Quote:
Originally Posted by macafee2
See Highway Code rule 266
You are on a motorway. You are 1 mile from a junction. The road sign shows lane one goes off, lane 2 and 3 carry on. The white lines between lane 1 and 2 do not change.
When does lane 1 become a slip lane?
At the mile marker?
When the white lines between 1 and 2 change?
At what point should you change to lane 2? At the mile marker or some safe point before the white lines change, bear in mind moving to lane 2 if lane 1 is not a slip lane may impede traffic as some vehicles cannot move to lane 3 to overtake and if they undertake could be done for due care and attention or something like that. Lane 1 and 2 may now bunch.
For me, moving to lane 2 is condition dependent. Light traffic and easy to move to lane 2 wait until close to where white lines change. If heavy traffic and risk I may struggle to get to lane 2, move "early"
macafee2
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There is no requirement to move to lane 2 from lane 1 when passing a slip road, it is the driver joining the motorways responsibility to give when to existing traffic in lane one, NOT the responsibility of the driver in lane 1 to give way.
Rule 259
Joining the motorway. When you join the motorway you will normally approach it from a road on the left (a slip road) or from an adjoining motorway. You should
- give priority to traffic already on the motorway
- check the traffic on the motorway and match your speed to fit safely into the traffic flow in the left-hand lane
- not cross solid white lines that separate lanes or use the hard shoulder
- stay on the slip road if it continues as an extra lane on the motorway
- remain in the left-hand lane long enough to adjust to the speed of traffic before considering overtaking.
Just reread your original post.... lane 1 becomes the slip road at the point that the lane dividers change, usually getting thicker and closer together.
When coming off the motorway where lane 1 does become the slip road, I've come across this on the M6 & A38 locally
Example of the road marking changing 1/2 mile from Junction 4A M5
