180 replies to this topic

[HarrysMini]

This is quite interesting, I'm just saying how I've been taught. To be honest, I'm not really looking at the speed as I'm looking at the traffic for a gap. But surely, you would go slower when it's busier?

 

I suppose it does also depend on the size of the slip road, some of them are very long and you would be holding everyone up if you were doing 40. But some of them aren't long at all. Some of them you also can't see the traffic until the very last minute, so there for example, I would go slower.

 

MJWJ, you're only 24, so I would have thought you would have been taught the same way as me?

[Ben_O]

When going down a slip road, i always accelerate and try to match my speed with the traffic on the motorway.

There is no need to crawl down there just incase as you can almost certainly tell right away if the traffic on the motorway you are joining is crawling due to weight of traffic etc and adjust your speed accordingly as you make your way down the slip.

 

I am usually doing between 60 and 70 by the time i reach the bottom of the slip road providing there is no heavy traffic that is moving slowly so that others can see i am moving quick enough to get out and not disturb their cruising speed.

 

Most large motorways tend to have the slip road designed so that you can either merge at the bottom of the slip or continue along an extended slip which merges further down. like a kinda dual lane slip.

 

A good example is when you join the M25 from junction 10 A3 Portsmouth. I use it alot.

 

I hate it when you are on the motorway and someone joins on the slip doing 40 and just merges out in front of you early even though they have another couple of hundred yards of slip left forcing you to brake hard. Generally speaking though, you would watch the slip and as cars come down matching your speed you would move over to the other lane to allow them in but sometimes, you will have others in that lane that are going to quick for you to get out in time.

 

It's all about using your best judgement and to EXPECT others to do foolish things.

 

Ben

[Carlos W]

When going down a slip road, i always accelerate and try to match my speed with the traffic on the motorway.
There is no need to crawl down there just incase as you can almost certainly tell right away if the traffic on the motorway you are joining is crawling due to weight of traffic etc and adjust your speed accordingly as you make your way down the slip.
 
I am usually doing between 60 and 70 by the time i reach the bottom of the slip road providing there is no heavy traffic that is moving slowly so that others can see i am moving quick enough to get out and not disturb their cruising speed.
 
Most large motorways tend to have the slip road designed so that you can either merge at the bottom of the slip or continue along an extended slip which merges further down. like a kinda dual lane slip.
 
A good example is when you join the M25 from junction 10 A3 Portsmouth. I use it alot.
 
I hate it when you are on the motorway and someone joins on the slip doing 40 and just merges out in front of you early even though they have another couple of hundred yards of slip left forcing you to brake hard. Generally speaking though, you would watch the slip and as cars come down matching your speed you would move over to the other lane to allow them in but sometimes, you will have others in that lane that are going to quick for you to get out in time.
 
It's all about using your best judgement and to EXPECT others to do foolish things.
 
Ben

Spot on, you can see what the traffic is doing ahead on the road and match the speed.

And if you're approaching a slip on when driving down a dual carriageway and traffic is wanting to join, move over if it's safe to do so.

I'm driving my wife's Gran around today and she has complimented my driving! Ha ha ha

[HarrysMini]

It's definitely annoying when people join a DC/motorway and are only doing 40-50, but equally annoying when people join it doing 70 and just expect the people already on the DC to give way.

 

The latter happens all the time, especially when you have L plates on, they really bring out the worst in drivers.

[Ben_O]

 

I'm driving my wife's Gran around today and she has complimented my driving! Ha ha ha

 

When i worked at Pomphreys, I was often elected to deliver courtesy cars to customers houses and pick up their car to bring back for repair.

 

One time we had an elderly chap come in from Dover and he wasn't entitled to a courtesy car. We usually give customers a lift home in this situation and use a courtesy car to do it or if not use the managers car etc but this day we had nothing available to get him home so he suggested we used his car to run him home.

I was elected but was concerned about driving him in his car because i had done this before for another customer and she was very protective of her car and the whole thing was just, well, uncomfortable!

 

This chap was fine though and he was constantly complimenting my driving and asked me if i ride motorbikes because of how accurate and precise my gear changes were. He even said that he has never been so comfortable as a passenger EVER.

 

That was really nice to hear and i doubt ill ever forget that. It's this sort of thing that makes driving well and safely even more rewarding.

 

Ben

[Ben_O]

It's definitely annoying when people join a DC/motorway and are only doing 40-50, but equally annoying when people join it doing 70 and just expect the people already on the DC to give way.

 

The latter happens all the time, especially when you have L plates on, they really bring out the worst in drivers.

But if you are on the motorway/DC then you have to give way anyway to people on the slip where possible either by moving over to allow them on or anticipating their road speed and easing off to allow them on.

You can't just leave them stranded at the bottom of the slip otherwise its difficult to get up enough steam to rejoin the carriageway safely.

 

Ben 

[HarrysMini]

What I'm talking about is when it's not possible to move over and there's someone quite close behind you, but they pull out anyway and force you to slam on your brakes.

 

At the end of the day, the slip road gives way to the M-way, meaning they shouldn't force other motorists to change speed or direction.

Edited by HarrysMini, 01 July 2014 - 01:11 PM.

[firstforward]

 

It's definitely annoying when people join a DC/motorway and are only doing 40-50, but equally annoying when people join it doing 70 and just expect the people already on the DC to give way.

 

The latter happens all the time, especially when you have L plates on, they really bring out the worst in drivers.

But if you are on the motorway/DC then you have to give way anyway to people on the slip where possible either by moving over to allow them on or anticipating their road speed and easing off to allow them on.

You can't just leave them stranded at the bottom of the slip otherwise its difficult to get up enough steam to rejoin the carriageway safely.

 

Ben 

 

 

Where does it say that in the traffic rules. You are not expected to change lanes, some common sense is needed with commercial vehicles joining. The problem is most drivers do not sync their speed.

 

3. Joining the motorway (259) 259

Joining the motorway. When you join the motorway you will normally approach it from a road on the left (a slip road) or from an adjoining motorway. You should:

• give priority to traffic already on the motorway
• check the traffic on the motorway and match your speed to fit safely into the traffic flow in the left-hand lane
• not cross solid white lines that separate lanes or use the hard shoulder
• stay on the slip road if it continues as an extra lane on the motorway
• remain in the left-hand lane long enough to adjust to the speed of traffic before considering overtaking.

[The Matt]

I always pretend I'm going to let them in, then don't. Weeeee

[M J W J]

This is quite interesting, I'm just saying how I've been taught. To be honest, I'm not really looking at the speed as I'm looking at the traffic for a gap. But surely, you would go slower when it's busier?

 

I suppose it does also depend on the size of the slip road, some of them are very long and you would be holding everyone up if you were doing 40. But some of them aren't long at all. Some of them you also can't see the traffic until the very last minute, so there for example, I would go slower.

 

MJWJ, you're only 24, so I would have thought you would have been taught the same way as me?

 

About 8 months after I did my test they reformed the driving test, theory test and the licences. Some of my mates did a different driving test than I did so in answer to your question, not necessarily. My sister only did her test 4 years before me and I did a different test to her.

 

You are better off going quicker and having to slow down rather than the other way round on slip roads. Your brakes are much more powerful than your engine in the average car. Its easier to go from 70 to 55 mph than from 40 to 55 mph despite the speed difference being the same. The faster you accelerate the less distance you will cover down the slip road which will actually give you longer to modify you speed to filter into traffic.

 

What I'm talking about is when it's not possible to move over and there's someone quite close behind you, but they pull out anyway and force you to slam on your brakes.

 

At the end of the day, the slip road gives way to the M-way, meaning they shouldn't force other motorists to change speed or direction.

 

To be honest I don't often move over for people I tend to just look a head and slightly alter my speed to let them in. If this means speeding up so I go past and they can filter in behind I do. Sometimes I just slow down by a few mph. Its all it takes. I probably do this 999 out of 1000 but every so often you get that one person who stops at the end of the slip road for no reason or pulls onto the carriageway too slow and forces you to slow down.

 

I can't think that I have ever be forced to change direction when I've already been on a motorway because of someone joining but I have been forced to slow down because they have joined going too slow.

 

The incident with me going down the hard shoulder is a one off in 7 years of driving and was the result of someone stopping for no good reason. Going 10-20 yards down the hard shoulder to join the motorway and not force someone to slow down or risk being rear ended by traffic on the carriageway was at the time a far better option than stopping behind the other drive on the slip road.

 

Firstforward has summed it up.

 

The traffic already on the carriage way has right of way (as I said in another thread I wish a lot of cyclists around my area would understand this). You don't have to let people join but a little forward thinking and you can prevent someone from having to slow down unnecessarily.

[midridge2]

Did this posting not start off about parking in parent and child bays?

[Ben_O]

I wondered how long it would be before someone quoted the highway code!

 

Of course firstforward, you are totally right but i was just referring to what is good road sense.

 

I, like most prefer to move over where possible to allow the other drivers safe entry from the slip road. It's just good road manners.

 

there have been occasions where i have been fast running out of slip way even by reducing my speed and its not nice to get to the end and still no bugger moves over or eases up to allow you out.

 

Ben

[Ben_O]

Did this posting not start off about parking in parent and child bays?

It most certainly did!

 

It's just evolved slightly   

[midridge2]

When a posting changes topic the Mods etc usually point it out, seems like the Mods are taking part in the change of topic.

[HarrysMini]

I wondered how long it would be before someone quoted the highway code!

 

Of course firstforward, you are totally right but i was just referring to what is good road sense.

 

I, like most prefer to move over where possible to allow the other drivers safe entry from the slip road. It's just good road manners.

 

there have been occasions where i have been fast running out of slip way even by reducing my speed and its not nice to get to the end and still no bugger moves over or eases up to allow you out.

 

Ben

Agreed. Out of courtesy I and many other road users move over or slow down slightly to allow them out. Not all do though, and it is very frustrating when you reach the end of the slip road and there's no room to move out, this relates back to my earlier post about approaching a Mway fairly slowly so that there's less chance of having to stop, this only applies when it is particularly busy though, and sometimes you can't even see.