Substitute "pedestrians" for "jaywalkers" and you'd be right. And pedestrians are a form of traffic. But as others have said, indicating automatically (a substitute for keeping a good lookout) is not a good habit to get into.

Well I do walk across the main A1 into Central London. There is a crossing 60 metres away,but most cars and vans are turning into my road to avoid the Angel and congestion zone. I am only heading for the Telegraph from Sainsburys on the other side. So I, as do most others ignore the crossing.
It is handy to see indicators in advance of a turn to judge gaps. That's from a pedestrian's point of view.

From a driving point of view it might appear an automatic thing to do but it is completely necessary.
I am sure Newbury is just as busy as anywhere.
There are pedestrians, such as myself, cyclists such as my daughter, scooters and motorbikes everywhere.
Indicating indeed gives no right to manoevre, but it does give a chance for the opposite side "nose to tail" to
think "shall I leave a small gap?".
ce

It also keeps you thinking about your driving. I always indicate.

From an earlier post of mine. So I don't think automatic indication is an automatic right to do what you want.
Just to give an ide of what you plan in a while. Which gives others some idea of how to proceed.
ce

Perhaps they should modify cars so that they will not turn at a junction unless the indicators have been on for at least 5 secs prior to making the turn?

I think that quite regularly and then say to myself "since they came barrelling down the outside of everyone to try and fit in 5 cars further up the queue they can shut their face and wait" and I keep as close to the car infront as possible in that situation.

Especially people on the Robin Hood roundabout. People who come out from Northbrook Street heading back towards Thatcham past the Travelodge, who sit in the right hand lane (A34 lane) rather than the left one, despite a HUGE sign saying CLEARLY what lane goes where - I have forced people up the A34 because they have tried to push in and I've sped up/slowed down as required.

Two reasons: A- It'll teach them to read road signs in the future and B- It'll teach them to not try and squeeze into a gap because they're too stupid to try and get behind the traffic or just accept their mistake and go round in a big old loop.

Which in my view demonstrates how irresponsible you are as a driver and you don't deserve a licence.

So you push them out of the lane they are in and up the A34?

Sorry XJ. I was simply talking of etiquette in slow moving main road single lane traffic.
Giving a gap to someone to cross over at a junction is not too hard.

I have often ended up in the wrong lane in strange towns and been treated well.
As I do to those racing to the end of the M11 with the well known camera.

ce

No, I simply drive alongside them (as in, I'm in the correct lane, they are in the lane going up to the A34). They would have been in the correct lane but they try to jump the queue. How would I be able to push people out of the lane? I am not a transformer or something.

It's probably better to explain by pictures.

Here's where I'm talking about.



Heading back towards Thatcham, I would be in the same lane as the Fiesta (the CORRECT lane for my journey). Clearly labeled on the road and there is a big sign by the turning on the left before the Fire Station back entrance.

A car will then come up in the right hand lane, normally jumping the queue of traffic, and try to "jump" everyone off the lights and cut across. This is dangerous, not only is it a willful disrespect of the road layout but can also cause a collision between vehicles as the car in the right hand lane (A34 lane) collides with the car in the correct lane when merging.


Now I am understanding people who are new to the area and out of protection of my own car rather than caring about anyone else, I will generally be the one to back off in a confrontation - if I spot they have a sat nav I will always hang back, however 95% of the people who do this live in Newbury, and I know this either because I recognise their car, or because they manage to get ahead and end up turning into one of the estates to the left, opposite the Mercedes dealer.




So anyway I would be the big black 4x4 and the moron who can't read the road sign will be the silver car, and I would simply slow down/speed up in order to keep alongside the vehicle so it is not able to come across. Childish and immature, yes. Does it prove a point, which is my *point* - well I'd think that person wouldn't do that again - dangerous? Not really.



Oh I agree.
in terms of junctions, blocking turnings etc is stupid, gaps should always be left, for example in traffic, even if nothing is turning at that time.

I would just simply out accelerate you and get in the lane that I desired!

Right, but if you are the Fiesta in the first pic & then the 4X4 in the second you have moved lanes - if you had not you'd be off on the A4 towards Hungerford. Meanwhile the chap who has sat at the lights in the R hand lane ( although the incorrectly signed lane ) hasn't actually changed lane.....

I doubt as a motorcyclist you would perform such a silly action, you'd use your superior observation skills to be in the correct lane anyway.



So what do you think of this? - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15596588





No, it's a spiral roundabout, the lanes go outwards. Please see my drawing which is an absolute masterpiece, clearly in 50 years this will be on display in the National Art Museum and will easily sell for millions of pounds.



So the solid grey line indicates the seperation of lanes in terms of direction (a4 and a34) and the dotted line indicates the actual lane layout. Hope you can understand it. So the A34 lane breaks off into the dual carridgeway which goes up and towards the A34. The A4 lane breaks into 2, one for Thatcham and one for Hungerford direction. You can go down and see that in action.
You get me?

Sorry Danny have to agree with xjay on that one - the lh lane is for A4 Thatcham / Hungerford, the rh lane is for the A339 (A34). If you deviate from that you have changed lanes.

Another agreement with XJay on this one. I've moaned often enough in this forum about exactly the same crass behaviour at that junction (right hand lane cutting in and crossing the clearly marked dotted line thereby changing lanes from the A339 northbound).

Don't get me wrong - I realise Xjay is technically in the right, but the lane markings are not at all clear & the general perception is that the lh is for Hungerford/B3009 & the rh is for A339/A34/A4E. Forcing another road user to 'do the right thing' is two wrongs. Which do not make a right.

I think it's perfectly clear. My Mum none the less (60-something year old woman) who will do exactly what I'm saying; jump the queue and push in. While I am a passenger and she goes to do this I will have a go at her, to which she says "Don't tell me how to drive, I've been driving for blah blah years" - To which I say "well, that as may be, but you clearly forgot how to obey the rules of the road". She doesn't like that. It's a problem with a lot of elder people in my eyes, awareness of the rules but an arrogance clouded by "years of experience" rather than actual ability (because they two are not directly proportional).

She does it because she doesn't want to wait in a queue like anyone else, she is aware of the rule but disobeys it because she wants to. I feel this is the case for 80-90% (my estimation) of people who do this. It's clearly labelled both on the road and on a big sign on the approach to the traffic lights - if you are new to an area you should be paying extra attention to road signs and markings anyway. Ignorance is not an excuse!







Group hug?

Ignorance is not an excuse!


you would have loved the bollarding threads.

ps your artwork contains some artistic license!

For a while it wasn't, but since they re-painted that dotted line showing the left lane from London Road feeding into the two lanes going past the fire station, it is now perfectly clear.