Reading the road

Sunday in Kidderminster showed up the idiots in cars. Workmen were tiding up the median strip that runs between the two lane roads joining up the islands and as such had coned off the outside lanes closest to them.

Now I was heading over to Crossley which along the Ringway is a straight, straight, straight, third lane for right; and as such I tend to stay in lane 2 all the way through. On my first straight at the Comberton Hill island I'm in lane 1 and come out straight into lane 1 and am instantly cut-up by a car who found they couldn't use lane 2.

Now you know me I'm a generous soul who thinks the best of everyone, this car might have come from Comberton Hill and not known the lane was closed. Except they hadn't, they'd come from lane 2 right next to me. Again being generous I have to assume that the driver didn't see the large yellow signs at the island entrance, despite the fact that the road leading to it is perfectly straight; and that they didn't notice that the road they would be heading for was coned off, despite the fact that the approach road slopes down and the exit road slopes upwards so is perfectly visible to anyone looking straight ahead.

I had the same coming back up St Mary's Ringway - two lanes and a big sign telling me lane 2 would be closing in 300 yards, 200 yards, 100 yards, closed. Traffic barely started queuing until the point it closed and yet traffic was still blarting up the second lane and then trying to force themselves into the queue. I had one force their way in behind me then try to overtake me in the second lane on the island only to 'suddenly' find that the second lane was closed there too.

Oh and no neither drivers felt the need to indicate no doubt 'cos they were going straight on weren't they [sigh].

I see the same lack of foresight in queues when drivers who can't see ahead because of a larger vehicle are 'startled' when the traffic starts moving. I, behind them, on the other hand am in gear waiting to move; why? Because I'm watching the queue in the reflection of the big shop windows and can see the cars in front of the large vehicle moving off.

On the other hand some of the road setups practically invite accidents and cutting up. The traffic lights on Minster Road; two lanes in, two lanes out except it's still a 30mph zone, it's enforced by a speed camera and oh look the second lane merges with the first with only painted road signs to warn you. The result is cars racing past the lane 1 queue at the lights, slamming their brakes on at the speed camera and then trying to cut back into the first lane.

At least in that case they have some room to manoeuvre, take the lights at the other end of Minster Road at Oldington. This is even worse as it's a 70mph zone with two lanes at the lights that almost immediately merge into one without warning. I've seen cars whistling past a moving queue that's already reached the merge point and accelerating down the middle of the road at even greater speeds to reach the head of the queue.

Oh and yes I still see cars coming into Stourport by that road switching to lane 2 and then back to lane 1 because of the signs telling them (falsely) that lane 1 is coming to an end. Again not good at 70mph approaching the point that the two lanes do actually merge (into lane 1 mind) and hit a 30mph zone (with countdown warnings on the approach). You should see the brake lights come on at this point.

[sigh] and a quarter of the time those who do blart past hold up all the traffic almost instantly by trying to turn right into Windermere Way.