Robin Hood markings, Road layout Options

[Exhausted]

Anybody noticed the subtle change to the road markings on the southbound Robin Hood.
As you cross the A4 to Reading and stop at the traffic lights there are three lanes to go south and west.

Originally,
Left hand lane to go south down A339
Centre lane south down A339 and a right hand to turn towards town
Right hand lane to go west on A4 or north to A34/M4

Now,
Left hand lane to go south down A339
Centre lane to go south down A339 (only)
Right hand lane to go into the town, west on A4 and north to A34/M4 .

It has even confused the Jet Black bus drivers as they are still using the centre lane to go into town.

[Andy Capp]

I ignore the lanes ... point and go with my eyes shut, me!

[gel]

Anybody noticed the subtle change to the road markings on the southbound Robin Hood.
As you cross the A4 to Reading and stop at the traffic lights there are three lanes to go south and west.

Originally,
Left hand lane to go south down A339
Centre lane south down A339 and a right hand to turn towards town
Right hand lane to go west on A4 or north to A34/M4

Now,
Left hand lane to go south down A339
Left hand lane to go south down A339 (only)
Right hand lane to go into the town, west on A4 and north to A34/M4 .

It has even confused the Jet Black bus drivers as they are still using the centre lane to go into town.

Think you need to correct the Now para as you have 2 left hand lanes! The southbound A34(Sth) at J13 has 2 left lanes clearly marked M4 only, but often on the 2nd lane in, drivers ignore & go straight on to Newbury.

[Strafin]

Anybody noticed the subtle change to the road markings on the southbound Robin Hood.
As you cross the A4 to Reading and stop at the traffic lights there are three lanes to go south and west.

Originally,
Left hand lane to go south down A339
Centre lane south down A339 and a right hand to turn towards town
Right hand lane to go west on A4 or north to A34/M4

Now,
Left hand lane to go south down A339
Left hand lane to go south down A339 (only)
Right hand lane to go into the town, west on A4 and north to A34/M4 .

It has even confused the Jet Black bus drivers as they are still using the centre lane to go into town.

Eh? Coming from where and going where?

[JeffG]

Eh? Coming from where and going where?

From the description: at the traffic lights on the southbound A339 where the southbound A339 crosses the westbound A4.

[Strafin]

Doesn't make sense, where's the lane to go left on the A4 towards Thatcham?

[Simon Kirby]

Doesn't make sense, where's the lane to go left on the A4 towards Thatcham?

There's still two of them (left and middle), but we're talking about the the bit immediately south of that. If I understand right the middle lane used to allow either straight on south down the A339 or right into town, but now it's south only and the town lane is the right lane only. Do I have that right? It's not a turn I ever make.

[Simon Kirby]

Doesn't make sense, where's the lane to go left on the A4 towards Thatcham?

Follow this link to google streetview, and where the green bus used to be able to turn right into town it is now an ahead-only lane down the A339.

[JeffG]

From the description: at the traffic lights on the southbound A339 where the southbound A339 crosses the westbound A4.

Doesn't make sense, where's the lane to go left on the A4 towards Thatcham?

There's still two of them (left and middle), but we're talking about the the bit immediately south of that.

That's why I was careful to say the westbound A4 which is unambiguous, and refers to only one set of lights. The turn towards Thatcham is where the A339 crosses the eastbound A4 (the previous set of lights).

[x2lls]

So why no prior warning by putin(sic) up signs that the lanes were changing?

[Andy Capp]

So why no prior warning by putin(sic) up signs that the lanes were changing?

I doubt many would notice a sign anyway. The place is an abortion of a junction. The best of a bad job.

[JeffG]

So why no prior warning by putin(sic) up signs that the lanes were changing?

Surely that's too much to ask? I think it was the same when the road past the fire station changed to left hand land left turn only. I got caught out then - once. (I still have to make a conscious decision to be in the middle lane at the first set of lights on the Robin Hood going north to take the road under the flyover.)

What really get me though, are the lazy drivers that cut across road markings instead of keeping inside the lane markings (slightly off topic, but this happens a lot at the King's Road roundabout in the left lane going north. And don't get me started on the cross hatching at St. John's ).

[Exhausted]

Think you need to correct the Now para as you have 2 left hand lanes! The southbound A34(Sth) at J13 has 2 left lanes clearly marked M4 only, but often on the 2nd lane in, drivers ignore & go straight on to Newbury.

Yes that's the trouble with cut and paste, I forgot to change the left lane to centre.
Anyway, you get my point.
Coming from Shaw to go into town originally wanted me to go to the centre lane to make that right turn. Now, that centre lane is straight ahead down A339 and I now have to get into the right hand lane along with the A4 West traffic, the traffic going under the A339 to go round the Robin Hood and the A34/M4 traffic.
There is one not very clearly placed red sign that says caution layout change or similar.

Anyway, get my point. Should have gone to.........

There's still two of them (left and middle), but we're talking about the the bit immediately south of that. If I understand right the middle lane used to allow either straight on south down the A339 or right into town, but now it's south only and the town lane is the right lane only. Do I have that right? It's not a turn I ever make.

Yes

[Strafin]

Aha, I get it, that's how it was before the last change but everyone just ignored it anyway.

[Biker1]

What really get me though, are the lazy drivers that cut across road markings instead of keeping inside the lane markings (slightly off topic, but this happens a lot at the King's Road roundabout in the left lane going north. And don't get me started on the cross hatching at St. John's ).

And those equally lazy divers who don't have the energy to operate an indicator stalk when negotiating a roundabout!

[Andy Capp]

I'm not sure it is lazy, more likely it is confused drivers using a system that contradicts one's instincts when using a junction. I think the vast majority want to be in the correct lane, the exception is when one lane is unduly busy of course, then some people want to start to 'push-in'.

[JeffG]

I'm not sure it is lazy, more likely it is confused drivers

What is so confusing about driving between two clearly marked white lines? I'm not talking about drivers who get in the wrong lane and need to change somehow, I'm talking about the lazy drivers who cut across the lane markings because they are too lazy to follow them round. They have no regard for drivers in adjacent lanes.

[Strafin]

Poor lane discipline really annoys me as do people who drive round indicating left but drive past two junctions before actually turning.

[Andy Capp]

What is so confusing about driving between two clearly marked white lines? I'm not talking about drivers who get in the wrong lane and need to change somehow, I'm talking about the lazy drivers who cut across the lane markings because they are too lazy to follow them round. They have no regard for drivers in adjacent lanes.

JeffG, the drivers you describe are, for me, so rare that they're barely worth a mention. Driving between two white lines is easy enough, but whether they are going in the direction you think you want, or should go is another.

I'll bet though that it is more likely that someone is in the wrong lane in error, than laziness. I would also bet that the vast majority of people want to be in the right lane. Cutting across lanes is inevitable when someone for whatever reason is in the wrong lane and sees their exit coming up and people are not prepared to yield.

As discourteous it is to cut people up, it is also discourteous to not let people in, notwithstanding that just because you are in the right lane, doesn't excuses you of keeping an eye out for 'lane hoppers' and driving accordingly.

There are two things that constantly annoy me on Newbury roads: the amount of traffic lights in town, even at night when it is quite empty, and the drivers that don't give way going north over Boundary Road railway bridge and then get stuck on the bridge due to traffic build up, thus blocking both directions.

[Exhausted]

..... and the drivers that don't give way going north over Boundary Road railway bridge and then get stuck on the bridge due to traffic build up, thus blocking both directions.

The Boundary Road bridge has clear signs both sides which indicate the 'right of way'. Where it goes wrong are, as you say, people going north getting onto the bridge when their exit is blocked. There are also cases of belligerent southbound drivers who believe they have divine right to priority and barge forward even when a northbound car is traversing. There is clearly marked on the road, yellow cross hatching, which means, as I'm sure all the experts on the highway code that pop up on here will know, "Do not enter unless your exit is clear"
There should also be a sign saying "restrained language please".

I wonder how the traffic across this bridge will fare when Railtrack raise the bridge to improve clearance prior to electrification. It would be nice if there was a doubling of the width but that would mean WBC getting involved I suspect.