Lane change etiquette

[Nhyone]

So I decided to be cheap and not pay $1 ($0.50 x 2) for going past Orchard road from Wheelock Place to Sunshine Plaza. (It was Saturday and I was on a bike.) No problem, I'll just take a detour through Grange road to Irwell road, then River Valley road, and I'll hit Hill street and finally Middle Street. I wouldn't do this if I were driving, but I was riding and the bike's FC is good (38 km/l).

 

I never expected to encounter two incidents in the detour.

 

There are 4 lanes turning from Grange road to Irwell road. I was the first vehicle on the third lane. There was a Wish on the second lane. We moved off together when the light turned green. The Wish was somewhat in front of me, but it didn't pick up speed. Didn't seem right. When you're riding, you tend to pay attention to little things like this. Right after we completed the right turn in our own lanes, the Wish turned immediately into my lane. No signal. Know the distance where you usually stop behind a car at a traffic light? It's that close.

 

I was in a shock. By the time I thought to honk him, the matter had already past. Nevermind, live and let live.

 

So now I continued my journey on River Valley road. There's a junction where the 3-lane road merged into 2 lanes after the traffic light. So, first off again. Cleared the traffic lights and since it's a merging lane, I checked my mirror. Hmm, what's this? A black car seemed to be accelerating behind me very quickly. I was on the right side of the merging lane and quickly approaching its end. "There isn't going to be enough space to overtake me, is he still going to overtake me?", I wondered. The car still didn't relent. It kept accelerating and finally overtook me on my left at the very end, forcing me to take evasive actions. I could kick his door, if you want to know how close he was.

 

A black BMW. I remembered the honk this time.

Edited September 16, 2007 by nhyone

[Turbonetics]

there should be only one ERP in operation from wheelock to sunshine plaza on saturday.

only the one at Orchard is ON but the one outside plaza singapura is not in operation.

correct me if iam wrong.

[Passion]

it is in operation if i'm not wrong.

[Jayq]

Lol but the problem here is not on the ERP it's about the lane changing etiquette.

[Rncw]

i feel that cars don't normally give way to motorbike and motorbike likes to 'hide' at the blind spot of the car in front.

 

many cars when turning left or right doesn't use their signals

taxis when lane change also no signal

mrt train when changing track also no signal, but at least they announce inside the train.

airplane when engine trouble, cannot put on hazard lights, and stop at a side.

 

so for a car, they have all those signal lights to tell the whole world of their intentions on the road, why the heck they dun use them?

Edited September 17, 2007 by Rncw

[Nhyone]

It's not that bikes like to hide in the car's blindspot, it just end up that way. For bikes that spilt lane (squeeze between the cars), if they encounter a car they cannot pass through, guess where they will end up? That's right, just behind the car, in the driver's blindspot.

 

I don't expect every driver to signal. You can guess their actions from how the car is moving. I'm on the conservative side -- better this than guess wrongly!

 

And now I remembered another incident last week. A 3 lane right turn into a 4 lane road. I'm always stressed when I'm the first vehicle. By right if you're on the rightmost lane (lane 1), you're supposed to turn to the rightmost lane too. So lane 1 to lane 1, lane 2 to lane 2. Not everyone follows that. Some people think that the leftmost lane should turn to the leftmost lane: lane 3 to lane 4, lane 2 to lane 3.

 

So, I was on lane 2. I turned into lane 2. A car was on lane 1. It moved off faster than me and turned into lane 2. Not that first time it happened to me, but it was still very stressful.

[Rncw]

yesterday i was having my driving revision, and at a junction, i was on a right most turning lane, and there's this wish on my left. the wish also tried to cut into my lane while turning (bully L plate), but i sped up abit and prevent him from doing so. right after turning, i full accelerated the civic and go well in front of him and changed to his lane. i think he never expected L plate can speed also.

[Mcff_1980]

so what is the point of this post?

that you lost in the "merging lane race" ? and kpkb in forum?

[Turbonetics]

it is in operation if i'm not wrong.

 

CBD area do not charge ERP on saturday.

but iam sure if you are heading towards orchard via CBD,there will have charges going to orchard.

it don't make sense why i go from orchard to CBD have to charge ERP.

[Turbonetics]

Lol but the problem here is not on the ERP it's about the lane changing etiquette.

i was thinking if there is only one charges from wheelock to sunshine plaza,he might have taken the route by paying only 1 ERP gantry from orchard and he will not met those drivers and this thread will not exist.

[Mzrmazda3]

Bro, i would say that some people drive as if the whole road belong to his Lau Peh one, ignoring the safety of the rest of the motorists

[Lexxmexx]

After having experienced drving in US, I feel that our local drivers are really buay gan. Driving there was really a breeze whether I was on the freeway or on street roads.

 

Most people will signal all the time when changing lanes or turning, so far only came across one car who did not signal, I noticed that the driver was an Asian (Singaporean?) when we stopped at a traffic junction. And the best thing is that they will slow down for me when I signal to change lane (all the time), not like those idiots who will speed up to block instead. They will also wave thanks when I gave way to them. Not trying to brag, but I also do these on our roads but it seems like courtesy doesn't begin with me here

 

Why can't our people learn more social grace?

[Odyssey02]

Its just the Singaporean culture.

[Irene]

This happens everyday on the road wat. Etiquette? what etiq u talking abt on the road? maybe the char kway tiao man in his BMW would not know. He only know that can cut lane just cut.

[Nohnemwan]

It's not that bikes like to hide in the car's blindspot, it just end up that way. For bikes that spilt lane (squeeze between the cars), if they encounter a car they cannot pass through, guess where they will end up? That's right, just behind the car, in the driver's blindspot.

 

I also have a Class 2 licence. But I drive more than I ride.

 

So, at which point do you realise that you cannot squeeze between 2 cars and come out in front of them? BEFORE you start to squeeze, or DURING your squeezing?

 

Is your spatial judgment so poor that you must try first then realise "Oops no space"?

 

There should be really NO EXCUSE to say that "oh, cannot squeeze through completely, so LL stay in the blind spot".

 

Hopefully you take these incidents as a learning experience and realise that car drivers simply bohchup you fellas who like to hide in their blindspot.

[Nhyone]

So, at which point do you realise that you cannot squeeze between 2 cars and come out in front of them? BEFORE you start to squeeze, or DURING your squeezing?

 

Is your spatial judgment so poor that you must try first then realise "Oops no space"?

 

There should be really NO EXCUSE to say that "oh, cannot squeeze through completely, so LL stay in the blind spot".

 

Well, this was my observation, which I believe made sense. Suppose a bike is squeezing, there will come a time he can't squeeze. He'll wait until he can do so, then he does it. At that time, he's in the blindspot. Most bikes do not move into the lane, cos (i) they will continue their squeezing in, say, within 5 seconds, (ii) there is often no space for them to enter anyway.

 

For me, I ride mostly (99.9%) in the middle of the lane. I remembered in a bike theory lesson, the instructor highlighted the theory book that bikes should stay in the middle of the lane even in traffic jams. Everyone laughed. I did not. (I'm not a very humorous person when it comes to safety.)

[Magiya]

i will not squeeze through unless at redlight

[Magiya]

singapore roads are really scary nowadays