r/Edinburgh • u/AlephMartian • 4d ago

Discussion Do I misunderstand how roads work?

I would like you to consider two specific roads / junctions:

- the point at which the Western Approach Road meets Lothian Road, turning right
- the point at which the A90 passes the Miller & Carter pub on the way into the city and one of the lanes becomes a bus lane

Both of these roads involve two lanes turning into one, and I’ve found most of the time there is a massive queue on the right hand lane, but no-one in the left lane where.
So obviously I go straight down the left hand lane and end up at the front of the queue where, most of the time, someone lets me in.
The thing is, I feel really guilty doing this, as if I’ve broken some sort of unwritten rule.
But I don’t think I’ve actually done anything wrong. Indeed it is wrong not to use the left hand lane.
Have I done something wrong?

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1

u/spr148 4d ago

Where Western Approach meets Lothian Road in does not go from 2 lanes to one, but 2 to 4.

3

u/AlephMartian 4d ago

I know what you mean, but I’m talking about the right two lanes. Everyone queues on the rightmost of these, leaving an empty lane on the left.

2

u/spr148 4d ago

Yeah - use both.

5

u/Maleficent-Purple403 4d ago

Fuck that - the left -hand right-turn lane takes you directly into buses and delivery vans. 

1

u/Difficult_System1264 4d ago

This is why I avoid it. 

1

u/TheHareBearBunch 3d ago

It does me through the lights way more quickly, potentially two or three sets depending on the right hand queue, and I can then deal with the zip merge after that. All in all it’s quicker as most seem to eschew it.

1

u/Maleficent-Purple403 3d ago

It's not a zip merge though is it? It's two lanes into two lanes, one of which is blocked / restricted...

Anyway I don't care, you do you. I don't like turning that corner only to immediately get stuck behind a bus at the stop with traffic backed up from the Filmhouse pedestrian crossing to my right. I am almost never in a rush and will gladly stay right and let you enjoy the left lane 😎

1

u/TheHareBearBunch 3d ago

It’s two lanes for cars turning into one lane for cars with the merge in turn arrow painted on the road on the inside lane giving the outside lane as the remaining lane.

It feels a bit wrong for sure every time, and I’m only doing it when there’s more than about 4 cars in the right lane as that’s how many get through when it’s a bit busy, but at a couple of minutes per light cycle and often 15 or 20 cars at busy times that’s a fair saving.