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Harrow said..

FormulaNova said..
Just to be contrary I think some bike riders assume that they are the fastest ones out there and making decisions accordingly. Not being more aware, but just assuming that they are clear because they are usually faster.

Mind you, when I was learning to ride a motorbike in Sydney traffic I was pretty aware of how many d1ckheads are out there in cars and don't look before changing into your lane.

Have you ever had a motorbike rider sit in your blind spot for ages? I have and it bugs me because when I learnt it was drummed into you not to sit there.

What used to amaze me the most when riding a motorbike was that you could be right next to someone and you'd see them turn their head and look straight at you, and then start changing lanes into you. Seems a lot of people are just looking for cars.

I've been told it doesn't happen to Harley riders as the car driver subconsciously rates changing lanes into a Harley as a high risk health hazard.

I was doing my L-s on a Honda CB250 and was riding around near Homebush bay. An idiot taxi driver just decided to occupy the lane I was already in. I have no idea how he didn't see me, but I think he would have looked right through me.

I think with Harleys the noise is often enough to remind you there is a bike there, probably with someone on it that is less likely to be okay if you hit them

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kiterboy said..

FormulaNova said..
but generally most people don't match their speed when merging, CAUSE THEY ARE IDIOTS!

FTFY.

When I first moved to WA I thought that as well, but after a bit of studying of the way people do this, I am pretty sure its that the onramps are a bit too short. There are idiots though, and I do get reminded of this every now and then when someone sits exactly parallel to me when they are trying to get on the freeway, but neither speed up or slow down. Brakes are so much more effective than accelerating too, but people get weird.

They really are short, and for a population, that to be honest are still driving in the country when they see this freeway thing, they need more room. It's WA, there is heaps of room. They should be running the onramps in their own lane for at least a few hundred metres, but they don't and the dotted line is really only short and gives them a small distance to merge.

People here are dumb though. The same as any state though. I was sitting in the left hand lane the other day, and sitting a fair bit back as it was raining. The car in front of me, with not many other cars around, runs up the back of another car that had slowed down up ahead due to congestion. Beats the heck out of me how they did it, but?

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Kamikuza said..

eppo said..
Not sure of the actual rules, but it makes sense to me to indicate when leaving a roundabout?? to tell the waiting cars they can enter the roundabout in front of you. Otherwise they need to wait there until you are clearly exiting. Keeps traffic flowing

and above ... yep riding a motor cycle makes you a much better driver - subtle things are picked up much faster also makes you learn to continually scan well ahead and well behind you so you kind of know what the traffic flow is doing more to the point keeps you aware of useless drivers well
before they are Near you. You anticipate potential danger as you have this vehicle configuration in your head sorted.

Because even on the biggest roundabouts it gives other drivers only a second or less of a chance to see your indicator and assimilate what's going on. Even if you indicate left immediately after the exit you just passed, in anticipation of the one you want.

And think about the geometry of it -- the indicators are on the opposite side of the car to the other driver, and are hidden from view until the last moment.

The problem is people are waiting for an indicator to assess if the car is exciting a roundabout, rather than the old style where no indication meant you were going straight ahead ie. exiting the roundabout.

Yes, and even if there is no indicator on the left to exit at that exit, you can't assume they are not going to exit anyway, so the use of the indicator becomes redundant.

Its only the big roundabouts that give you enough time for the left indicator to be useful, and I do it to let the other traffic know I am clearly exiting, but I hope that they don't assume it and rely on the way I have positioned my car more than anything.

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FormulaNova said..

kiterboy said..

FormulaNova said..
but generally most people don't match their speed when merging, CAUSE THEY ARE IDIOTS!

FTFY.

When I first moved to WA I thought that as well, but after a bit of studying of the way people do this, I am pretty sure its that the onramps are a bit too short. There are idiots though, and I do get reminded of this every now and then when someone sits exactly parallel to me when they are trying to get on the freeway, but neither speed up or slow down. Brakes are so much more effective than accelerating too, but people get weird.

They are a bit short. They also have a tendency to put the speed limit change close to the bottom of the ramp as well, which really doesn't help the situation. Not everyone owns a V8.

the ones that irk me are the drivers who figure theyre entitled to slide past another car after the split lane ends at a merge.

VTR1000
Hard to see the indicators through the front wheel with it skyward
But don't trust any tin top when on two wheels.
I think everyone should just use their hazards when anywhere near a roundabout.

I'm surprised how much negativity there is towards indicating on roundabouts. Seems perfectly reasonable to me.
I indicate just like I would for any other intersection, but put the left blinker on after the exit before mine (so when I start to exit).
This gives heaps of notice in my experience and helps traffic flow.

I agree a lot of people don't know how to do it properly which can make things confusing.

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FormulaNova said..
>>> I am pretty sure its that the onramps are a bit too short. There are idiots though, and I do get reminded of this every now and then when someone sits exactly parallel to me when they are trying to get on the freeway, but neither speed up or slow down. Brakes are so much more effective than accelerating too, but people get weird.

They really are short, and for a population, that to be honest are still driving in the country when they see this freeway thing, they need more room. It's WA, there is heaps of room. They should be running the onramps in their own lane for at least a few hundred metres, but they don't and the dotted line is really only short and gives them a small distance to merge.

People here are dumb though. The same as any state though. I was sitting in the left hand lane the other day, and sitting a fair bit back as it was raining. The car in front of me, with not many other cars around, runs up the back of another car that had slowed down up ahead due to congestion. Beats the heck out of me how they did it, but?

Visibility is a big thing as well, the short on ramps wouldn't be as bad as they are, if both sides could see the other before they get to the merging section, and if the 100km/hr sign was further back. Some are OK, but lots have trees and shrubs growing on the lead in, so you don't get a chance to plan the merge until the last minute, when there's suddenly a road train right alongside. You have to break the speed limit to get round the front, and if you brake you'll get rammed from behind. And only a second or so to make the decision, just hope you get it right!

Would also be good if people knew the rules of entering a roundabout. We have one here where people don't slow down at all for the roundabout and drive straight through it at full speed as if they have right-of-way, beeping their horns from a long way back at those trying to enter the roundabout from the 'side street'.

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Subsonic said..

FormulaNova said..

kiterboy said..

FormulaNova said..
but generally most people don't match their speed when merging, CAUSE THEY ARE IDIOTS!

FTFY.

When I first moved to WA I thought that as well, but after a bit of studying of the way people do this, I am pretty sure its that the onramps are a bit too short. There are idiots though, and I do get reminded of this every now and then when someone sits exactly parallel to me when they are trying to get on the freeway, but neither speed up or slow down. Brakes are so much more effective than accelerating too, but people get weird.

They are a bit short. They also have a tendency to put the speed limit change close to the bottom of the ramp as well, which really doesn't help the situation. Not everyone owns a V8.

the ones that irk me are the drivers who figure theyre entitled to slide past another car after the split lane ends at a merge.

Yeah, I don't own a V8 and the turbo six just manages to get up to speed (very very quickly), but as you say, not everyone drives a car like this, so they need room to get up to speed.

Yeah, the merge thing is also annoying, but that's everywhere. I think people forget that when both lanes merge rather than one ending, generally its the car in the front that has right of way and you shouldn't really race them.

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FormulaNova said..

Subsonic said..

FormulaNova said..

kiterboy said..

FormulaNova said..
but generally most people don't match their speed when merging, CAUSE THEY ARE IDIOTS!

FTFY.

When I first moved to WA I thought that as well, but after a bit of studying of the way people do this, I am pretty sure its that the onramps are a bit too short. There are idiots though, and I do get reminded of this every now and then when someone sits exactly parallel to me when they are trying to get on the freeway, but neither speed up or slow down. Brakes are so much more effective than accelerating too, but people get weird.

They are a bit short. They also have a tendency to put the speed limit change close to the bottom of the ramp as well, which really doesn't help the situation. Not everyone owns a V8.

the ones that irk me are the drivers who figure theyre entitled to slide past another car after the split lane ends at a merge.

Yeah, I don't own a V8 and the turbo six just manages to get up to speed (very very quickly), but as you say, not everyone drives a car like this, so they need room to get up to speed.

Yeah, the merge thing is also annoying, but that's everywhere. I think people forget that when both lanes merge rather than one ending, generally its the car in the front that has right of way and you shouldn't really race them.

Thats it. Once the split lane ends, should be pretty much in position for the merge already, not creeping up next to another car to see if they brake to let you through. I've seen people do it at freeway speed, and in slow motion traffic

Would the world be a better place if all drivers saw merge opportunities as way to show just how nice a person you are, instead of the 'Get me behind me c#nt' attitude. Just wondering.
Saw a car merge in front of another car the other day and the driver behind the merging car when to great lengths to show their displeasure by doing an extreme tail gate (about 1/4 to 1/2 a car length behind) for about 2 klms until the merging car turned off. What a f#$kwit and also a very dangerous driver.

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Harrow said..
Would also be good if people knew the rules of entering a roundabout. We have one here where people don't slow down at all for the roundabout and drive straight through it at full speed as if they have right-of-way, beeping their horns from a long way back at those trying to enter the roundabout from the 'side street'.

True. The driver already on the roundabout has right of way.

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Crusoe said..
Would the world be a better place if all drivers saw merge opportunities as way to show just how nice a person you are, instead of the 'Get me behind me c#nt' attitude. Just wondering.
Saw a car merge in front of another car the other day and the driver behind the merging car when to great lengths to show their displeasure by doing an extreme tail gate (about 1/4 to 1/2 a car length behind) for about 2 klms until the merging car turned off. What a f#$kwit and also a very dangerous driver.

Twice Ive been in this situation, in front and have some knob climb up me clacker trying to intimidate me, however reverse cams are handy and so are hefty tow bars. poor buggas did lots of damage to themselves.