Safe Speed Forums

For the life of me I can't think of the correct name for the painted area in the middle of the road used for turning righ, but anyway...

Its fairly obvious that you can use the area when turning right off the main carriageway, but what about when you're trying to turn right ONTO the main carriageway? There have been times when I've been waiting to turn right at a busy junction and the only way to make it safely across is to cross the first line of traffic (approaching from the right) and then wait in the right turning area to join the flow of traffic approaching from the left.

Is this a legal / recognised way of making a safe turn or am I breaking the law? I can't find any specific reference in the highway code about it.

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

No idea now that you mention it. I'd be interested to know though because I do it too when neccessary

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I would think that like any hatched area, it's OK to use it if bordered by broken line but not if bordered by solid line. I'm not sure if the HC has anything to say on using a hatched area when turing right from a minor to a major road but, as far I'm concerned, it's acceptable practice from legal and good driving perspectives, with two qualifications:

(a) make sure you don't obstruct the lane you're crossing. If the hatched area is not wide enough for the whole length of your vehicle, drive in on a diagonal (or parallel with the main road if necessary, but this makes it harder to spot a gap in the line of traffic you're joining);

(b) don't make your move across to the hatched area aggressively or in a way which may make drivers in the lane you wish to join think that you're going to 'barge in'.

[edited to add]
(c) move 'downstream' (from pov of your intended direction of travel) of the minor road so you don't obstruct traffic wishing to turn right into it.

I'd hazard a guess that the highway code does not consider such a situation because it is assumed that when you pull out of a junction you do so in one complete maneouvre, not in two bites so to speak. However, surely the box is there to prevent vehicles coming from your right from covering your junction when their flow of traffic comes to a halt. In which case it is they who are commiting the offence by preventing you from emerging.
I'd also guess that by forcing the hand of the drivers coming from your right by effectively covering their lane with your vehicle by emerging in two stages, you could be construed as causing an obstruction.

I'm not talking about box junctions RP I'm talking about the seperate 'lane' you sometimes get dedicated to traffic turning right. Of course I would never block either lane of traffic.

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

Don't they call them a lane refuge area?

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

Aaahhhh, those things. If they are carefully planned they do provide a refuge for you to wait, but if they ain't...dunno where you stand legally.
That said, I've seen police vehicles using them in the way you describe.......

A bit like the (ok it's smaller than normal) area in the middle of this road the white car is about to drive over?
http://maps.google.co.uk/?t=k&ll=51.604488,-0.121585&spn=0.001018,0.00192

Here is a better example maybe:
http://maps.google.co.uk/?t=k&ll=51.612101,-0.138016&spn=0.001018,0.00192

I don't think there's anything explicitly saying that you can't do it any more than there's nothing saying you can't go in to the "turn right" area as if to turn right from the main road and then change your mind and go back again.

(Feel spied on much? )

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Andrew.

Yeah, thats the sort of thing Ziltro

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

I would say de jure your not supposed to use them for turning right from a minor road unless road markings indicate otherwise. However de facto I think it's acceptable practice but only where necessary. If the road is that busy it maybe the only way to turn right without creating huge delay. I do it occasionally, but I don't like doing it as I feel rather exposed stranded in no mans land.

It's a bit like when someone pulls across one lane of traffic and hopes someone will let them in to turn right. I don't have a problem if the road is clearly very busy and I will acomodate them where safe but it really annoys me when someone comes straight out to the middle without waiting at all and just expects to be let in.

Here in the antipodes they are referred to as a flush median, and they are designed for exactly the purpose you describe, so remember if you do find yourself braving the roads of New Zealand drive into and over the hatched areas as necessary.