S3 Suicide lane

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michael769
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by michael769 »

The double white lines on S4 are optional, but encouraged on rural roads.

Its the solid only on one side on a hill that makes me think they were thinking of the S3 rules, though if they were they got it back to front as the broken line should be on the downhill side.
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PeterA5145
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by PeterA5145 »

The broken line oddly switches sides here, although the gradient is all one way.

I suppose the reasoning is that in the uphill direction you might get a tractor being overtaken by a lorry being overtaken by a car.
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by chris486 »

PeterA5145 wrote:The broken line oddly switches sides here, although the gradient is all one way.

I suppose the reasoning is that in the uphill direction you might get a tractor being overtaken by a lorry being overtaken by a car.
This bit of road is so much fun to drive on that I have been known to go the long way round to Wigton via Carlisle, instead of the boring B5305 from junction 41

I once safely overtook an ASDA delivery van that was overtaking a National Express coach a bit further south on the famous old highway just as it widened to S3, somewhere around here
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michael769
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by michael769 »

PeterA5145 wrote:The broken line oddly switches sides here, although the gradient is all one way.

I suppose the reasoning is that in the uphill direction you might get a tractor being overtaken by a lorry being overtaken by a car.
Ahhh, presumably the goal was to prevent overtaking on approach to the junction.

Perhaps there had been a fatal?
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urbanfox
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by urbanfox »

The A441 has just been resurfaced, or at least surface dressed (is that what it's called when they dump a load of gravel on the top?), between the M42 and the roundabout at Hopwood.

It previously had the 'middle' lane hatched off, however it has been repainted as an S3. For the moment, at least. Wonder how long that'll last.
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by darkcape »

Is it just a case of them not filling in the hatchings? Happened to a few roads round here in this summer's wave of surface dressing.
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by urbanfox »

I expect so, it's survived longer than I thought it might though - a whole 3 days so far.

Unlike practically everywhere else I've been that has been dressed there are neither 'no overtaking' signs nor a proliferation of idiots taking the 10/20mph advisory limit too seriously.
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by Benny »

I'm in that area Sunday I'll try and get a picture.
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Owain
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by Owain »

Well, are the lines of the 'new' S3 long warning lines or short dashes? If the former, then they'll surely get hatched soon; if the latter, it's the first S3 to have been created in maybe 50 years.

Here's a bizarre S3 on the entrance road to the university where I work:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.15339 ... HbmVqA!2e0
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johnyoungls
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by johnyoungls »

I cant recall where it was, But I saw strangely marked section of S3. There were 2 sets of double white lines, both edges of the centre lane. Again perhaps they didnt bother hatching the centre lane. The empty lane looked inviting.
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by Owain »

Yep - that definitely sounds like another unfinished one! Why else would they paint it like that?

Here's another good piece of three lane road from NI, on the A6 - OK, it's not S3, but is possibly a candidate for longest piece of S2+1 in the UK. Seems to go on forever, even if you're doing 70+.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.85242 ... 6ibOEw!2e0
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Johnathan404
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by Johnathan404 »

I too have found the diagonal hatchings to be applied a few days after the main markings after surface dressing, but that's usually around traffic islands, not like this.
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by Johnathan404 »

Saw this done by the Highways Agency today.

The A33/A34 merge usually has a hatched ghost island, but after resurfacing the approach now looks like a (very tight) S3.
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urbanfox
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by urbanfox »

The A441 still hasn't been hatched down the centre. Must've been 3 weeks now. Used it to pass someone last night and it was all quite gravelly still, so I'm not sure it's been getting much use!
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skiddaw05
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by skiddaw05 »

It could be that the lane / centre lines are done by machine and the hatching by hand - ie by pushing a trolley along, so it will involve a differnt lining gang.

IME lining subbies are a law unto themselves! And just wait and see how long it takes to get the roadstuds back...
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by Fenlander »

Why is putting the white lines back so hard to get right?
So many times I've come across resurfaced stretches of road that have markings that are different to what was there before only to repass a couple of weeks later and find the new markings burnt off and something closer to the original painted on. Quite often when it's wet the burnt off markings show up better than the painted ones leading to confusion.
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by darkcape »

From what I recall the hatchings used to be broken anyway so you could still overtake on them. I'd imagine they're not getting much use because the lane is being 'created' from the centreline, rather than appearing as a widening out of lane 1. Worrying if it gets forgotten though.
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by mapboy »

darkcape wrote:From what I recall the hatchings used to be broken anyway so you could still overtake on them. I'd imagine they're not getting much use because the lane is being 'created' from the centreline, rather than appearing as a widening out of lane 1. Worrying if it gets forgotten though.
Last week whilst avoiding some traffic on the M4, I went down the A4 between Hungerford and Newbury; there were multiple sections where S3 appeared from the centreline. Is this a permanent feature?
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by Big L »

urbanfox wrote:The A441 still hasn't been hatched down the centre. Must've been 3 weeks now. Used it to pass someone last night and it was all quite gravelly still, so I'm not sure it's been getting much use!
I was along there on Thursday, and it still isn't done. Also the section through Bordesley is the same.

I was overtaken by a biker going down the middle lane, prompting my passenger (taking his theory test in a couple of weeks) to ask if it was a motorbike lane. I suggested he start learning, and fast.
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dartanian
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Re: S3 Suicide lane

Post by dartanian »

Still an active S3 in Princes Road Dartford.Try using going down the hill though and prepare to get some abuse from the drivers coming UP the hill, who seem to view it as their very own.
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