Are The Lane Markings Poorly Designed?

Lpeter-2025 on 15/01/2021 - 14:54
Last edited 15/01/2021 - 15:07 by 1 other user

G'day braintrust!

Can you please check out this dashcam video and tell me if the lane markings are fine or could be improved?

I admit - I've done a mistake and changed a lane while crossing the intersection. I do apologise to the driver in silver Hyundai :-(

I guess it was mostly because I simply followed the car ahead of me instead of reading lane markings. On the last moment, I corrected my direction & we didn't collide.

What I want to get a feedback on is: Do you think the lane markings are fine? Slightly confusing? Very confusing? Should I report this somewhere?

Location: Pacific Hwy - northbound. Turramurra, NSW (near Kissing Point Rd turn)

Poll Options

  • 24
    Don't report it. It's fine. Just pay better attention.
  • 33
    Report it, it's slightly confusing.
  • 8
    Report it, it's more than slightly confusing!
Automotive

Comments

  • FlipCrank on 15/01/2021 - 15:05
    +1

    Depends what fine means. Ideally, no its crap. But its better than some lanes that have absolutely no guidance at the front and just randomly split/merge/change direction.

  • Headless on 15/01/2021 - 15:06
    +2

    Depends what state you are in, I found that WA needs more signs, NSW needs less signs, and victoria pretty good.

    Paint markings are often faided and not replaced until completely disappeared - the only way to fix it is to report it, so they know to fix it

  • Seraphin7 on 15/01/2021 - 15:11
    +3

    The markings are not the best and the road design at that intersection is horrible, but as you say, I suspect this was more inattention than anything. You were in the leftmost continuing lane of traffic and therefore should have ended up in the left lane on the other side.

  • Smulder on 15/01/2021 - 15:20
    +4

    This whole section of road is confusingly marked, due to the lanes having a variable tidal flow configurations at different times of the day.

    The section just before this is much worse.

    Drivers merge and swerve in and out of lanes all the time, confused about where to go, just like the car ahead of you.

    That being said, the left most lane is clearly marked as left turn only. You are therefore in the leftmost continuing lane , and should drive into the leftmost lane after the intersection.

    • peter-2025 on 15/01/2021 - 15:23
      +1

      Yeah, I guess I should have realised the leftmost lane basically ends.

      I guess I messed up by following the car ahead of me and since the car was changing lanes without indicating (and I couldn't really see the lane markings on the opposite side), I just didn't realise I'm also changing lanes…

      • Smulder on 15/01/2021 - 15:28

        You are certainly not the first to make the mistake, and unfortunately won't be the last!

      • Ghost47 on 18/01/2021 - 16:18

        Honest mistake IMO and nothing to beat yourself up over. At least you didn't get into an accident so that's a good thing to consider.

  • skid on 15/01/2021 - 15:24
    +1

    I have many complaints about that section of Pacific Hwy mostly around those temporary orange plastic dividers. In this instance, there are 3 lanes going to 3 lanes which is simple enough. Your mistake was to follow that fool Dalla. Did the Hyundai beep you?

    • peter-2025 on 15/01/2021 - 15:27

      I noticed Hyundai was very close and I actually beeped him 🤦. I feel stupid and realised very shortly after that I was the one who made the mistake.

      From my vantage point, I didn't see there were only 3 lanes. Basically I saw 3 cars ahead of me, all going & I followed the one on the left without realising they changed the lane in the middle of the intersection without indicating :(

  • [Deactivated] on 15/01/2021 - 15:34
    -4

    @OP / Peter

    I just watched the video and have traveled up and down that road many times

    Based on the video you should of gone straight and stayed in that lane , for some reason you sharply dipped left and merged into the left lane , had a car been in your left lane there you would of had big problems especially considering at that intersection where the recording starts it does not specify "left lane must turn right". if it was someone with a faster car or about the same amount of reaction time as yourself you would of hit into them.

    It is a 3 lane road that turns into 2 lanes just up ahead.

    Re-watch your video and pay particular attention to where the white car directly in front of you goes , that is exactly what you should have done.

    Also the driver in the hyundai was a (profanity) as you can see the split moment you dipped left he has sped past you whilst you were still in your lane (middle)

    Interesting car by the way , looks like the old batmobile haha. what is it?

    • Smulder on 15/01/2021 - 15:42
      +1

      The left lane is left turn only. It is clearly marked as such just before the OPs video starts.

      • [Deactivated] on 15/01/2021 - 15:43

        Where is the sign that says left lane must turn left?

    • peter-2025 on 15/01/2021 - 15:46
      +1

      I sharply dipped left to avoid a collision with the silver Hyundai which few seconds later then got ahead of me.

      It actually is "left lane must turn right" (https://ibb.co/Cb7mMYg).

      I currently understand the situation like this: It's 3 lane into 3 lanes & the car ahead of me changed their lane in the intersection (which is illegal - probably even also for this reason) and I blindly followed and therefore also illegally changed the lane…

      Hehe, batmobile :)) It's Porsche 911 (MY2009)

      • [Deactivated] on 15/01/2021 - 15:48

        ok thats fine , i stand corrected then. i was going off the footage that was provided but now that you have posted the screenshot that makes sense.

        you were still right to stay in your current line and you did not have to change to the left lane if you did not have to.

        all good , you didn't have an accident and thats all that matters.

        nice car.

  • RetroGameNerd on 15/01/2021 - 15:41
    +3

    I've made the same mistake at these light

  • Crosscade on 15/01/2021 - 17:07
    +2

    It's not the worst alignment in the world, but if you continue straight without turning through the intersection it does direct you to the correct lane.

    https://imgur.com/a/0I2m9o9

    I would suggest that RMS/TfNSW would be aware of this issue, but without considerable changes to the road alignment or removing one of the lanes its not going to be improved.

    • peter-2025 on 15/01/2021 - 17:22

      Thanks for the satellite image; what's the source? Google Maps has a bit worse resolution in this case.

    • Ghost47 on 18/01/2021 - 16:13

      There's something really weird about that picture I just can't put my finger on. Maybe it's the fact that 5 lanes turn into 6 lanes on the other side. I think there needs to be another dotted line where you've drawn your line, or change the left lane only into a left and straight ahead lane.

    • Hellcrusher3304 on 18/01/2021 - 16:27

      I reckon making both sides a 3 lane road would significantly reduce confusion. As for the very left lane, just make that a "turn left or go straight" lane. That's how QLD roads are usually designed.

  • wittyusername on 15/01/2021 - 17:15
    +2

    I thought this was about changing into the left lane before the lane markings began. I think it's pretty poor design, especially if someone is in an unfamiliar area etc.

  • Hellcrusher3304 on 15/01/2021 - 17:28
    +3

    I've only driven in QLD in my few years of driving, but I've never seen a situation like this.

    IMO, this lane marking is very confusing and I would've done the same as the Merc and went straight. I didn't even know there's a rule that if I'm on the left most continuing lane (but not the very left lane), that I must move to the left most lane once I cross the intersection even though there's no lane markings indicating that my lane has shifted to the left.

    Thanks for the post, I've learnt something new!

    • Ghost47 on 18/01/2021 - 15:57

      NSW roads are horrible in general. People in NSW don't realise it because they're used to it.

  • hasher22 on 16/01/2021 - 00:59
    +2

    100% poor design. The merc in front of you thought the same and I would think the same too. You know… cause it's… STRAIGHT AHEAD.

    I would tell RMS for sure, this is just really poor markings.

    I've also had this happen to me on somewhere on Epping Rd near Macquarie Park.

  • Lexan on 16/01/2021 - 09:47

    LEFT LANE MUST TURN LEFT

    1356 A1
    https://maps.app.goo.gl/V8yXGz3REGWQCnZn8

    A 2nd Left lane turn sign must be added to underneath of the traffic light to warn left lane drivers especially during red lights.

  • [Deactivated] on 16/01/2021 - 13:52
    +2

    This is shit design. Basically, if it's easy for someone to make a mistake like you did (and as a good driver, motorcyclist, and cyclist of reasonable experience… I would likely have done the same at my first time through these lights) it's bad design at fault more than the driver.

    Simple fix would be to mark on the road the left turning lane and mark your lane over to the left in front of it.

  • Ghost47 on 18/01/2021 - 16:02
    +1

    Like most roads in Sydney this is pretty horribly designed. I don't understand why roads in Sydney are so terribly designed.

    Doesn't help the idiot in the Merc didn't indicate when changing lanes either, which should be illegal if it isn't. The lane markings don't seem to align to the other side of the road. If it's a left turning lane there should be a left turn sign on the road indicating it's left turn only (as signs could be missed edit: turns out there is one further back, usually they're closer to the solid line).

    So many things wrong about this video, sad thing is that I could tell this road would be in Sydney by just seeing the thread title lol.

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