TAUNTON drivers have expressed their frustration at vehicles straddling both lanes of the Toneway between the Priory Fields Retail Park roundabout and Creech Castle.
The Creech Castle junction is being upgraded as part of an £8.3 million improvement scheme that began in August last year to ease congestion and improve access to the county town.
While the work is underway, drivers heading eastbound on the Toneway must stick to a 30mph speed limit as the dual carriageway merges into one lane opposite the Asda supermarket.
There are signs next to the road instructing drivers to ‘use both lanes’ and ‘merge in turn’.
However, motorists are continuing to debate the correct way to drive on the Toneway while the roadworks are ongoing.
Some have questioned why the right-hand lane often goes unused, with others suggesting people who do use it are ‘queue jumpers’.
Concerns have also been raised about some drivers straddling both lanes.
One driver posted in Facebook group Taunton Matters to condemn a lorry driver he said “pulled across me to stop me legitimately using the filter lane”.
He added: “Yes, people may be sat in a queue for X amount of time, but if everyone used the road as it’s supposed to be used, the queue would be halved.
“There is going to be a serious incident on that road sooner or later.”
In the comments of a similar post, some people defended the drivers of large vehicles who straddle both lanes, suggesting they are ‘defending themselves’.
Another posted a graphic showing the ‘zipper merge’ procedure and wrote: “Just thought I would post this here as a reminder for those of you who don’t know how to merge in turn, particularly those who use the Toneway.
“Merge in turn actually reduces traffic congestion if done correctly. Nobody’s trying to push in!”
What do the rules of the road say?
The Highway Code offers guidance on the correct procedure, emphasising the importance of following the instructions given by the signs next to the road.
Rule 134 of the code says: “You should follow the signs and road markings and get into the lane as directed.
“Merging in turn is recommended but only if safe and appropriate when vehicles are travelling at a very low speed, e.g. when approaching roadworks or a road traffic incident. It is not recommended at high speed.”
An article on the AA’s website also weighs in with advice, telling drivers: “Where traffic is queuing and moving slowly, you should use all available road space in both lanes with drivers at the front of the queues taking it in turns to ‘merge in turn’ or ‘zip merge’.
“This can help reduce the overall length of the queue significantly and minimises the risk of disruption at junctions further back up the road.”
It adds: “The problem seems to be the British obsession with queuing. Even unprompted, we'll form an orderly queue and wait patiently in line, considering anyone who doesn't to somehow be cheating.
“But next time you find yourself in slow-moving traffic approaching road works or an incident that's blocking one lane, try to resist your deep-seated urge to queue early, use all available lanes and merge in turn when you reach the lane closure.”
Read more: Toneway traffic: What does the Highway Code say about merging in turn?
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