Honestly, drivers it’s not that hard. That stick on your steering wheel is to tell everyone (including those people that you can’t see) where you intend to go. Don’t assume that your direction is obvious or, like some people I know, only indicate if you can see another car that you think might be affected by your actions.
As an ocassionally disabled pedestrian I sometimes need to allow a lot of time to get across the road. It is very frustrating when I have been waiting a long time for a car to go past only to watch them indicate at the last minute (or not at all) and turn just before they get to me. I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for extremely disabled and slow moving people, the elderly or those with children.
Don’t the Greens have a policy along the lines of giving priority to pedestrians and a legal weighting if a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle. As a pedestrian I wouldn’t want to argue right of way with a four wheel drive and it would be small comfort from my hospital bed if I had the force of law behind me, but something needs to be done to give pedestrians more power.
Someone has to have a gripe on Monday morning so I thought that I would have a go…
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Goood, good, run to the Greens, that will help.
I wish someone would explain to me what they think they are doing when they have their right indicator going as they exit a roundabout. They had to turn their steering wheel left, their tyres are pointing left, why is their right indicator going? What does it mean? Do they think that they must indicate right for the entire duration of their time on a rounabout?
They can drive, breed and vote. God help us.
“Indicate, indicate indicate…”
Agreed, agreed, agreed!
I use a pedestrian crossing.
EvanJames said :
+1
And it’s not just people turning right at the roundabout getting lazy and leaving it on, Since moving to the endless roundabouts of Ngunnawal, I have noticed daily at least on arse hat going straight, and using the wrong indicator to exit, just as they leave, showing that they are trying to indeed indicate the exit.
It is so F^&*^ing simple, if you are exiting out of the round about, onto a road, indicate left to exit, if you are plowing your f^&*^ing car into the grassy mound in the middle of the roundabout, indicate right to exit.
Ain’t going to happen, write all the RiotACT posts you want it’s not going to happen. Just keep your wits about you and don’t take any other cars intended movement for granted.
I’ve ever been puzzled by people who actively decide at every turn (heh) whether to indicate, based on some (no doubt highly sophisticated) algorithm which must factor in the proximity of other traffic, pedestrians, time of day, speed limit, angle of turn, phase of the moon and the number of spanners in a Sidchrome tool kit.
Wouldn’t it be easier to just do it every time?
I understand your frustration (and sometimes share it) but of course you cannot trust that a car indicating is going to turn either.
Solidarity said :
Or ride your bike …………. off the road of course
One thing I learnt in my time driving around Canberra.
Don’t trust anyone’s driving. Ever. Always assume they’re essentially Mr Magoo.
I might wait an extra couple of seconds to see if the person on the roundabout is really going straight or if they’ve just been lazy and will be going for the turn.
EvanJames said :
Sorry, I think I’m someone you are talking about. I was taught to indicate when exiting a round-a-bout .. it gives brain dead drivers the signal that they can speed off and get home that 10 seconds earlier! Everyone wins!
schmeah said :
Yes, and you are supposed to indicate an exit, but do you use your right or left indicator to do so?
Lets say you are going straight through a round about, you should indicate your exit, with your left turn signal, starting just after you pass the 1st exit of the roundabout (assuming a 4 exit roundabout)
It is very frustrating when I have been waiting a long time for a car to go past only to watch them indicate at the last minute (or not at all) and turn just before they get to me.
yes, well, though you want to have people indicate to let you know their intentions – DON’T TRUST THEM! (indicators, not people – though that’s a separate issue)
as a motorcyclist, i was taught, very sagely, to never trust an indicator and to not cross into a vehicle’s path until they are out of the way (either turning just before you, or zooming past with their indicator still on in error [or turning just past you...])
as far as i am aware, the underlying premise on road rules is that a pedestrian has right of way unlesd they’re stupid enough to use it, or something like that…
schmeah said :
This is only for multi-lane roundabouts. Just saying roundabouts confuses the issue.
Dilandach said :
Actually you should have learned this from your driving instructor, but regardless, you will learn this driving anywhere.
GBT said :
Are you saying you only need to indicate exit of a multi lane roundabout?
Have a look at the rules:
If practicable, a driver driving in a roundabout must give a
left change of direction signal when leaving the roundabout.
00davist said :
Who on earth would indicate to the right when they leave a roundabout? When I learnt to drive many years ago the exact wording of the hand book was “It is courteous to indicate left when leaving the roundabout”. It was law to indicate your intended outcome though. But here it is from TAMS for anyone that doubts…
http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/14013/roundaboutrulesadvertisement.pdf
Thoroughly Smashed said :
Rings more true in Canberra than anywhere I’ve driven.
I’ve had all sorts of fantastical things on the roundabouts of canberra. I’ve been in the inside lane going straight and the person in the left lane decided “to hell with lines, cutting time!” without even bothering to look, cutting me off and continuing on their merry way. Another roundabout and another clown had myself once again on the inside lane of the roundabout going straight but the person on the outside lane instead of going straight decided that turning right from the outside lane was a smashing idea.
Just a couple among a plethora of near misses and endless tail gating. Canberra has some of *the* worst drivers. I suspect that its a public service element bringing the worst the country has to offer and jamming them into a small city. Of course the fluoro menace do a lot more than their fair share of tailgating and other driving stunts.
I shall also decree death to those who think sticking their indicator on gives them an immediate right to change lanes or that their desire to skip the line of traffic or not plan their journey gives them the right to force their way into the other lane further up by just indicating and forcing the other cars to avoid an accident.
And, as an afterthought, how can there be so many drivers that think a quick on/off flash of their indicator is enough notice to change lanes. I haven’t looked at the road rules for a while, but I think your indicator is supposed to be on for at least three seconds (but at least long enough for those around you to have seen it). We don’t all drive around just staring at your indicators waiting for you to tell us what you are going to do and heaven help us if we blink. Perhaps, on reflection, I should have butchered the old election motto and titled the OP “indicate early and indicate often”.
GBT said :
Untrue. The road laws say you must indicate to leave every roundabout. However, police turn a blind eye to the small roundabouts.
Come to think of it, police turn a blind eye to this law regardless of the roundabout. Which is odd, because I notice that police almost always obey it themselves.
Along the theme of road users and behaviours, ‘lane markings are purely for decoration’ – discuss.
bobzed57 said :
I think many Canberrans would observe lane markings if they could.
WillowJim said :
Pardon? Where do the Australian Road Rules say this? S118 seems to be the relevant section and it says, “If practicable, a driver driving in a roundabout must give a left change of direction signal when leaving the roundabout.”.
Note the phrase, “If practicable…” – clearly not mandatory on “every>” roundabout.
I hear you, OP. There is a T junction coming out of my local shops where most pedestrians have to cross (no marked crossing nearby) and I estimate that 50% of cars coming out of the shops parking area do not indicate on their way out. Or, they begin to turn and simultaneously hit the indicator. Thanks. Now and then they indicate one way and turn the other.
The advice above is correct. Trust no-one. It means waiting a bit longer till the coast is clear, but it also means living a lot longer.
Goood, good, run to the Greens, that will help.
Extra ‘o’ made me read it in the Emperor’s voice.
On a similar note, CHECK YOUR BLINDSPOT before changing lanes! Noticed this (like most things) is particularly bad on Northbourne! Had a few near misses and if you’re in the middle lane there isn’t anywhere to go if someone decides to change into your lane on top of you! Not that hard especially on a straight road like most of our multi-laned roads are in Canberra!
WillowJim said :
Untrue….. If your going to quote rules at least read them.A s mentioned by others the rules say we should indicatle left on exit “where practicable”. On small roundabouts it is often not practicable to indicate left on exit, so not a case of the police turning a blind eye or a driver doing something wrong.
mcmc said :
That is always the one I’m worried about. I never hang in someone blind spots for longer than absolutely necessary. That bit where Northbourne turns into the Federal Highway past the Dickson intersection is downright scary because of this. I watch the traffic in the middle lane like a hawk to be prepared if one of them would decide to change lanes without checking to avoid slowing down for the lane merge.
And yesterday I had to speed because the car in the lane next to me decided to go past the bus as it was already pulling out into his lane.
I have blindspot mirrors and absolutely love them. But I still get annoyed by cars hanging in my blindspot for no good reason too. I only check my blindspot mirror if I’m planning to change lanes and I prefer to see the cars close to me even when I’m not changing lanes.
Minor gripe, but how much fun is complaining about bad drivers?!
Indicating is over rated…..every man for himself!