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From: Mortimer on 24 Jan 2010 08:56
"Chris Bartram" <news(a)delete-me.piglet-net.net> wrote in message
news:hjhhkk$988$1(a)news.eternal-september.org...
>My point was that dawdlers would not understand why you might overtake in
>order to get one position up a queue- if you repeat this svereal times you
>might get to the head of the queue, and clear road.

Yes, and even if you only get just in front of another car and don't then go
significantly faster than it, there can be an advantage if you've got clear
road ahead of you, because you can accelerate at your own pace out of bends,
without being thwarted by the person in front who takes ages to get back up
to cruising speed after slowing for a bend.

Some people just don't like being overtaken. The other week I was driving
along a B road which has some long almost-straight stretches but also a few
90-degree bends. I know this road well and I know just what the limiting
speed is for each bend. I got behind a car that was doing about 10 mph
slower than I would have liked on the straights and slowing down to a crawl
on each bend. Frustrating, but not the end of the world. Evidently he didn't
know the road as well as me. Not a problem. On one of the straights, I
overtook. Immediately he speeded up so he was right behind me, when
previously for that straightness of road he'd have been going 10 mph slower
than me (based on what he'd done up to now). Each time we came to a bend, he
slowed earlier than me and accelerated less hard coming out, so I left him
behind, but then he speeded up. I was doing 50 - the speed limit - on the
straights, so he must have been doing about 80 to catch me up that quickly.
Very odd behaviour.

After a few miles of this, he overtook me and immediately slowed right down
to about 35. Whether he thought he'd provoke me to overtake him again (and
maybe accelerate as I was overtaking me) I don't know. Perhaps he just
wanted to play leap frog ;-)

However I spoiled his little game. After enduring his 35 mph crawl for a
while, I noticed that at several junctions he'd delayed indicating until I
did, which made me wonder if he was "following" me (even though he was in
front), waiting to see which way I indicated and then doing likewise. So at
the next side-road I indicated right, as if I was going to turn, waited for
him to commit himself to turning and then went straight on. I worked out
that by the time he'd turned himself round, a long stream of oncoming cars
would prevent him pulling out. Something made me feel that I'd done the
right thing in putting as much distance between him and me, and in not
leading him right to my house.

There was definitely something odd going on, and it seemed as if I had
unwittingly offended him by quite harmlessly overtaking him where it was
safe to do so.

From: Steve Firth on 24 Jan 2010 09:13
Mortimer <me(a)privacy.net> wrote:

> There was definitely something odd going on, and it seemed as if I had
> unwittingly offended him by quite harmlessly overtaking him where it was
> safe to do so.

Lots of them about. See my previous comment about "dog in a manger"
driving.

I suspect that the individuals concerned have tiny little lady
testicles.
From: Chris Bartram on 24 Jan 2010 09:29
Steve Firth wrote:
> Zaz <zaz(a)zaz.zaz> wrote:
>
>> On some roundabouts the exit is two lanes which quickly merge into one.
>> I've noticed some drivers going straight on like to, at the roundabout,
>> use this road design to pointlessly overtake other drivers.
>
> FSVO "pointless". I used an opportunity of a two lane entry/exit
> rounddabout to pass someone last week. As we exited the roundabout the
> driver tried to accelerate to prevent the overtake (nice man) but
> fortunately the Kia Shyteep that he was driving didn't have the ability
> to pull skin off custard. Lots of headlamp flashing from the overtaken
> party.
>

[snigger]

> Prior to the overtake I had followed him at a safe distance down eight
> miles of single track road which he negotiated at a maximum of 25mph,
> braking for every corner. Despite multiple passing places the dog in a
> manger driver never thought once to pull over and let the traffic behind
> past. In fact that's getting common on country roads. If I want to
> dawdle I'm happy to pull over and let people past. However the majority
> now seems to work on a "screw you, I'm in front" attitude and it's not
> confined to drivers. Massed gangs of cyclists take to using the lanes in
> the evenings in autumn and seem to think that it is hilarious to block
> following traffic, especially farm vehicles.
>
> So umm, pointless? No, not if it gets past the mobile road block and
> also puts one in a position to more easily pass other slow traffic.
Indeed. I had the misfortune to catch up with a gang of the
inconsiderate fuckers riding 2 or 3 abreast and as long as a HGV in
Dearbyshire last year, effectively reducung the road to 25mph.

I'm an occaisional cyclist myself, and the ignorance of these twats was
amazing.
From: Ray Keattch on 24 Jan 2010 09:44
Mr. Benn wrote:
> Chris Bartram <news(a)delete-me.piglet-net.net> wrote in news:hjh82t$1ft$4
> @news.eternal-september.org:
>
>> JNugent wrote:
>>> Zaz wrote:
>>>
>>>> On some roundabouts the exit is two lanes which quickly merge into
>>>> one. I've noticed some drivers going straight on like to, at the
>>>> roundabout, use this road design to pointlessly overtake other drivers.
>>> The overtaken often regard overtaking as pointless.
>>>
>> Indeed. But if it takes you another step to getting past a dawdler...
>
> But these systems get abused when stacked traffic is queuing and people use
> them to queue-jump.

Here we go again - why should an open lane not be used?

--
MrBitsy
From: Mr. Benn on 24 Jan 2010 10:04
Ray Keattch <r.keattch5050(a)btinternet.com> wrote in
news:j8Gdnct1h7xWwcHWnZ2dnUVZ8gNi4p2d(a)giganews.com:

> Mr. Benn wrote:
>> Chris Bartram <news(a)delete-me.piglet-net.net> wrote in
>> news:hjh82t$1ft$4 @news.eternal-september.org:
>>
>>> JNugent wrote:
>>>> Zaz wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On some roundabouts the exit is two lanes which quickly merge into
>>>>> one. I've noticed some drivers going straight on like to, at the
>>>>> roundabout, use this road design to pointlessly overtake other
>>>>> drivers.
>>>> The overtaken often regard overtaking as pointless.
>>>>
>>> Indeed. But if it takes you another step to getting past a
>>> dawdler...
>>
>> But these systems get abused when stacked traffic is queuing and
>> people use them to queue-jump.
>
> Here we go again - why should an open lane not be used?

I have already retracted my comment Ray.
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