What is it with Tojo/Patrol drivers??

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Originally Posted by BigJon

Changing lanes
Whenever you change lanes from one marked lane or line of traffic to another, you must give way to vehicles already in that lane or line of traffic. This includes crossing over any broken line marked on the road which indicates that a lane ends, for example when merging into freeway traffic.

Zip merging
If you are on a road without lines marked and two rows of vehicles merge into one, you must give way to any vehicle which has any part of its vehicle ahead of yours. Note: If you cross any lines marked on the road, then you are not zip merging but changing lanes and you must give way accordingly.

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That makes sense. So there is a fundamental difference between "Left lane ends" and "Form one lane".

Incidentally, I frequently make use of the stand-up lane where roads widen into two or more lanes at a set of traffic lights then lerge back into one on the other side. I am sure many people think it's rude when they see other cars do this, but to me it makes logical sense. My understanding of the road rules are that you keep left, or in the left most lane. It amazes me how many people will queue in the righthand lane at a set of lights when the left lane is empty, then only half of them actually make it through the intersection. If we all have to "form one lane" on the other side then surely it is more sensible for everyone to spread out into both lanes, get more cars through the intersection, then form back into one (usually in the same order) once the lanes merge.

If some peanut wants to push the issue and block me from merging on the other side of the intersection, then so be it. At least I got through.

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Originally Posted by solmanic

That makes sense. So there is a fundamental difference between "Left lane ends" and "Form one lane".

Incidentally, I frequently make use of the stand-up lane where roads widen into two or more lanes at a set of traffic lights then lerge back into one on the other side. I am sure many people think it's rude when they see other cars do this, but to me it makes logical sense. My understanding of the road rules are that you keep left, or in the left most lane. It amazes me how many people will queue in the righthand lane at a set of lights when the left lane is empty, then only half of them actually make it through the intersection. If we all have to "form one lane" on the other side then surely it is more sensible for everyone to spread out into both lanes, get more cars through the intersection, then form back into one (usually in the same order) once the lanes merge.

If some peanut wants to push the issue and block me from merging on the other side of the intersection, then so be it. At least I got through.

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Happens all the time in QLD....perfectly good lane goes to waste.....or they start merging miles before they have to, effectively clogging half a usable road surface.

I think I read somewhere that in the QLD concept of merging, the car that is already in the straight lane has right of way but it is inferred that you should allow cars to merge where possible.

'Inferred' and 'should' aren't usually things that work on Australian roads...LOL!!!

A mate of mine has just returned from a UK driving holiday and was absolutely blown away by how curteous the drivers over there are. No idiots blocking the fast lane, clear signals that assist and thank when moving around, easy merging, and people pulling over into passing points on narrow roads and signalling for you to come through.....a breath of fresh air he said!

which leads to using slip lanes...

Why can apparently no-one but me use these things...

I want to turn left at a major highway with a slip lane, should be easy enough but I have to wait 3-4 months for the idiot in front of me who's straddling the left and right lanes so no-one can get past him to get a big enough gap in the traffic coming from the right so he can drive out past the 400m long slip lane into the main lane without getting tail ended instead of turning hard onto the slip lane accelerating and them merging right.

OR...

when cruising along in a 60 zone on a long sweeping left that ends as a 100m merging lane onto a highway AFTER an 80 speed sign (3 of them one on the left of the slip lane, one between the slip lane and the highway on the nice clear median strip so you can clearly see both it and the traffic on the highway and one on the right hand side of the highway) Do these idiots Stop. and not in a nice predictable slow down and stop manner but in an emergency "OH CRAP A WALL" type manner.

WHY!?! do these idiots who stop in the slip lane feel the requirement to chase me down and abuse me after I slip past them at about 70 avoiding their stopped vehicle and executing the merge that they should have done in the manner they should have done it?


There needs to be a LAW.

"IF you are out driven by an ancient underpowered vehicle that is not breaking the road rules (eg speeding) AND you are driving something built post 1990 you are required to hand in your license"

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Originally Posted by solmanic

That makes sense. So there is a fundamental difference between "Left lane ends" and "Form one lane".

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Yes, but most "drivers" I see in Horsham either don't know the difference or can't cope with the difference or don't care about the difference.

Thinking about it, generally if you are travelling at a safe distance from the car in front, there shouldn't be any issues with other cars merging into the lane.

When merging onto a busy road, I typically line up just behind the rear bumper of a car, hit the indicator and start coming across. If you hit someone, they are in the wrong because 'safe following distance' is way more than a car length.

If the traffic is sparse and I arrive at the end of the merge lane and I'm side-by-side with another car, I obviously haven't picked the gap correctly, or the other car is travelling much faster than me (highly likely in the isuzu :) )

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Originally Posted by Treads

What's been giving me the ****s lately is the idiots who drive right up behind you when you're trying to reverse park :mad: Indicator on early, spot picked, brakelights on, reverse engaged - then some **** drives right up your bum :censored:

In the last month I've had 4 instances of this happening: 2xTerritory's, 1x Tarago & 1x Commodore. Each time I just keep the Defender in reverse and crawl slowly back. I've had horns honked and everything; but just keep on chugging backwards - They soon get the picture :p The steel bar on the back of the Deefer seems to have 'get out of my way' written all over it :cool:

I have never failed to park in the spot I picked out :angel:

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I thought it was just me it ws happening to. Since my wife started afternoon shift I get the dubious pleasure of picking the kids up after school. Holy Crap, how 96% of the school mums get their licenses just staggers me!
Double parking, even when there are 10 empty spots 5 cars behind them 'cos their little darling mustn't walk the 20 meters back to Mummy's car, not even pulling in properly, just leaving the rear end hanging out of the parking spot onto the carriageway. I even saw a Mum road rage a school bus that was parked in the school bus zone, just because she wanted to park there. Fair dinkum, if the Local Coppers sat there for 20 minutes there would be writers cramp.

On three lane freeways in and around Melbourne, why is it people can't move from the left lane into the centre lane to allow in coming traffic to flow onto the freeway in a safe manner anyway?
Too many times I've had to barge my way in, thus being abused and labelled as a road hog or whatever because there's just no road manners down here,,, disapointing to say, I've even been abused by a fellow D1/2 driver,,,
I think the roadrules people should teach manners before anything to do with driving a car,, that said, I seems half the people here can't read English, get their licence through interpreters, then don't know what half the roadsigns say :eek:

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Originally Posted by Chops

On three lane freeways in and around Melbourne, why is it people can't move from the left lane into the centre lane to allow in coming traffic to flow onto the freeway in a safe manner anyway?
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Because everyone (including me) get too aggressive on the roads these days.

When the Road Rules on merging, state that the person who has to cross the broken line has to give way to drivers in the lane to which they are merging, then the drivers who have the right-of-way take that right-of-way at all costs.

Good manners on the roads went out with our great-grandparents generation.

(Awaits flaming)

Just to add to the states, my understanding of the "merge"and "lane change" rules are as explained by Dave and BigJon.

I really think that this is a "nationally consistent" rule.

Best Wishes,
Peter