UK Roads Thread

[vdeane]

I know what you mean, but I wouldn't necessarily describe it as fear. Compared to the UK (and what I understand of other countries internationally as well), it seems more like a lack of adaptability. US drivers seem very limited in their ability to adapt to different situations and in fact often seem to take offense to others adapting. And like you mentioned, there even seems to be a tendency to panic when anything doesn't go exactly as expected which probably stems from our unique combo of higher road standards (creating higher expectations) and less driver training.

I mean, it sure feels like fear when people hesitate all the time when driving.  It's to the point where I am that merging onto an expressway at 40 mph is the norm.

[Rothman]

I know what you mean, but I wouldn't necessarily describe it as fear. Compared to the UK (and what I understand of other countries internationally as well), it seems more like a lack of adaptability. US drivers seem very limited in their ability to adapt to different situations and in fact often seem to take offense to others adapting. And like you mentioned, there even seems to be a tendency to panic when anything doesn't go exactly as expected which probably stems from our unique combo of higher road standards (creating higher expectations) and less driver training.

I mean, it sure feels like fear when people hesitate all the time when driving.  It's to the point where I am that merging onto an expressway at 40 mph is the norm.

Man, someone was trying to merge from I-80 EB to I-81 NB in front of me at around that speed yesterday night.  Then, they weren't watching when they were merging over.

I'd imagine the UK is less car-centric than the US, though?  Wonder if that cuts down the number of people behind the wheel that would rather not be there.

[kphoger]

US drivers seem very limited in their ability to adapt to different situations and in fact often seem to take offense to others adapting.

This is maybe the biggest difference in driving behavior that I've noticed between the USA and Mexico too.  Drivers can do some pretty boneheaded and/or reckless stuff on the road down there, but nobody seems to get offended the way American drivers do at comparatively minor things.

[webny99]

US drivers seem very limited in their ability to adapt to different situations and in fact often seem to take offense to others adapting.

This is maybe the biggest difference in driving behavior that I've noticed between the USA and Mexico too.  Drivers can do some pretty boneheaded and/or reckless stuff on the road down there, but nobody seems to get offended the way American drivers do at comparatively minor things.

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more it seems like every negative interaction I've ever been involved in while driving stems from either me reacting to another driver's lack of adaptability or another driver taking offense to my adaptability. I really can't think of any exceptions, where I've been the less adaptable driver.

And yet... I'd probably still be considered highly inflexible in UK/Europe/Mexico.

[english si]

Traffic signals have a short amber phase before turning green so you can already be accelerating by the time it turns green. This basically validates what I already often do.

It's Red+Amber. Amber on its own is just before it turns red.

Passing zone rules are confusing. A surprising amount of two lane roads have legal passing zones, even ones with frequent curves that would be double yellow solid in the US.

We have the assumption that legal ≠ safe and let drivers use their own judgement. See also our speed limits (though many councils have sought to undermine that).

In the London area, an awesome public transit network is countered by a lack of urban highways, so it's still very congested on balance.

Smeed's Law (from 1949) states that average road vehicle speeds in Central London will always be roughly 9mph - he had considerable data from the past that showed that it had stayed the same as car usage rose and other uses (including horse-drawn carriages) fell, and all the data since has shown the same - whether they do road construction (eg the late 50s/early 60s widening of the Euston Road, conversion of part of the Kingsway tram subway into the Aldwych tunnel to bypass the large gyratory they were adding, those large one-way systems designed to boost capacity and ease flows, etc) or road diets (eg the replacement of one carriageway of The Embankment with improved active travel, the removal of cars from Oxford Street, removing the one-way systems and gyratories, pedestrianisation of certain roads (or at least the cul-de-sacing of them for cars), etc) it's stayed true.

Similar is true for further out - congestion is self-regulating and London is over-saturated with demand.

Gaps in the motorway network. Outside the London area, east-west connectivity is particularly lacking.

It's not really any better or worse in the London area than the rest of the country. It's also a bit better nationwide if you consider the high quality dual carriageways like the A14, A55 or A66. It also doesn't help that the northern half of England is split in two by a mountain range.

Lack of route number shields on signage – most signs are text-only.

And the road numbers are generally among that text, separate (even a different font on motorways). Sure we don't use shields (though we may have patches of a different colour for a road number on signs), but we sign road numbers the vast majority of the time.

The route hierarchy is also more complex than simple tiered system in the US.

There's a simple tier system in the US?

And in the UK we use different colour direction signs for the more important roads (blue for motorways, green for primary), rather than everything being green like the US.

No yellow lane separators for two-way traffic!? Lane separators are white for both one way and two way roads – and they're often dashed (meaning passing is allowed) so you basically just have to know if there's oncoming traffic or not. I had never thought about it before, but it was a surprising adjustment - confusing at best and dangerous at worst.

They are different dashes for direction separation and lane separation and there's usually lots of clues (signs, behaviour of other vehicles, typically that there's another carriageway not very far away...) beyond that as to whether you are on a one-way carriageway/road or a two-way one. Be aware, and be adaptable - 'tis the British way of driving.

Bone up on the rules before driving in a foreign land (be aware). Don't go panicking as there's no yellow lines in the middle of the road in a country that only uses them kerbside to denote parking restrictions (be adaptable). . But if in doubt, just don't move over into the right-hand lane and you will be fine.

[ElishaGOtis]

We have the assumption that legal ≠ safe and let drivers use their own judgement. See also our speed limits (though many councils have sought to undermine that).

Motorways have entered the chat.