A simple way to improve traffic flow on motorways
This week I have spent far too many hours on the western stretch of the M25. This is a really busy section as the M40, M4 and M3 all intersect here. The traffic has been pretty bad – on Thursday the M25 was closed due to an accident. During the week I had the opportunity to observe the other drivers habits and behaviours.
I saw 100s of drivers who were driving in the middle lanes when lane 1 (nearside) was empty. The impact was that traffic backed up behind them as everyone now had to overtake in lane 3 or 4 (or 5 or 6 depending on which section we were travelling on). This behaviour is extremely common when travelling clockwise between Junction 16 (M40) and Junction 19 (A41).
I’m sure that these “middle lane hoggers” are not malicious – they aren’t disobeying the highway code on purpose. They are just taking the easy option and driving up the middle of the carriageway, without a care in the world.
So the purpose of this brief blog entry is simple: to ask everyone to Keep Left Unless Overtaking. I am sure that traffic would flow far better on our motorways if people followed this advice.
(I found a website dedicated to this cause – unfortunately it doesn’t appear to be in a good state of repair: middlelanemorons.com)
I notice the same thing all day long. the problem is that people see a lorry on the inside 500 yards furhter up, and think ‘I will have to pull out, so I may aswell stay out’.
I dont think there is any way round this.
when I do go back onto the inisde, I feel like a yoyo, bouncing in and out of the inside lane, and this makes the journey unconmfortable, so even I like to stay in the middle.
No suggestions to make it better!
Allow overtaking on the left. Sure it has its own problems but then anyone wanting to drive in the middle lane will have extra responsibilities for their own (and others) safety.