slip roads

[spirogyro]

Hi Everybody.
We are 1st timers to towing and caravanning!
We are about to take to the road with our new caravan.
We desperately need advice on what to do when traffic on a slip road joins our slow lane on a motorway.
Many slip roads have a short lane, followed by a longer lane, joining the slow lane on the motorway.
We will be pottering along in the slow lane for the most part.
When a stream of traffic approaches from our left, are we supposed to move to the middle lane?
We don't fancy the idea of moving our long unit to the middle lane.
But we don't want to get squeezed between the traffic approaching from the left and the traffic in the middle lane,either.
We find this whole area absolutely terrifying.
Please help!
Thanks.
Spyrogyro.

 

[Damian]

What is "supposed" to happen is traffic joining the motorway should adjust their speed to suit the traffic conditions.

What actually happens is very different.
This is where you need to be very spatially aware of what is happening all around you and look for safety get outs.
You have plenty of warning of joining traffic, so look for a space, or create one in plenty of time to allow you to move to centre lane if needed.
Plenty of early indication and keep looking in the mirror.

If you dont fancy moving over one lane on a straight wide road, what do you think you will do on narrow roads?

 

[drsorento]

read rule 259 of the highway code.

 

[ChrisUK]

I agree with what Damian says but often the middle lane is not empty to move into on our motorways. Alot depends on the traffic entering or rather the drivers.

 

[JonnyG1]

I hear what Damion is saying, but as we all know it is supposedly up to joining traffic to stop if they cannot enter the M/way safely,and becides that its not always possible to move over to the middle lane regardless of how well you plan for every slip road.

My advice would be to make sure you leave plenty of room in front of you when approaching a slip road,and then keep an eye out for any vehicles coming down the slip road,and try to judge your speed accordingly so that you know they will enter infront of you,or behind you.
I would not worry to much I know this sort of thing is not easy, but clearly you are on the ball by already thinking ahead.

 

[Gafferbill]

I agree with Jonny G...........word for word

 

[smiley]

Hi Spyrogiro

Did you pass a driving test?
Do you not know how to drive on a motorway?Pray tell me what motorway do you know that has a slow lane ????????
Motorways or any other road for that matter are not for you to potter on. !!!

If the whole idea is terrifying don't go on the road at all.

You have clearly shown your ignorance of driving full stop...

Mind you this sounds like it could be a big wind up....
I don't know about reading the rule in the highway code,,, read the highway code.

Heaven help us.

 

[BryanS]

Usually, cars entering from a slip road don't expect lorries or cars with caravans to move over. That's if they've seen you at all of course... Swerving into the other lane isn't a good idea.
Not so sure about the "pottering" - the safest and most comfortable speed normally is 56mph - same as the lorries. Less overtaking and being overtaken by big stuff.
Don't worry - be positive and steady and you'll have a relaxing trip.

 

[Dustydog]

Spirogyro
What ever you do , don't take any tranquilizers or any whacky backy.LOL. You need a clear cool calm head.

I fully endorese all the other posts here. Don't be frightened.
Have you thought about going on one the Club's caravan towing courses.
How about an hour towing with a qualified driver instructor by your side?
May I ask how long you have held a driving licence?
It's all about advanced observation and anticipation. Maybe throttle off sometimes and let the buggers out of the slip road. It's not about holding your course and not yielding.
I must also ask at this juncture are you happy you know how to safely distribute the weight within your caravan ie correct loading , noseweight etc? This is crucial for a safe tow , particularly for a novice.

Be safe and happy.

 

[chrisbee1]

.

My advice would be to make sure you leave plenty of room in front of you when approaching a slip road,and then keep an eye out for any vehicles coming down the slip road,and try to judge your speed accordingly so that you know they will enter infront of you,or behind you.
I

I think you'll find they will do anything possible to join the motorway in front of you. It's the "not getting stuck behind a caravan" mentality.

 

[JonnyG1]

I believe modern roads and modern traffic volumes have changed so much from days of old,that its not as straight forward as some seem to believe.
Have you noticed how many slip roads are now controlled by traffic lights?you know the very last stretch of slip road, not just at the top of a round about.
Its simply the volumes these days that do make what should be a straight forward entry to the M/way, dangerous for ALL.
I am surprised that some thought the original question asked was in someway a question of the towers ability to tow!
Just look at the set up on most slip roads, two lanes down to one lane, varous speed difference between users, cars still coming by at the very last moment,and then trying to jion the m/way in a space you yourself had made plans to do so.

Now if you cannot jion the m/way, you are supposedly to stop!!!!!Can you imagine that, hell i have seen it, a car having to stop at the bottom of a slip rd to jion the A14 at huntington, with cars and lorries speeding down the slip rd causing havac.
For me this is becoming a daily occurance as i drive a lorry,and indeed whilst its never been a problem for me when out in the car,as yet.It doesn't mean that my actions and many others action whilst legal has not had a knock on effect to vehicles behind us, due to the volumes and speed differences we have today compared to a few decades ago...

 

[smiley]

Well, if your suprised by my post Jonny G, I wasn't imply anything to do with towing ability.
My concerns were simpl aimed as the driving questons asked by Spirogyro.
"what to do when traffic on a slip road joins our slow lane on a motorway" There are two issues here
1 Traffic entering motorway from slip road
2 what slow lane on what motorway???? Why does he not know and what slow lanes and where????

"We will be pottering along in the slow lane for the most part".
1 Pottering along is not part of the highway code and can be quite dangerous to other users. You will fail your driving test for this..

"When a stream of traffic approaches from our left, are we supposed to move to the middle lane? As was stated in another post read the highway code!!!! Why does he not know what to do?????? If he moves into next lane while POTTERING along he could be a serious liabilty and cause an accident!!!As for the I don't fancy moving into the middle lane, what has what we fancy have to do with the highway code??? "But we don't want to get squeezed between the traffic approaching from the left and the traffic in the middle lane,either"I believe this comment links into the one above about vehicles entering off the slip. I'm seriously concerned with the type of questions asked of Spiriogiro and his ability to drive safely. he could take a caravan towing lesson which would greatly assist him, but that does not answer the question why does he not know how to drive!!! I had a friend who had passed test, when going on the motorway I was asked to look to see if it was safe!!! Yes, I was in the passenger seat and had to watch for traffic, this person could drive but dangerous on the road. This is what Spirogyro's questions remind me off... towing has nothing to do with it.

 

[Dustydog]

Jonny G said:- I am surprised that some thought the original question asked was in someway a question of the towers ability to tow!
Spyrogyro said:-
We are 1st timers to towing and caravanning!
We are about to take to the road with our new caravan.
If that isn't a cry for help then my English Grammar , Syntax and Rhetoric must be lacking!! Come on Jonny what else is he saying then??

 

[JonnyG]

Jonny G said:- I am surprised that some thought the original question asked was in someway a question of the towers ability to tow!
Spyrogyro said:-
We are 1st timers to towing and caravanning!
We are about to take to the road with our new caravan.
If that isn't a cry for help then my English Grammar , Syntax and Rhetoric must be lacking!! Come on Jonny what else is he saying then??

"Tow" was the wrong word for me to use really, I should have said "drive" and my responce was from the retort his post got from some quarters, when he asked a perfectly good question regarding approach slip roads on M/ways.
To me it showed he was thinking ahead and using good sense for a new type of experience he was going to encounter, you know the one where if we stick to the law, we should have said "do nothing just keep going at 60 or 55mph, you have no need to move over nor change your speed,as the law is on your side and it is up to the other traffic to filter in" But from experience we all know better than that, and so it appears does the poster.

"Cry for help" dont make me laugh thats being over dramatic. He/she was asking for advice from people who had more experience of this circumstance whilst towing a house behind them.....

footnote. lets be clear here unless it was a put up, the poster seems not to have re posted since, what does that tell you? It tells me we came across as a really nice helpful and friendly bunch did we not!!!!!!!

 

[John_374564913]

To all I would suggest you take a trip from Belgium to Austria through Germany and by the end of it you would be an expert at allowing traffic on to the motorway as there you need six pairs of eyes and two heads.

John

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Jonny
"Cry for help" metaphorically speaking of course, but then he did say "We desperately need advice on what to do when traffic on a slip road joins our slow lane on a motorway".

 

[Guest]

The basic answer is to assume the worst and slow down to allow any traffic to join in front of you. If there is a long queue waiting to do so, and therefore that is unrealisitc then you do have the right of way, so keep going. Having your headlights on may allow the b's to see you better. As mentioned there is an attitude that states 'get infront ofthe caravan at any cost'. You may even see a 'baby on board' sticker in these vehicles. With the traffic density in the UK then vigilance is required. Therefore to start with try to time your trips to avoid rush hours, and get confident about what you are doing.

In the UK the slip road jons the motorway with a dotted line dividing it. In Europe it is often the case that there is a solid white line until the very end of the slip lane, when it becomes dotted. This is to allow joining traffic to speed up to the motorway speeds and slide in easily. Of course in reality it means that Monsieur or Madame are usually sleeping or chatting and dawdle along the slip road until they panic at the end, and suddenly cut in front of you.

There is no easy answer, just watch and be prepared to slow.

 

[smiley]

I think the one of the basic points for a start - is not nay cry for help.

The point is he/she asks "We desperately need advice on what to do when traffic on a slip road joins our slow lane on a motorway"
There is not SLOW LANE ON A MOTORWAY !!!!!!!!!But this drivers thinks there is, and that he/she is entitled to potter on it,,,,,,,(what speed is pottering)?It is irrelevant what your vehicle is that you are driving ( HGV - OUTFIT - MOTORHOME ETC) the rules apply all the time.. Therefore, the question remains why is this driver asking how to drive on a motorway?? I think Spirogyro should try and clarify what it is that he specifically wants to know.

 

[Guest]

I suspect 'Smiley' is assuming that everybody driving on a motorway actually knows what they are doing. That is probably a gross misassumption. Many do not even have a driving licence or insurance and it is often the case that the bigger the vehicle, the more apperently stupid the driver. We have so many non British HGV drivers on our roads who have no real idea of the laws and standard practices, that that comment is not as far fetched as some may think.

Bluntly assume all other drivers are total idiots and avoid them as much as possible.

 

[philspot1]

I think some replies are a little disingenuous here. Yes, we all know that we shouldn't call the nearside lane the "slow" lane - but that is, of course, what it really is, as lanes 2,3, etc are the overtaking lanes, and you have to be going faster to overtake....
"Pottering" may not mean dawdling, but perhaps just keeping up with other traffic.
I think ships that have the right of way are required to "maintain their speed and course". A good beginning for slip road use as well, I think.
i.e. 1) Try to keep a fair gap in front of you in Lane 1
2) Keep slip road traffic under observation with brief glances to left and N/S mirror
3) Keep your speed steady so that the "joiner" can adjust to suit (nothing worse than a Lane 1 driver slowing just as the "joiner" slows, so you both end up at 25 mph!)
4) It helps, if you have a "joiner" on your left who won't pull ahead, but won't drop back, to accelerate a little, so they can see that your outfit is now mostly in front of them, so that they will have to ease off to come in behind you.
5) If they're driving a BMW, they will just cut straight across, anyway!! (In my experience.. and the same goes for exit slips, especially M25 J28, for those familiar with it)

Oh, and I very much agree with Scotch Lad's 8.00 pm final comment.

 

[JonnyG]

smiley.

Speed is relative, and so how come it is so hard for you to understand that in comparison to the middle or the outer lane,THE INSIDE LANE WOULD BE CONSIDERED THE SLOW LANE or at least the slowest of the 3 lanes of a typical m/way, by most people without it label them, whatever.
and with regards speed difference if one was travelling legally at 50 mph in the inside lane, then relative to other road users that would also be concidered slow !!!!!!!!!!

 

[Damian]

I have to agree with Philspot, some of the replies are less than helpful.
The OP asked a reasonable question, maybe the terminology was not absolutely correct, and may have given some users the notion that they, as perfect drivers, should start an on line school for motorists.

Everyone knows there is not a slow lane as defined, but lane 1 IS slower than either of the other two , which I think are called "The middle lane hogger lane" and "The BMW Lane"
Vehicles joining from slip roads is always a time for concern for a caravanner.

Many joining drivers simply do not see the 24 ft HUGE white box behind the towcar, or simply do not want to see it, or are determined to get past regardless of road safety.

I am quite happy to potter along at between 56 and 60 in the slower lane of a motorway, leaving those who wish to burn fuel, be a hogger, or show just how fast their beloved BMW can go to do just that, using the faster lanes.

As has been said, keep space around you, and treat everyone else as a homicidal lunatic, especially the "Perfect Driver"

 

[spirogyro]

Thanks (almost) everybody for the very helpful advice.
As for Smileys comments, some advice would be welcomed instead of "having a go".
I am a professional driver of 30 years experience,without an incident or an accident.
Not having ever towed a caravan before,I merely sought advice on the procedure that should be adopted for a long vehicle travelling on the left lane of a motorway, and if normal driving procedure should be modifed or revised to accomodate traffic approaching from the left.
Thanks anyway.
Spirogyro.

 

[drsorento]

Well said Damian, as for the BMW driver these are the only ones left who can show how fast there cars can go, as they usually are not the ones paying for the fuel that goes in them, as most are company cars, and hey if they do stack it they just phone up for another one to rip about in.

 

[philspot1]

Remembering difficult slip road incidents - a number of years ago, driving 21 seat minibus towing bigbox trailer full of suitcases; nighttime, A2 a couple of roads before Dartford tunnel turn off. Very busy on all 3 lanes, foot to floor, so 58 mph in lane 1 . Nice gap ahead of me, car appears in slip road to my left, never gets quite level with me (but could have accelerated in front if they had tried). Driver kept alongside as slip road came to an end, blasting horn. I had no chance to move into very busy lane 2. Car moved onto "hard shoulder", but did not speed up or slow until final moments. Interesting.