I thought i'd share this secret with my follow Locost Builders.

If you look to the left of the outside and middle lane theres another strip of tarmac called the "inside lane" that everybody except the odd truck appears to have abandoned, the surface is slightly rougher than the other 2 lanes but its no more scary.

Admittedly Tom-tom or Garmin does tend show your car as being towards the middle of the road, you don't have to religiously follow it (and just how many people Sat-Nav to complete the same journey to and from work every day... there the same roads, same junctions, same turns)

And its amazing how many people would rather follow each others rear lights in appauling conditions rather than use a clear lane!.

There now ought to be a punishment or cameras set-up for middle lane hoggers its getting rediculose, or a lifting of the No undertaking rule (but that would no doubt cause chaos).
Some kind of camera like those average speed ones where if there's a gap of xxx meters infront and also nobody in the middle lane you get a warning posted and a menial fine to cover the admin, then for repeat offenders the fines start to rise and eventually amass points.

Glad I waited till after my tea to write that.. I've calmed down a little after having driven from Liverpool to Leeds in abour 2 hrs!

2 hours for that journey is excellent going. I had engineers from Bolton working in Headingly all last week at it took them 2hours each way all week!

It took me 1 1/2 hours to get from a meeting near Manchester airport back to the office on Bolton last Thursday and even radio2 couldn't find a reason for the traffic.

It would seem that the M60/M61/M62/M602 are nearing grilock, caused by accidents which in turn are caused by the heavy traffic.

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Originally posted by MkIndy7

There now ought to be a punishment or cameras set-up for middle lane hoggers its getting rediculose, or a lifting of the No undertaking rule (but that would no doubt cause chaos).

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you are so right indy7

not far from me that 62!

Why do they get anoyed when you use the inside lane? they try and go a bit faster but its tooooooooo late

do them on the inners!!!

gettin pi55ed|!

Beats me why anyone in this country uses sat nav. The place is tiny and google earth planning is much cheaper

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Originally posted by stevebubs
IMHO, it would also make more sense to make it illegal to *be* undertaken.

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Having driven in the states, fully agree undertaking should be legal. Turning left on a red light if it's safe should also be legal. The one thing I couldn't get the hang of was flashing traffic lights, seemed a free for all

I've been going past people in the inside lane, for about 6 hours today on the M1 Southbound then Northbound on my way home.

Overtaking or undertaking is only illegal when you complete the manouvere - which is to pull back into the lane you started from. I have passed people on the inside lane whilst a Police Drover (Range Rover) was in front of me. He actually did the same, I then gave plenty of room (on the inside lane) plenty of intent (indication) then completed my "illegal manouvere" without putting anyone at risk - it's about time either the manouvere was legitimised or mass public awareness about the two lanes being OVERTAKING lanes....

My 2p

Last week on the 62 and some Lady in the outside lane doing 65mph. After about 10 cars buzzed her on the inside she still didn't get the message to move over.

Steve

I thought the LEFT HAND LANE as we used to call it was now an extension of the slip road. Nobody coming onto the motorway now realises they are supposed to filter in, I had a mad coloured gentleman driving up the hard shoulder rather than slow down and drop in behind me as there was nowhere for me to go to let him in and I wasn't prepared to slow down for him.

As a white van man of the politiest kind

I do plenty of miles and some people on occasion are just guilty of being in a bit of a trance and just plodding along in the middle lane.
Occasionally you'll just flash somebody, they'll acknowlege they were day dreaming and pull over.
More so there completely oblivious as to why you are flasing and hasseling them and then give you grief when you eventually make it into the traffic in the overtaking lane to pass them.

I'm sure the traffic really doesn't have to be this bad.. when your queueing into cities then its hard to get around it, but for long stretches of open road alot of it seems self inflicted.

I would agree and would like to think the Police would agree with "_Aero_"'s comments on what is and isisn't an Illegal manouvre regards movement in traffic, but it could all so easily swing the other way and you'd be banged to rights.

I also think under taking should be allowed.

Only the "Middle Lane Moron's" will be effected.
The rest will be intelligent enough to cope!

I thought having 4 lanes on motor ways would confused the "Middle Lane Moron's" but they move to lane 3.

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Originally posted by coozer
Beats me why anyone in this country uses sat nav. The place is tiny and google earth planning is much cheaper

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How infuriating is that, drivers that sit in the middle lane or the outside lane at 70 with the attitude, I am sticking to the speed limit so stuff you. What is their problem.

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Originally posted by llionellis
Having driven in the states, fully agree undertaking should be legal.

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Of course, failing that every car should be fitted with big all round rubber bumpers, bumper car stylee. A couple of punts in the rear quarter spinning you off the road would do wonders for your all round awareness, and no end of good for my stress levels

Can I point out here that undertaking is what funeral directors do. Overtaking is passing someone by traveling at greater speed. It can be done both to the left* or right of the slower driver as well as above or below, should circumstances prove accomodating.


* where the law allows

The answer isn't in legisilation, it's in education...

We need a driving test like the Germans have had for years! every driver must be trained by a professional and every driver must complete a series of compulsory modules before taking the test. The modules include driving in foul weather, high speed driving (autobahn speeds!), and long distance driving....

I find it's much easier to let middle-lan hogs know what I think of them when driving the Locost- in my tintop it's difficult for them to see the shakey hand motion....

I don't think legalising the inside overtake is the answer- it can be very dangerous. On the M1 yesterday we had some chav in a Punto doing overtakes all over the shop- in about 2 minutes he almost had (or caused) 3 crashes..... Admittidly he / she was using inner overtakes as part of a whole barrage of poo driving....

Then again, middle lane hogs are no worse than flipping lorry drivers who insist on doing a 5 minute overtake maneover just because they've realised their max speed is 1mph faster than the lorry in front.......

Of course this is all speculation until a roadside camera is developed that will catch people driving dangerously....

Until then its service as usual.... Speed kills and that's that. Of course during a downpour on the M60 this Sunday when there was standing water, aquaplanning, spray and poo visability you could drive @ 70mph 0.00001cm away from the car in front past the speed cameras and it's all good....... (though I wasn't!!!!)....

I might as well add another one now the weathers at its worse.

Why do Drivers, particularly of Silver cars refuse to put their headlights on in poor visability conditions.

I know "stealth mode" can be quite fun but when your driving a van and have a 3" square of mirror (dirtied since you set off) to look in and see everything behind you it can make it a rather fun manouver changing lanes.

Maybe there all worried about the extra 0.0001 MPG less their car will do because of the extra load on the alternator.

Or there other car has "auto" lights and wipers so its something they've forgotten how to use. That has to be the most pointless and wasteful invention/addition to cars in rescent years if you can't manage to switch your own on you clearly shouldn't be driving!

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Originally posted by chris mason
On countless occasions i've been driving in the inside lane at motorway speeds and to prove a point have moved in to the outside lane to pass a middle lane hogger, then sharply back in to the inside lane, sometimes this works, while occasionally they seems oblivious to my manouver. and it seems more and more people are taking this action on other drivers.

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That game can be played in reverse.. it doesn't seem to happen as much now there more powerful but there were times when people would NOT be overtaken by a van.

You would come up behind somebody say in a BMW doing 60mph, you'd to 65mph overtake and pull in and maintain 65mph, then a few minutes later they'd go by doing 67mph and then pull in and slow down to 60mph again... you'd pass again, maintain the same speed.. and thay'd do the same, over and over again!

Used to be comical!