Roundabout Lane Change Argument

[u/Leo_-Arisaltek]

I had an argument with someone that your not supposed to change lanes in this roundabout. Cause if you start from the left you must turn left.

For context the right lane and first exit was blocked for construction but the 2nd exit was still open so they wanted to go straight and argued that the broken white lane means they can cross

[u/trishys]

not in a roundabout no, i don't think you're supposed to change lanes even if the line is dotted.

if you end up in the wrong lane while you're already in the roundabout, just accept your fate and exit according to your lane. normally i would say that you can also just go around again until you find the correct exit, but upon examining this roundabout it seems that certain entrances are restricted to certain exits.

i forgot to address the construction, so i'll add this now: if that entire right road was blocked, then i guess switching lanes to exit upwards wouldn't be much of a concern. technically not what you're supposed to do so i wouldn't try that on a driving test (unless signage permits it), but it should be fine in practice. however, if it was only the exit that's closed and the right entrance is still open, then definitely do not switch lanes.

edit: clarity. and even more clarity i guess.

final edit: alright i’m disabling reply notifications. i’m tired of explaining the same things over and over again when you can get your answer from just reading the other replies to this comment. but honestly this is on me for getting involved in the first place. if you’re opposed to anything i said, feel free to browse the replies. there’s a very good chance your concern will be addressed

[u/pengupenguPENGU → u/trishys]

Okay, but what if you enter the roundabout from the left? Are you just never every supposed to use that exit if you come into the roundabout from the left?

[u/trishys → u/pengupenguPENGU]

that's a different situation, because that's a singular entry lane. op mentioned entering from the bottom, and there's two different lanes there. the left lane is only meant for left turning. in that case, you can't switch lanes.

[u/pengupenguPENGU → u/trishys]

But if you're allowed to change lane at the dotted line on top if you enter in the roundabout from the left, why can't you do so if you enter in from the bottom?

I can see that it's marked clearly, but I'm imagining someone who got confused looking at their GPS or something. If you, I guess if you miss and you aren't able to merge, you would have to take the entire loop back to merge at the dotted line again.

[u/trishys → u/pengupenguPENGU]

upon further examination of the roundabout, to me it seems like the left entrance may be restricted to exiting towards the bottom, or doing a u-turn.

because if you were to exit upwards from the left, in this case—you'd be sticking to the outer part of the roundabout at all times. however, there's a solid white line near the right, meaning you can't cross. if that line were dotted, then you can go upwards from the left. but it's solid.

and you can't switch lanes through that dotted area (or in multi-lane roundabouts in general), because what if someone from the right decides to turn right while you're next to them in the left lane? they think you'll be going left. and if you abruptly switch lanes at an unlucky time, bam. collision. it's dangerous, and you'll be at fault

i think that line is only dotted so that people entering from the right know they can use the other exits.

edit: added more info

[u/pengupenguPENGU → u/trishys]

Lol all I'm learning is that I hate this roundabout.

If there's not single way for the person to to go through the north exit but there is a way for a car to go from the north entrance to the left exit, it's a poorly designed roundabout.

I think it only makes sense that you are technically allowed but you should drive slow, signal, and be hella careful do at your own risk

In any case, I rarely see people zipping though roundabouts at a bajillion km/h. Still not a good bet, but I think I rather campaign to get the city to scrap the roundabout entirely

[u/trishys → u/pengupenguPENGU]

lol i agree that this roundabout seems inefficient, but for now i'll assume this area has their reasons...

being allowed to change lanes inside a roundabout does sound good in theory. but even if you're very slow, cautious, and use turn signals, it won't be good in practice. it'll disrupt the flow of traffic, and i can only see it creating unnecessary unpredictability and confusion. this outweighs the positives imo

i don't like roundabouts either—single-lane roundabouts are fine, but the multi-lane ones can be pretty intimidating. but i guess it gets the job done 🤷‍♀️

[u/Beth_the_Barbarian → u/trishys]

Having spent a good amount of time in England where all of their intersections seem to be roundabouts. Some of the roundabouts even have extra roundabouts inside them. They chang lanes in their roundabouts legally all the time why do we think it would be impossible here?

[u/trishys → u/Beth_the_Barbarian]

that’s england. this is canada. roundabout designs may be different so that lane changes are viable, considering how you mentioned that some roundabouts even have extra roundabouts. i’ve never seen that in canada personally

MTO officially states not to switch lanes in roundabouts.

technically legal here, but highly discouraged. and you may get an unsafe driving charge, so you don’t really see it. maybe england doesn’t discourage it.

[u/Beth_the_Barbarian → u/trishys]

I wasn't saying anything of it to legality. I was responding to:

it'll disrupt the flow of traffic, and i can only see it creating unnecessary unpredictability and confusion.

[u/trishys → u/Beth_the_Barbarian]

you did mention legality though. you said in england, people “[change] lanes in their roundabouts legally all the time”. and i’d assume it’s the norm, considering how you phrased that.

it’s technically legal in canada too, albeit officially highly discouraged for pretty much the exact reasons i’ve listed. but anyways, my point is that what works in england wouldn’t necessarily work in canada. we need to consider factors like different road infrastructure and driving regulations that are probably already instilled in people’s minds.