Multilane Roundabout, who gives way?

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Multilane Roundabout, who gives way?

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

4271 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2661449 22-Feb-2021 21:02

So let them be a hero. At a distance.

If it makes you feel better hit the event button on your dash cam and let out a muahaha

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

scuwp

3885 posts

Uber Geek

#2661562 23-Feb-2021 07:21

Fastest car goes first...or that's what it seems like sometimes.

Previous posters have nailed it - give way to your right, this is the way.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

traderstu

332 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2661572 23-Feb-2021 08:08

There is a major upgrade planned for this roundabout. It looks like there will be dedicated left turn and right turn lanes from Truman Road. Coming from SH2 to SH29 there are still 2 straight thru lanes but hopefully by moving the roundabout further away from SH2 the traffic should flow better.

Bung

6477 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2661584 23-Feb-2021 08:38

From the youtube videos the major change is that all the red and green arrows are replaced by blue arrows and there's hardly any traffic shown.

Yoban

447 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2661586 23-Feb-2021 08:41

some pretty good info from NZTA Know your way around roundabouts (nzta.govt.nz)

At multi-lane roundabouts, you need to approach and enter the roundabout in the correct lane for where you intend to exit. If taking the first exit, it is the left lane. If going straight ahead (e.g. halfway around), use any lane which is marked for that purpose. If going more than halfway around, you must approach in the right-hand lane (or any other lane marked for that purpose).

edit: added additional information

Inphinity

2780 posts

Uber Geek

#2661632 23-Feb-2021 09:33

It really worries me that there are so many people unfamiliar with give way rules, roundabouts, and lane allocations, but it's obvious when in traffic that most drivers simply don't have a clue anyway. Sigh.

If the traffic is coming from your right, you give way. The is the core of the give way ruleset in NZ's road code. The red car is not changing lanes, the red car is following their lane, and approaching from the right of the green car, so green gives way. If Green were going straight, their path won't cross red, so won't need to give way (but would need to give way to the closer right-turn lane from the same direction as red)

sidefx

3711 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2661637 23-Feb-2021 09:48

As others have said, give way to your right. But at that particular roundabout if it is quite busy and I were turning right I would probably enter in the righthand lane so that the flow of traffic straight can keep going uninterrupted... Drive defensively and assume others don't know the rules.

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." | Octopus Energy | Sharesies
- Richard Feynman

Equinox IT

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.

Bung

6477 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2661646 23-Feb-2021 10:06

Inphinity:
The red car is not changing lanes, the red car is following their lane, and approaching from the right of the green car, so green gives way. If Green were going straight, their path won't cross red, so won't need to give way (but would need to give way to the closer right-turn lane from the same direction as red)

The normal rule is that dotted or solid white lines are used to mark lanes. The marking on that roundabout appears to indicate that red does change lanes to exit straight ahead. To me this looks like a case of good design sacrificed because the bulk of traffic flows side by side from right to left.

Kookoo

787 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#2661649 23-Feb-2021 10:12

The real issue here is that the OP needs to enter the roundabout from the right lane. The people behind them get upset when they give way to those following the red path because the OP shouldn't be in the left lane to start with.

Hello, Ground!

cbrpilot

955 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

Spark NZ

#2661656 23-Feb-2021 10:33

I'm going to echo what others have said here - very poor design for this roundabout. Accidents waiting to happen.

Riddle me this.

The car following the red arrow can get off the roundabout following the dotted line, yet the a car coming from the right-hand lane where green enters cannot follow the same path? How does that make sense?

Very poor design IMHO.

My views are my own, and may not necessarily represent those of my employer.

surfisup1000

5288 posts

Uber Geek

#2661663 23-Feb-2021 10:54

Kookoo:

The real issue here is that the OP needs to enter the roundabout from the right lane. The people behind them get upset when they give way to those following the red path because the OP shouldn't be in the left lane to start with.

The left lane is a right turn lane, and marked as such. There are reasons for using it as such.

The consensus seems to be (and i agree) , that traffic taking the green path must stop for traffic taking the red path.

I guess the question is now, should the car taking the green path even enter the roundabout if there is traffic in the right lane of the roundabout? Technically, the road code says you can enter a lane if the lane is clear. As long as you stop for traffic exiting from your right, then that should be OK right?

traderstu

332 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2661664 23-Feb-2021 11:01

Kookoo:

The real issue here is that the OP needs to enter the roundabout from the right lane. The people behind them get upset when they give way to those following the red path because the OP shouldn't be in the left lane to start with.

The OP is within his rights to enter in the left lane - the arrow on the road confirms this. He probably wants to make a left turn to the Mount at the next roundabout, which is only a short distance away, with railway tracks in between, making it very difficult to change lanes if he were to enter on the right lane.

Kookoo

787 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#2661720 23-Feb-2021 11:40

traderstu:

Kookoo:

The real issue here is that the OP needs to enter the roundabout from the right lane. The people behind them get upset when they give way to those following the red path because the OP shouldn't be in the left lane to start with.

The OP is within his rights to enter in the left lane - the arrow on the road confirms this. He probably wants to make a left turn to the Mount at the next roundabout, which is only a short distance away, with railway tracks in between, making it very difficult to change lanes if he were to enter on the right lane.

"Within his rights" doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

Funnily enough, that second roundabout has exactly the same design as the one in question, so it's definitely not unique.

But the reality is that it's either piss off those behind him and those in the right lane turning left, or bite the bullet and change lanes before the railway. Personally, if the traffic is pretty heavy I'd take the right lane, head up to the second roundabout in the right lane, do a 450 there and bob's your uncle.

Hello, Ground!

linw

2849 posts

Uber Geek

#2661844 23-Feb-2021 14:34

I'm just glad it's nowhere near me! Looks like a nightmare.

Hammerer

2476 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2661849 23-Feb-2021 15:07

I don't think it's that difficult to follow but it is confusing for drivers new to such intersections.

The OP has to give way in the absence of specific signage/markings. Both drivers are changing lane, i.e. crossing the line between lanes, so both have to give way. The left turning driver gets right of way using the general rule to give way to the right which applies to the OP. The OP would have right of way if continuing around the roundabout didn't have a centreline to cross because then the OP would be on a continuing road (the sort of rule also applied at T-intersections).

Kookoo:

"Within his rights" doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

Funnily enough, that second roundabout has exactly the same design as the one in question, so it's definitely not unique.

But the reality is that it's either piss off those behind him and those in the right lane turning left, or bite the bullet and change lanes before the railway. Personally, if the traffic is pretty heavy I'd take the right lane, head up to the second roundabout in the right lane, do a 450 there and bob's your uncle.

I've gone around again and done "a 450" to avoid drivers who are clearly confused by such roundabouts. It has been safer to try again for a safer space than to take the right of way when other drivers aren't even signalling entering the roundabout. let alone when they continue around it in that left lane.

The OP's route is by legal definition the right thing to do. As to what is ethically right, I think that is difficult to be conclusive without knowing the traffic flow profile. There may well be a good reason why the designer didn't have a simpler layout where all of the left-hand lanes entering the roundabout turn left and all the right-hand lanes entering the roundabout turn right. It wouldn't be difficult to retrofit that arrangement. But they haven't so there might be a good reason for continuing with the current layout.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5