing happened again yesterday, twice in a week! It's like indicating in a turn-only lane, that is to say absolutely daft.  Though at least in that case it can't mislead other drivers so it doesn't bother me, the roundabout one does.

[Jattdogg]

Note this is in canada so in the other side of the road and car .

Driving northbound up the road and see a car ahead pulling out of a plaza from my right side. The driver seemed to hesitate and pulled their front bumper 3 feet into the road stopped and then after probably realizing that they didnt have time to make the turn onto the road (without me having to brake hard) proceeded to do it anyway even with 10 cars behind me all going the same speed.

To make matters worse is i was in the far left lane and they should have turned into the right lane. Nope. Why do that? Its only the correct thing to do but nope cant do that!

So not only did they make an unsafe entrance onto a road, they turned into the wrong lane and thennnn decided to indicate left and stop in the middle of the road and turn to now head southbound.

What the ****? Who just stops in the middle of a road to turn back and head in the opposite direction?

Turns out they wanted to head southbound to begin with. The problem was when they were pulling out of the plaza they couldnt turn left becaUse there is a concrete median there to not allow a left turn for safety reasons (very busy road). So people decide to make their own rules and ways to get where they want. As soon as that median ended they thought im just going to stop dead in the road screw all 10 cars behind me who i already made brake very hard and then make them all stop to turn around. Heaven forbid i drive 100m more north to turn at the lights and then do a 3 point turn on a side road where its legal and safe to do so.

Fycking w@nker coont. If i had a baseball bat i woulf have jumped out and smashed the **** out of their car.

Edited 3 July 2015 by Jattdogg

[Parafox]

After never seeing it before, that indicating to join a roundabout thing happened again yesterday, twice in a week! It's like indicating in a turn-only lane, that is to say absolutely daft.  Though at least in that case it can't mislead other drivers so it doesn't bother me, the roundabout one does.

 

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "indicating to join a roundabout". If you're turning left or right at a roundabout you need to indicate accordingly. If you're going straight ahead, you should indicate left to leave the roundabout as you pass the exit before the one you are taking.

[Parafox]

Yet again, cyclists refusing to use designated cycle lanes FFS.

 

Our local council has gone to the trouble and expense of resurfacing the pavements of the busier roads and marking out cycle lanes alongside pedestrian "lanes". Yesterday some lycra-clad dick was cycling on the road weaving out to avoid drains and causing even narrower gaps at the central pedestrian refuges and pinch-points. The cycle path was plainly marked and had a good surface, in fact better than the road. WHYYYYY do they do that, then complain about motorists getting too close or putting them at risk?

 

It's a cycle lane, knob-head, you're on a cycle, USE IT!!!!!!

[Wymsey]

Cyclists, not wearing a helmet, turning in front of your direction without looking around.

 

I'm sure car drivers etc have a more of a priority than cyclists.

[Carl the Llama]

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "indicating to join a roundabout". If you're turning left or right at a roundabout you need to indicate accordingly. If you're going straight ahead, you should indicate left to leave the roundabout as you pass the exit before the one you are taking.

Exactly, I'm talking about indicating right as they approach on a single carriageway (European roundabout, so indicating as though they're taking the 1st exit), then turning off the indicator once they've entered the roundabout and driving all the way around to the 3rd bleeding exit.  Now I know no licensed instructor would ever condone that, and an examiner would penalise them for it, so where do you even learn a habit like that?

Edited 4 July 2015 by Carl the Llama

[Thracian]

Coventry! How long does it take em to build a sodding road? Most times I drive round the place there are 40 and 50 mph speed changes every few yards, average speed checks and the threats that go with them yet hardly a workman in sight to ever put in danger. Today was different. I'm sure the place is short of visitors so they were just trying to trap the motorists so they couldn't get away! It'll soon be faster to cut through Stoneleigh and fly into Leicestershire from Baginton airport. 

[BoneDog]

Nothing annoyed me today, I had a thoroughly enjoyable drive.

 

Fancied a laugh at one point so drove through the high street at 25mph in 1st gear with the wondows down pulling a face. Thought about screaming but bottled it.

[Guest seanfox778]

It was ok today. I had to drive from Alnwick to Newquay but usually the M1/A1 is an absolute pain to get up in the daytime.

I usually have to drive my work van, a hi-top Transit and some people just don't like getting overtaken by a van. It's very funny but annoying at the same time, I'll overtake someone and pull into the first lane and immediately some drivers will pull out, drive as fast as they can to overtake me back then pull in front of me and return to their original speed.

Edited 5 July 2015 by seanfox778

[Weller in Tights]

Big cars. You all know what I mean, oversized tanks that some people drive.

Yesterday, coming away from the cricket in my appropriately sized fiesta, there was quite a bit of traffic. Some goon in a Range Rover sat there holding up a massive line of traffic because they thought they couldn't fit through the gap. The thing is, even their oversized 'look at me I'm Jeremy Clarkson' substitute for a penis, COULD have fitted through, the driver was just so useless, they couldn't judge it.

Why do people need to buy these huge cars?

Is it the:

Look at me I have loads of money? Or

Look at me I must be very macho ( like Jeremy Clarkson) as I have a big car? Or

Look at me I have a large car so I must have a large penis, honest. Or

You lot are just jealous because I'm rich.

Believe me I'm not jealous. I do detest the vulgar display of wealth, true, but jealous of someone driving a humongous metal box? Why? Believe it or not, my fiesta has 4 wheels and an engine and gets me from A to B. Job done.

Also these 'tank' drivers can never park in a perfectly big enough space. They end up 'spilling over' into the spaces next to them.

How many of these Jeremy Clarkson lovers ever take their wagons 'off-road'? Very few I would guess.

So all you owners of the massive cars, that guzzle up petrol, hog up space in car parks and just make you look like a massive D***. Do us all a favour and go get a Fiat 500.

Edited 5 July 2015 by Weller in Tights

[Strokes]

Big cars. You all know what I mean, oversized tanks that some people drive.

Yesterday, coming away from the cricket in my appropriately sized fiesta, there was quite a bit of traffic. Some goon in a Range Rover sat there holding up a massive line of traffic because they thought they couldn't fit through the gap. The thing is, even their oversized 'look at me I'm Jeremy Clarkson' substitute for a penis, COULD have fitted through, the driver was just so useless, they couldn't judge it.

Why do people need to buy these huge cars?

Is it the:

Look at me I have loads of money? Or

Look at me I must be very macho ( like Jeremy Clarkson) as I have a big car? Or

Look at me I have a large car so I must have a large penis, honest. Or

You lot are just jealous because I'm rich.

Believe me I'm not jealous. I do detest the vulgar display of wealth, true, but jealous of someone driving a humongous metal box? Why? Believe it or not, my fiesta has 4 wheels and an engine and gets me from A to B. Job done.

Also these 'tank' drivers can never park in a perfectly big enough space. They end up 'spilling over' into the spaces next to them.

How many of these Jeremy Clarkson lovers ever take their wagons 'off-road'? Very few I would guess.

So all you owners of the massive cars, that guzzle up petrol, hog up space in car parks and just make you look like a massive D***. Do us all a favour and go get a Fiat 500.

Tbf you do sound just a tad jealous.

[Weller in Tights]

Tbf you do sound just a tad jealous.

Ha, Ha, I thought this may be the first reply to my post. The thing is, it is hard to prove otherwise isn't it.

I really am not jealous though. I do actually earn enough to buy a 'big' car, I just do not see that as a priority. I personally like to spend my money on holidays, I'm one of those people that tries to fill their lives with experiences rather than belongings.

One could argue that if a person earns enough money it is then their personal choice on what they do with their money . I choose to spend my money on holidays/experiences, others choose to spend it on cars.

The thing is the 'big car' choice does actually impinge on others (for example the driver of the Range Rover who couldn't judge the size of their own car).

Also, as I said before, I personally find it vulgar when people 'display' their wealth.

All personal views I know, but jealous? I can assure you, I am not jealous.

[Strokes]

Ha, Ha, I thought this may be the first reply to my post. The thing is, it is hard to prove otherwise isn't it.

I really am not jealous though. I do actually earn enough to buy a 'big' car, I just do not see that as a priority. I personally like to spend my money on holidays, I'm one of those people that tries to fill their lives with experiences rather than belongings.

One could argue that if a person earns enough money it is then their personal choice on what they do with their money . I choose to spend my money on holidays/experiences, others choose to spend it on cars.

The thing is the 'big car' choice does actually impinge on others (for example the driver of the Range Rover who couldn't judge the size of their own car).

Also, as I said before, I personally find it vulgar when people 'display' their wealth.

All personal views I know, but jealous? I can assure you, I am not jealous.

I've seen people in fiestas struggle to get through big gaps.

No I know what you are getting at, I'm not sure I agree entirely but there are some vulgar folk out there.

[Soar Fox]

I'm sure anyone who can afford a newish Range Rover would be able to afford holidays aswell.

[Weller in Tights]

I'm sure anyone who can afford a newish Range Rover would be able to afford holidays aswell.

Kinda missing the point Walshy.

I find large cars a vulgar and frankly pointless, display of wealth. If I had unlimited money I still wouldn't chose a huge tank of a car.

The original post was "what on the roads has annoyed you today", the driver at Grace Road yesterday who couldn't negotiate their huge Range Rover through a gap that I could've taken a bus through, simply reminded me of how I hate large cars.