Saw Someone Purposefully Blocking Queue Jumper (s) in Heavy City Traffic. Kind of Liked It

[Deactivated] on 08/04/2018 - 00:56
Last edited 08/04/2018 - 11:42 by 1 other user

As so often happens in city traffic some sort of bend the rules and all sense of right and wrong/ethics/morals/conscience go straight out the window by… can I call the more egotistical/self-absorbed of society.

I was in traffic last week and noticed someone was very obviously blocking queue jumpers by sort of being (lagging?) in 1.5 lanes for the duration of a long stretch that came into a single lane.

I have to admit, I kind of liked it. It was sort of like forcing those who are… conscientiously challenged to wait like the rest of us. Made me wonder what other road users thoughts might be on witnessing such.

Hoping to keep it light, just curious. :O)

Automotive

Comments

      • BobLim on 09/04/2018 - 23:01

        Also it's an emergency stopping lane, not emergency driving lane…

  • Tech5 on 08/04/2018 - 22:02
    +2

    Seen this a few times. For e.g. trying to get into a shopping centre on boxing day by turning left from left lane. People queueing up for miles, but then some people drive all the way to the front, using the right lane, then change left and turn left.

  • This Guy on 09/04/2018 - 04:38
    +1

    If the left lane ends, right lane has right of way.

    This is the problem, and your solution.

    If need to feel like a hero, when someone speeds up the left lane, don't let them in when their lane ends.

    Don't risk a fine by blocking two lanes.

    • lostn on 10/04/2018 - 22:30

      In VIC it's different.

      Doesn't matter which lane you're in, if any part of your vehicle is in front of the other, you have right of way. I think this is safer and what you would naturally do anyway if the vehicle on your left is slightly ahead of you. It also keeps traffic flowing. In NSW that left lane who is merging would need to stop.

      • Gronk on 11/04/2018 - 14:34
        +2

        The Road Safety Rules 2017 tell a slightly different story under rule #148 (pg 185).

        If crossing a dotted line, the merging vehicle has to give way to any vehicles already in that lane as per Example 1.

        • lostn on 11/04/2018 - 16:00
          -1

          Hmm. Maybe it's changed since I learned to drive. It was in my learner's road rules guide. Someone merging into your lane who is in front of you, you have to let them in. On the freeway if you don't, they will never have a chance to get in, especially during peak hour where it's bumper to bumper and there is never any break in the traffic for them to successfully merge in.

          I still drive like that when merging, and no one has ever refused to let me in. The whole point of the lane tapering off is to let the car in the merging lane drive continuously.

          I'm not going to doubt you if you have a source. It's something I'll have to look into. It's really not safe to stop when merging into the freeway. I've never actually seen anyone do that. If you follow your lane right to the end, it will naturally land you in the adjacent lane.

        • This Guy on 12/04/2018 - 06:22

          @lostn:

          If both lanes end, whomever is in front has right of way.

          It is decent to let someone in even if you don't have to, but a lot of congestion would be moved forward and held on on ramps if people could learn to get up to speed, find a gap and then merge, not drive to the end of their lane, rely on basic decency to get someone at speed to brake to let them in creating a traffic jam.

  • Tony76 on 09/04/2018 - 06:53

    Does anyone here know the reason they're "queue jumping"? They may have just received a call that their loved one is ill/dying/needs urgent assistance and are rushing to get there. They may not know the road and have just discovered that the lane ends (has happened to me plenty of times. Knew that I was turning left soon so was in the left lane and bam - lane ends. Sorry!). There are plenty of reasons why people "queue jump" as you put it, but unless you know those reasons it's not up to you to police the road. Having said that, it's a free country and you can do what you want. I will end it with an anecdote that a guy at work saw a fella get his head punched in by 2 guys he did this to. Was it worth it?

    Also, if you know this road and know the lane ends/people "queue jump", then don't be in that lane. It's always going to be slower because it's volume doubles in size at the merge. Be in the right lane.

  • factor on 09/04/2018 - 07:07

    I'll block illegal queue jumping only. Use of the shoulder on M5 (Sydney) on-ramps doesn't happen when I'm around. Some of the shoulders are crazy wide, to block you need to have most of the car in the shoulder and only a little in the actual lane.

    If there are two lanes and the lane marking are still the long dashes both lanes should be used and I will use them. Use of both lanes assists more cars to get through the previous traffic light on the green. After the lane marking changes to short dashes (merge markings) I'll happily be laggy pulling fully over. By being laggy pulling fully over the traffic flows well - everyone merges at approximately the same spot and a fair 1-for-1 merge tends to result.

    I think I'm driving in a productive manner and reasonably polite. Should others disagree I'm unlikely to change! So long as my car costs less than yours, I'll provide some balance disrupting inconsiderate twats on the road.

    I also provide helpful advice to others on the road by laying on the horn. If a car bounces off lane markings twice I'll lay on the horn until they get off their mobile phone. When a car starts rolling forward into oncoming traffic I'll lay on the horn until they get off their mobile phone. I'm here to help - hopefully providing enough noise and colour before a collision not after!

  • Medrad on 09/04/2018 - 08:05
    +3

    Everyone who likes to watch justice to idiotic drivers on the road need to check out the YouTube channel of DashCam Owners Australia.

    Another is Scotts' Car Cam (I think it's called that), but he's a bit of a d*ck with his opinions as he drives NSW and not all states have the same road rules.

    Very entertaining, sometimes scary, but yeah, if you like dropping F+C-bombs then these are awesome videos to watch.

    https://www.youtube.com/user/DashCamOwnersAustral

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9-yN4rSJ2jOifV8R2unDBw

    • papachris on 10/04/2018 - 01:41

      he's a bit of a d*ck with his opinions as he drives NSW

      Please explain…

      • Medrad on 13/04/2018 - 16:17

        he's a bit of a d*ck with his opinions as he drives NSW and not all states have the same road rules.

        explained…

  • hunterhalo on 09/04/2018 - 08:19

    Queue jumper, does anybody just hate it when someone tried to force themselves in at city road and power st at southbank?

  • Larkdord on 09/04/2018 - 10:21
    +8

    I hate serial queue jumpers, however there are occasions when drivers genuinely don't realise until the last minute that the long 1 KM queue on the right lane are all waiting to turn right eventually… this happened to me a couple of times when its not the usual road you use.. Also, to some on else points on deliberately blocking someone going in an emergency lane or (similar) I would just go about my way and let them pass as you don't know what they are going through - could be anything really a genuine emergency like a sick person in the car, or sick themselves or could be a real nut case in any case you would want to stay away from, as the real difference it makes to you or them is in terms of journey time is only a few minutes.. I just take a deep breath when these happens and empathise with them and let them pass.

    • Scrooge McDuck on 09/04/2018 - 13:15

      Namaste. 🙏🕉

    • cameldownunder on 09/04/2018 - 14:18
      +2

      Baaa Baaa.
      Don't like to be taken advantage of, no mater what excuses people come up. If it's an emergency, call the ambulance.
      "time is only a few minutes." on a trip from City to Port Stephens, it could accrue to an additional 30% of time, we are talking about an hour now.

  • thord on 09/04/2018 - 10:58
    +7

    I will actively do this because people are arseholes. Though generally not in a long merge lane, because in those it makes no difference, everyone should fill up the merge lane if it's heavy traffic. I'll block people who try to skip ahead,

    example: there are random parks cars in the left lane, someone will try to very quickly get in the left lane where there aren't any parked cars, then push in ahead back in the right lane. Mega, mega shitty behaviour. If I can I'll block them. Those people are terrible

  • Lockieasy on 09/04/2018 - 11:41
    -1

    What? I zip merge at the end all the time because doing it early just adds to the congestion behind you since you're effectively adding two lanes of traffic into one (which can block the previous intersection), when the road is designed for the right lane to also be filled up to where it ends and they merge.

  • blehgg on 09/04/2018 - 13:51
    +1

    We have this in Brisbane, on Stanley St.

    Left lane = Bus Lane - and its 4 lanes merging into 1 lane….

    Then a couple of guys think their time is more precious and try to zip through the Bus lane…..

    • cameldownunder on 09/04/2018 - 14:22
      +1

      On this note, heavy traffic into the city ( I normally don't drive in, but I want to pick up friends who arrive from overseas after 24+ H hours flight, and don't want them to be ripped off by taxi drivers ) and I look at the 2 passengers lane, empty ! Man, I am tempted, but, it's the wrong thing to do, so I stay in my line. 30 seconds later I see a cop on the bike, pulling a single passenger driver to the side.

    • Levathian on 11/04/2018 - 09:19

      Is that on the inbound m3 freeway onramp?

      It gives me so much satisfaction when I take an express bus to the city in the mornings and we drive up the left lane and barge our way past all these people who have been sitting there for ages hahaha

      • blehgg on 11/04/2018 - 10:00

        yes.. ~ and I would like a couple of cops to sit there and hand out tickets for all the UTE drivers which try to squeeze through the bus lane..

        • Levathian on 11/04/2018 - 10:04

          They need to start policing the T3/bus M1 onramp at springwood too. The amount of utes I see use it is staggering,

  • roundnumbersonly on 09/04/2018 - 15:05
    +3

    I mainly see bogans or tradie utes going right to the end to merge. I just let them because i'd rather not interrupt their emergency bottle store/hungry jack's runs.

    I also find it irritating when drivers, needing to get into the correct lane, insist on edging their way into the lane by going in front of me, rather than pulling back and going behind me (especially when there's no one driving behind me). I eventually let it go, mainly because I think about all the times I drive through Sunnybank having heart palpitations and this is nothing compared to that.

  • srr on 09/04/2018 - 20:23
    +1

    Been there before - traffic in Moscow is a nightmare. I would advise everyone not to switch lanes without absolute need and not to block queue jumpers. Former because every switch causes traffic disruption and creates a waves of stop - start. Latter because it builds road rage and stress, which has no place on road.

    People you are fortunate enough to drive on roads that were designed well. Please be nice to each other and understand that the best you can do is arrive safely from A to B and allow others do the same.

    • DiscoJango on 09/04/2018 - 20:55
      +2

      unless you have a bmw x5. then you rule the road. even says so in the instruction manual.

      • OzzyOzbourne on 10/04/2018 - 10:42

        Or any kind of Jeep or Mercedes

  • frostman on 09/04/2018 - 20:55

    I was in traffic last week and noticed someone was very obviously blocking queue jumpers by sort of being (lagging?) in 1.5 lanes for the duration of a long stretch that came into a single lane

    Lag jumpers are annoying as hell, but the behaviour above calls for road rage which is far more dangerous.
    Dunno, you need to find a median

  • girlshaped on 10/04/2018 - 02:10
    +4

    Whenever someone is driving stupidly (weaving in and out of traffic, queue jumping, tailgating people going the speed limit etc.) I just imagine that they're doing it because they really need to do a shit. Gives me a laugh and I don't get annoyed at them. Highly recommend it.

    • JTTheMan on 11/04/2018 - 10:17

      I'm sure that's actually true sometimes?

      • John Kimble on 11/04/2018 - 10:56

        Probably, but wouldn't you pull over to the nearest public toilet/servo etc

  • Lucky13 on 10/04/2018 - 07:12
    +2

    IDK I like letting people in. Feels good doing something nice :)

    • Damnsmart on 10/04/2018 - 12:26
      +1

      i like that

  • wtfnodeal on 10/04/2018 - 15:16

    I love overtaking those cars line up on the mid and right lanes when left lane is totally empty. Bad manner? Maybe but still better than occupying the right lane when not overtaking.

    • mskeggs on 10/04/2018 - 15:22

      Except illegal if the speed limit is over 80km/h.

    • Kamsi on 10/04/2018 - 17:05

      Problem arises if the left lane is occupied with parked cars than you will be labeled a queue jumper.

      • wtfnodeal on 10/04/2018 - 19:26
        +1

        Quite sure the road law is to keep left and fill up the lane until you can change to right lane to overtaking the slow moving left lane cars. It doesn't make sense to be called queue jumper if left lane has no or very few cars driving at speed limit when the right lane is full of cars at like 10-20km/hr. or Am I missing something?

  • jacross on 10/04/2018 - 17:05

    I've attempted to adopt a modified version of Vietnam's 'yield and forgive' mentality.

    As for the specific scenario, I kinda think it's a conflation of so many variables and poor driving choices that if an opportunist finds a better way for themselves then good for them.

  • BoomTetrisForJeff on 10/04/2018 - 18:59

    Toorak road exit

  • field1985 on 10/04/2018 - 22:17
    +1

    This really annoying for motorcyclists, who can legally lane filter in slow traffic (in Vic, not sure about other states).

    • ademiix on 11/04/2018 - 00:44

      Pretty sure anyone trying to do this I could very easily ride around.

    • Levathian on 11/04/2018 - 09:21

      I find it more annoying when cyclists ride past all the traffic to the front at an intersection and then either A. cross with the pedestrians or B. sit in the left lane and make everyone overtake them again…

  • Vert93 on 10/04/2018 - 22:35

    I block them :) They can wait like everyone else, selfish (profanity)

    • JTTheMan on 11/04/2018 - 10:11
      -3

      Almost as selfish as you!

  • Mumbles on 11/04/2018 - 07:19
    +1

    I don't mind and actually prefer faster drivers to overtake my vehicle. From a safety perspective I would prefer the impatient drivers to be as far away from me so less chance of being tailgated or colliding into my rear. We will all see each other stopped at the next traffic light anyway.

    I'm reminded of the old commercials, "The road is for sharing". There's an infinite number of drivers, vehicles and driving styles that can slow my journey. Eg:
    - giving way to turning buses.
    - trucks taking two lanes on a roundabout.
    - cyclists on the road.
    - slow drivers in the middle lane.
    - stopped cars waiting to turn right.
    - a parked car trying to enter traffic.
    - motorcycles splitting lanes.
    - etc.

    As long as the other driver is legal and safe I accept it. A few faster drivers is nothing in the scheme of things. Besides, a little drama + excitement keeps me alert and on my toes.

  • JTTheMan on 11/04/2018 - 10:10
    -2

    I can't be bothered reading every comment so hopefully I'm not repeating something but..

    essentially 2 wrongs do not make a right and you can't act as the policeman on the road controlling other bad drivers behaviour.

    The road is there to be shared not hogged by some righteous person thinking they are better than everyone else.

    • John Kimble on 11/04/2018 - 10:59
      +3

      But the people who think they are better than everyone else are the queue jumpers in the first place…

      • JTTheMan on 11/04/2018 - 11:32
        +2

        The problem is everyone thinks they're better than everyone else, even the people blocking the queue jumpers.
        By definition they must think they are better than the queue jumper to go out of their way to block them!

        • John Kimble on 11/04/2018 - 11:46
          +4

          I agree with your comment two wrongs don't make a right in general, but my argument is the first wrong is from the queue jumper, so why are you focusing on what happens after? I feel anything after that is almost irrelevant.

          What do you mean "by definition"? Personally I don't feel like I'm better than anyone else in these situations, it's the exact opposite. Everyone is equal, so should not be queue jumping! I will call out a person if what they are doing is unfair, which is what "blocking" queue jumpers is trying to do. As a society isn't it one's duty to try and discourage poor behaviour where possible? Or do you just let people get away with things?

          It's the same if you were queuing anything, e.g. a bus or check out. If someone pushed in, you would say something to them, right? It's not fair to you or the other people queuing that a person pushes in. You can't really say something in a car situation, so that's why some people resort to "blocking".

          The concepts of fairness, first come first serve, queuing is pretty basic and taught to toddlers. It's not that hard.

          Let's agree to disagree I suppose.

        • JTTheMan on 11/04/2018 - 13:05
          +1

          @John Kimble: Yes we can agree to disagree but the whole point of this thread was to ask the question "is it OK to deliberately block a queue jumper?" so that kind of makes the discussion different than if someone is cutting in line at a queue for instance.
          The difference with being in a car on the road is it's a much more dangerous environment and there are road rules to protect all road users.
          Yes jumping the queue in traffic is against the road rules and potentially dangerous but also deliberately closing them in could be deemed equally against the road rules and dangerous?

          The road is a dangerous place and the rules are designed for drivers to share the road safely. I just think safety goes out the window (sometimes literally!) when drivers think they can police other drivers.

        • John Kimble on 11/04/2018 - 16:04
          +1

          @JTTheMan: Some valid points.

  • Gronk on 11/04/2018 - 14:16
    +2

    I saw this type of thing only a couple of months ago where a 4WD moved into the RHS lane to block a queue jumper as we were approaching roadworks.

    The driver behind them started to tailgate but backed off pretty quickly when the 4WD started flashing red and blues, didn't get pulled over though.

  • OhNoUShiz on 11/04/2018 - 17:07

    I don't want be get beaten up so I will usually let anyone to cut my queue :(

  • pezza on 11/04/2018 - 23:41

    This is a tactic most Los Angeles drivers use, I was somewhat shocked because I was merging into the traffic but had to cut almost directly into traffic because of a car blocking anyone wanting to merge further up the lane, unsafe but playing by they're rules. Not seen it anywhere else around the world..

  • lonewolf on 16/04/2018 - 14:42
    +2

    I think there is a lot of misconception here on lanes and queue jumping. I completely agree that queue jumping is wrong and i hate seeing it, this is done by people who are trying to get ahead by doing things illegaly like driving on breakdown lanes or merging after the lane has already ended or being on a lane that is going in one direction to get ahead of a lane that is queued up and going to turn off and then last minute trying to force themselves into that lane etc.

    BUT there is one thing i learnt a few years ago in the process of being afraid to call a queue jumper and so not using the merging lanes properly, i was informed by a driver behind me and he was right. When one lane ends and is merging, there is usually a lot of thought put into this i.e a lot of times it is done after a traffic light etc or after a exit / entrance to another freeway or road system. Now people should really try to use both lanes as in the lane that is about to end and is merging as well as the lane that is still going to continue on. Reason being, this is designed to get as many cars past the traffic light or previous road. This actually over time eases traffic as you end up getting quite a few extra cars past a choke point as opposed to if you didnt use the merging lane / lane that is about to end.

    I dont see why people dont understand this crucial part and i still see a lot of people getting agro over it on the roads or trying to block 2 lanes etc. Thing is, i have no problem if people in the main lane came in front of me onto the merging lane and went to the end of the merging lane before coming back in. I dont want to get ahead of anyone else because i dont think my time is any more important than theirs. Same time, i hate seeing all these cars piled up on one lane and no-one on the merging lane and we are all stuck behind the lights… Basically for every set of lights if the merging lane has another 100m of road or so, that is quite a few extra cars we get across those lights and over time that actually will end up being a big difference.

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