Passing on the flush median [NZ traffic]

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#408439 23-Nov-2010 18:02

graemeh: The other related trick I've seen is to make what looks like a pedestrian crossing but isn't. These are usually raised bits of road and have stripes made of cobblestones. They are quite common in Nelson. Legally they are not pedestrian crossings, they are roads.

Gah! They have those here in Whakatane and they're a nightmare because you can never predict whether drivers or pedestrians will treat them as a road or a crossing.

vexxxboy

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#408448 23-Nov-2010 18:19

Behodar:
graemeh: The other related trick I've seen is to make what looks like a pedestrian crossing but isn't. These are usually raised bits of road and have stripes made of cobblestones. They are quite common in Nelson. Legally they are not pedestrian crossings, they are roads.

Gah! They have those here in Whakatane and they're a nightmare because you can never predict whether drivers or pedestrians will treat them as a road or a crossing.

thats what i was talking about and i agree no one knows what the law is , the police give the answer i first said which is why its a grey area

Common sense is not as common as you think.

Behodar

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#408451 23-Nov-2010 18:21

It's pretty clear-cut; if there are no white stripes then it's not a pedestrian crossing.

rscole86

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#408453 23-Nov-2010 18:24

I assume we are now reffering to 'courtesy crossings' where road users have right of way, not pedestrians.

Edit: Although this is the NZTA stance, Wanganui council state that Pedestrians have right of way. I am not sure on the legalities of council bylaws in regards to these situations. But I am assuming if it is not a State Highway, or major roadway, then the council can have different rules to that of the NZTA.

gzt

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#408528 23-Nov-2010 20:45

Another common problem in NZ:

When turning right at an intersection some people avoid the flush median entirely and veer into the right hand lane at the last moment to avoid the median strip. They think you are not allowed to use the median for this purpose.

Some of the more aggressive defenders of this faith even exercise a supposed moral right (complete with finger gestures) to dangerously cut off anyone already in the right hand lane on the flush median.

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/factsheets/52/flush-medians.html

blakamin

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#408529 23-Nov-2010 20:53

sarg: trucks can not stop on flush median to unload.
Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004
6.7Parking on traffic islands and flush medians
A driver or person in charge of a vehicle must not stop, stand, or park the vehicle on a traffic island or flush median.

So you'd prefer them to stop in, and hold up, a lane of traffic?
Edit: Remember a truck is wider than a standard car park and would encroach into a lane. Also height and road-camber issues stop trucks parking near kerbs due to telephone poles, signs etc. Also, in a hell of a lot of cases, trucks have a hard (and often dangerous) time unloading on any type of angle...

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illicit

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#408587 23-Nov-2010 22:09

gzt: Another common problem in NZ:

When turning right at an intersection some people avoid the flush median entirely and veer into the right hand lane at the last moment to avoid the median strip.

Its because they are painted wrong, as below

They should be done more like this:

Shoes2468

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#408621 23-Nov-2010 23:14

blakamin:
sarg: trucks can not stop on flush median to unload.
Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004
6.7Parking on traffic islands and flush medians
A driver or person in charge of a vehicle must not stop, stand, or park the vehicle on a traffic island or flush median.

So you'd prefer them to stop in, and hold up, a lane of traffic?
Edit: Remember a truck is wider than a standard car park and would encroach into a lane. Also height and road-camber issues stop trucks parking near kerbs due to telephone poles, signs etc. Also, in a hell of a lot of cases, trucks have a hard (and often dangerous) time unloading on any type of angle...

I agree, trucks are better off in the flush median if it allows cars to flow around it, otherwise they just stop in the lane and the cars have to drive on the flush median to get around them, so 6in one half a dozen in the other, but maybe a bit safer for the truck driver in the flush median.

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#408623 23-Nov-2010 23:17

I too think they need to re-push what the medians can and cant be used for. I've struck the "OMG LINES - I cant cross those!" merging traffic before too

The other thing that needs another push is the moronic roundabout indicating, and turning into your own lane.

They pushed it here for a while since CHC has many multi lane 1-ways. But clearly the younger generation ignored this. Example.. 2 within 10mins tonight on my trip home

Red left turn arrow.. goes out as rest of waiting traffic is green'd.. car doesn't move (didnt notice). I toot.. they don't move. Straight traffic becomes clear.. they wait.. I toot. Oncoming right turning traffic go 'woohoo a moron giving us way!' I toooooooooooooooot. Arms start flailing out windows with birds, and "I Can't go I'm giving way - what do you want me to do.. go into my own lane? MADNESS!" gestures.

Then got to a 3 way 'T' roundabout from the bottom/perpendicular direction. Grandma approaching from my right puts her left indicator on.. I start to turn left... TTTOOOOOOTTT.. No lady. If you were going straight through it.. no need to tell me.. Ill stop. But you told me you were about to turn left away from my path.

FAIL

Kraven

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#408633 23-Nov-2010 23:56

Oblivian:
Red left turn arrow.. goes out as rest of waiting traffic is green'd.. car doesn't move (didnt notice). I toot.. they don't move. Straight traffic becomes clear.. they wait.. I toot. Oncoming right turning traffic go 'woohoo a moron giving us way!' I toooooooooooooooot. Arms start flailing out windows with birds, and "I Can't go I'm giving way - what do you want me to do.. go into my own lane? MADNESS!" gestures.

If I'm turning left into a dual-lane road and there are cars turning right from the opposite direction, I will tend to give way... why? Because of the idiots that always insist on turning into *my* lane. I'd rather wait a few more seconds than have someone plough into me - even if they are at fault.

Here in Palmerston North you can pretty much count on at least half of the cars turning right going into the far left hand lane. Grrr.

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#408647 24-Nov-2010 01:19

Its people who do give way that makes the idiots that cant get the right lane think they are in the right doing what they do. Same as people who let left turners go first. just creates confusion.

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wmoore

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#408658 24-Nov-2010 02:46

As with flush medians why don't they paint the lines yellow so people know there is no overtaking.
I think some get confused because the is no yellow lines.
In the UK on Flush medians, solid white line-No overtaking, broken white line-overtaking allowed.

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#408668 24-Nov-2010 07:34

Things that annoy me:

1.People who instead of wait INSIDE the median to turn into a car park or petrol station, turn into the MEDIAN, leaving half of the car on the road, so people have to stop and wait

2.People who indicate RIGHT before entering a roundabout when in fact they are just going STRAIGHT ahead. No need to indicate right before ENTERING a roundabout unless you are actually going around.

3.People who pull in front of you when your car is doing 50 KM/h on the main road, even though there is no other car behind you and they could easily wait one second for the free road.

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#408669 24-Nov-2010 07:38

freitasm: Things that annoy me:

1.People who instead of wait INSIDE the median to turn into a car park or petrol station, turn into the MEDIAN, leaving half of the car on the road, so people have to stop and wait

2.People who indicate RIGHT before entering a roundabout when in fact they are just going STRAIGHT ahead. No need to indicate right before ENTERING a roundabout unless you are actually going around.

3.People who pull in front of you when your car is doing 50 KM/h on the main road, even though there is no other car behind you and they could easily wait one second for the free road.

+1 , especially 2 and three, that really gets on my nerves.

bazzer

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#408681 24-Nov-2010 07:57

freitasm: Things that annoy me:

1.People who instead of wait INSIDE the median to turn into a car park or petrol station, turn into the MEDIAN, leaving half of the car on the road, so people have to stop and wait

2.People who indicate RIGHT before entering a roundabout when in fact they are just going STRAIGHT ahead. No need to indicate right before ENTERING a roundabout unless you are actually going around.

3.People who pull in front of you when your car is doing 50 KM/h on the main road, even though there is no other car behind you and they could easily wait one second for the free road.

Definitely #3, but I must be having a dumb moment because I can't think of a time when #2 would be a problem.

If you're waiting at the first exit you have to give way regardless (i.e. going straight may as well be going right as far as you're concerned). If you're waiting any further around you'll have to rely on their left indication off the roundabout (OK, since they have such trouble indicating they probably won't do this either) but it's no different to someone turning right coming from the road before they did.

Is it just an annoyance that this driver can't do something as simple as indicate around a roundabout? In that case my pet peeve would be the ones who know there's something about indicating on the way off the roundabout and they choose to indicate right?! How does that make any sense?

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