Changing lanes banned in Burnley Tunnel

[FPV8U]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

you cant seriously believe for one second the driver carrying the camera caused that accident?????!!!!!!
For starters that car was atleast 30-40 metres ahead of the truck.
The Truck driver changed lanes into a car just forward of its front wheels, he clipped the rear 1/4 of the benz and spun it into the front of the truck sideways and continued to drive for what seemed like over 100m's before he realised what had happened. In this instanse It was clearly the truck driver who caused the accident, and i must say it was rather scary watching it unfold, im sure the tunnel opperators felt vindicated with their decission to ban lane changes after seeing it...

Wait hold on a second here... in the story they were going on about how close the truck was and that the camera was making it look like there was more room between the Car and truck then there really was so your 30-40meters was really about 10m.

As yes i do belive that some nervious moron, that sits infront of a truck watching her speed like an Eagle eye, talking frantically to the ACA presenter and barely concentrating on her driving had alot to do with the accident if she was so nervious about the trucks distance and didn't want to be neer it, then get the F#$% out of it's lane!

The Benz was in a blind spot for the truck as has been said and it was exactly that an Accedent, **** happens, mistakes are made, but the Truck driver was not as much at fault as ACA was liking to make out.

[Bill_R]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

you cant seriously believe for one second the driver carrying the camera caused that accident?????!!!!!!
For starters that car was atleast 30-40 metres ahead of the truck.
The Truck driver changed lanes into a car just forward of its front wheels, he clipped the rear 1/4 of the benz and spun it into the front of the truck sideways and continued to drive for what seemed like over 100m's before he realised what had happened. In this instanse It was clearly the truck driver who caused the accident, and i must say it was rather scary watching it unfold, im sure the tunnel opperators felt vindicated with their decission to ban lane changes after seeing it...

I'd have to see it again but I noticed it seesm like the truck driver indicated then changed lanes almost immediately. it was like "look i'm changing lanes". IIRC then there is "supposed" to be 5 seconds of indication before you move. That can be a PITA at times but it's law. I cound't tell how long the Merc indicated for.

In a situation like this when I'm travelling in the right lane I won't move into the middle lane when there is a car in the left lane. I'ts always been a suspect move and I think it needs to be regulated.

[FPV8U]

Originally Posted by Bill_R

I cound't tell how long the Merc indicated for.

The question is did it?

All three people who watched it at my house couldn' t see indictaion from the Benz.

[Keepleft]

Bill_R writes: I'd have to see it again but I noticed it seesm like the truck driver indicated then changed lanes almost immediately. it was like "look i'm changing lanes". IIRC then there is "supposed" to be 5 seconds of indication before you move. That can be a PITA at times but it's law. I cound't tell how long the Merc indicated for.

5 seconds applies when pulling out from a kerb Bill, otherwise its 'sufficient warning'. True though that indicator ON time needs to increase when changing lanes, diverting left or right, or when pulling off the road and signalling to park etc, or that it be left on when stopped on a shoulder yapping on a phone.

In a situation like this when I'm travelling in the right lane I won't move into the middle lane when there is a car in the left lane. I'ts always been a suspect move and I think it needs to be regulated.

Lane discipline is poor, NSW adopts the UN Convention requirement and imparts that in our RUH, not so for other states where 'keep middle' rules mostly. (Motorway category roads).

Rest of world team:
http://www.td.gov.hk/road_safety/roa...ays_/index.htm

A key reason why behaviour and discipline is so poor is too slow a speed-limit and overbearing single issue enforcement. Low driver requirement by such relaity means little will improve unless these issues are remedied.

XCGXL wrote: I thought it was 80 or above unless otherwise signposted, but I had a look at the Australian Road rules and it says "above 80Km/h". And why did the Merc driver jump into the middle lane next to the truck? Why do Merc drivers do anything? Three lane roads are iherintly dangerous, too much choice. M2 (two lanes) is safer than the M4 (3 lanes), soon they will add extra lane to M2, watch how number of crashes goes up.

Per above link, 'education', see the NSW RUH, it mirrors the diagram. (I did upload the diagram but it doesn't show)?

[rxj]

Originally Posted by Full Noise

No maybe about it.

The promo shows a Freightliner trying to change lanes and contacting the right-hand side of a Merc, ending in the old PIT manoeuvre. The car was in front of the truck’s mirror and was in a blind spot.
Does anyone out there think that this bloke would have changed lanes if he could see the car there?

This was an unfortunate accident and an error of judgement from the truck driver and ACA, typically want to turn it into one of their highway horror stories.

Typical one sided ACA garbage.

Here are the videos

Truck story
http://ninemsn.video.msn.com/v/en-au...8-b9fc60a09090

Driver of the Mercedes story
http://ninemsn.video.msn.com/v/en-au...7-A52A2A686481

Cheers,

rxj

[fordOwner]

I cannot believe this new rule!!! ALthough I live in Perth I just think its rediculous.
Our new tunnel has emergency lanes both sides, emergency phones every 50m, emergency exit doors every 50m, emergency lights, signs, diversion streets, the whole kit! from what I read here looks like this tunnel is truly poorly designed.
Barred from changing lanes? - what a crock!
Tourists and non regular tunnel users would be STUFFED. No doubt your government will install new cameras to snap lane changers now.
Is there another rout trucks can take or what?

[Bill_R]

Originally Posted by Keepleft

5 seconds applies when pulling out from a kerb Bill, otherwise its 'sufficient warning'. True though that indicator ON time needs to increase when changing lanes, diverting left or right, or when pulling off the road and signalling to park etc, or that it be left on when stopped on a shoulder yapping on a phone.

thanks! I just confirmed this for myself. I agree with what you said. Common sense usually works out with 3 lane roads but we all know how many lack common sense on the road. I always recall learning that the left was for slow traffic, the middle for "regular" traffic and the right for overtaking (only).
The vehicle in the left lane clearly has the best vision when changing lanes. I've heard of so many people who have been caught out in cases like this.

As far as the recent talk about trucks keeping left - I know of one spot in particular where this needs to be applied. I'm talking about Sextons Hill just south of Tweed Heads. It's an 80 km/h zone and the Tweed Heads road and Gold Coast Hwy / Pacific Hwy merge just before the hill. On a number of ocassions I've seen a group of many trucks slow to virtually a halt as they crawl up the hill in both lanes with cars jammed in between (totally daunting). Traffic banks up. The spot has come in for a lot of criticism and was one reason the Labour Gov't lost the local election. There are plans to do "something" with it. I really don't think the road is as much of an issue as is the attitude of drivers using it but I think the same of many of our roads.

[Homer1]

Originally Posted by 1QWKF6

Did you Victorians really vote this **ck head into Government. What a knee jerk reaction. :monkes:
Come the revolution out:

The really sad thing is that this state (excluding me!) was stupid enough to vote him in 3 TIMES!!!!! :

[Elks]

Just had a chance to watch the video of the 2 ACA stories. Thanks to rxj for posting the links.

A crazy sensationalisation.

Fact is cars and truck have blindspots, the benz and the truck both changed lanes simultaneosly and niether would have had sight of the other. But lets blame the truck anyway.

The ACA crew were in the right lane a car that people in all lanes were passing, so they would have been well below the speed limit not on as stated.(unless there is a bunch of speeding fines on the way to everyone - camera's remember)

The lady being intimidated by trucks is her own issue and if she is in a state of panic becase a truck is nearby she should hand back her licence before she kills herslf or someone else.

I spend a fair amount of time in trucks and the behaviour of road users around them is staggering. The number of people who cut into a space you leave, particularly when braking is staggering. I nearly ran over a girl in a mazda who tried to pass on the LHS when I was out wide turning left. Yes indicators were on. Yes the truck was mark with the 'no overtaking placards' but she saw a gap and she was going for it. Of course she abused me further down the road.

What do you do? I don't know, take care leave space. Make 4 hours in a truck a part of the licence renewell. Very rarely do 1st timers having a ride in a truck not be amazed at how hard it is.

[FPV8U]

Originally Posted by Homer1

The really sad thing is that this state (excluding me!) was stupid enough to vote him in 3 TIMES!!!!! :

Didnn't get my vote either : and won't be next time :

[Elks]

The really sad thing is that this state (excluding me!) was stupid enough to vote him in 3 TIMES!!!!!
Today 12:30 PM

You and me it seems

[XRQTR]

Hmmm yes, Tarsha, another leafy suburb toff in her Toorak tractor, what happened to banning 4wd from the city????

There have been more accidents involving small children and the family tractor, sorry 4wd which is needed to navigate the tall grass of the nature strips, than there have been accidents in the tunnel, more fatalitlties involving alot of these children too. But we still don't legislate against them.

Anyway, yesterday in the tunnel, on my way to Morwell to pick up a car for a regular client I was travelling out of the tunnel onto Monash bound, well as is usually the case every ^^^^head is doing below the speed limit (in cars by the way). So I head over to the "slow lane" so that I can overtake these fine upstanding morons at a speed resembling the 80 sign posted through the thunnel, they were travelling at 60 in the middle lane and 70 in the right (again all cars, not a truck in sight, except for my rear view).

Anyhow I'm happily moving along, minding my own business and just about out of the tunnel, when low and behold one of the fine upstanding morons in the middle lane doing 60 decides at the absolute last minute that she is getting off at Burnley St. That impressed me no end as I'm sure you would understand, even though I was not loaded at the time it would have been pretty difficult to stop had she dicided to slow down any further, as it was she swept past my bull bar with maybe a couple of metres. Keep in mind though that as she is going considerably slower than I was at the time that my rate of closing on her vehicle would have had similar if not worse consequences as the MB in front of the Argosy. As she went across I beeped my horn in "appreciation" of her attempt at suicide and apparent failure to do so, she looked over her shoulder and gave me an evil look, maybe because I missed her and she is still alive, don't know.

I won't go into the Monash outbound at peak hour, I'm sure there are enough memories by those who travel it enough for me to skip over this part of the story.

So we now come to my trip back home, it was quite lovely, picked up the Falcon from Valley Ford bade farewell to the Service manager after getting advice on where to get the best meal in town, it was between the Hot Spot Burger shop and the Charcoal chicken bar both in the old part of Morwell. His advice was to go for the Charcoal chicken but I hadn't had a good chip shop burger in a country town for quite some time so decided to go the burger with the lot, pineapple of course : .

I finished, oh forgot to mention a couple of steamed dims as well but she tight aresed it on the soy (I think it was watered down too tsk tsk), so I hopped into the truck and headed back to Melbourne. It was dark by this point being almost 7pm so I took off carefully as I usually do and began the 2 and a half hr trip back home. The trip itself was pretty uneventful really, apart from the few drivers who couldn't understand why I wasn't moving over into the left lane quickly enough (maybe next time I will cut off the other impatients overtaking in the left and not allowing me the room to actually move across so that they can actually pass from the correct side).

Well it went pretty well most of the way back an I thought it would be pretty good the rest of the way in, as I approached the city I could see the signs advising of the tollway and the the drop to 80kph. All was well, not surprising I guess it was almost 9 so the roads are pretty well clear of the mad rush home, I saw the Punt Rd exit sign (for those that don't know the speed camera is on the back of this sign at the top of the hill) and though "well not far now" but I still had to drop the car at the shop in the holding area so it would be an extra 20 minutes more before I got home, no big.

The trip was good, apart from peak hour, the meal was not bad, 7-1/2 out of 10, and the road was clear ahead so no more stress for the night, riiiight, well along comes mother and daughter (mother driving) just about to head into the tunnel ahead of me, in the same lane kind od ahead of me. Anyway there was a B-double in the middle lane and some more cars nehind him so not much chance of changing lanes. Now most people when going slow, 70 in this 80, move over to the left lanes, but no not mother and daughter they are too good for the left lanes, but of course. She decides that she has every right to sit in the right lane and hold up any traffic that is behind her, I disagreed and advised her of my position on this argument with a quick flash of the high beams to which I got a glance in her rear view and drive on, she stood her ground. I flashed the highs once again, this time I must have angered daughter as I could see hands flying about probably getting ready to rip me to shreds.

After a third attempt at advising her that she was in the wrong lane for the speed that she was travelling, I then proceeded to overtake mother and daughter, ilegally mind you, in the left lane. As I approached the window of daughter I noticed her readying herslef (daughter) to pounce on this terrifying and bullying truck driver, this is the point at which I think mother finally realised why I had been such a "bully".

All I saw was mother tapping her on the shoulder and pointing to her speedo, to which they had a chuckle and kept on there merry way, still oblivious to the speed limit and keep left rules while travelling through tunnels.


So, the next time any of you car drivers says that it must have been the truck driver and that the truckies are bullies, think twice, it would be a good idea for all the truck drivers to start carrying cameras in their trucks and have a daily review of all the ^^^^head behaviour of most car drivers when they around trucks. Yhen come back and tell me that "It must be the truckies fault".

As for that ^^^^head in the MB in the tunnel, he turned his indicator off, it flashed once as he approached to line and then switched it off as soon as his front tyre hit the line, common sense even if the truckie saw him would say he has changed his mind and decided to stay in that lane.

Also had 'Tarsha' moved into the left when it had become safe for her to do so the truck would not have tried to pass her on the left, but she decided to be a bicht and stayed their even though she knew he was trying to pass.

As for the worst drivers, and I know most others that are on the roads as part of there jobs will agree, mothers with young children are the worst of the lot. They speed more often than most, they text while driving more often than most, they talk on there mobiles while driving more often than most and they are the most likely to speed in a school zone because they are in a rush to drop 'there kids' at the same school.

As Billy Connoly said "Never judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes, only then can you say something as he is most likely too far away to hear you" boom boom.

[XRQTR]

Even better again, just got back from a job in Werribee.

Idiot#1 - AU#1, irratic speed changes, usually only a few k's up or down, but to a truck momentum is everything, get onto freeway at Werribee Hospital exit so one exit before the road works. Road works are 80, fair enough, so I take my foot off the accelerator early to allow the truck to slow down to the limit by the time I get to the road works. Our friend in the AU decides this is not good enough for him and hits the anchors from about 95 to get to a quick 80, just after changing lanes to get in front of me when he could have stayed in the left lane.

Idiot#2 - AU#2, those that travel the princess freeway from Werribee onto the Ring Rd will know the interchange and also know the 2 lanes that merge into 1 just as you get onto the WRR. Well our next contestant decides that as she is in the right lane and that I need to merge into her lane that she should make it harder for me by beginning a passing manouver at the very end of the merge lanes, I should mention that I was most of the way in front and could easily have manouvered in front of her. But that wasn't good enough, just as she got most of the way in front she then decides that she won't quite go the extra to give me enough room to merge instead causing me to brake rather heavily as the road runs out at this point, no screeching just heavy braking. She drives on still oblivious, or maybe just not really caring, to the fact that she could have easily caused an accident with her behaviour had it been peak hour.

Idiot#3 - Landcruiser, although this guy may not be a local (unlikely) and not understand the exit strategy at the Ballarat Rd exit. For the uninitiated, as you exit WRR at Ballarat Rd heading out all the cars in the right lane move right across to the right lane and those in the left lane into the centre. Although it may be possible that he is unaware I doubt it as he was a Landcruiser ute ****** wannabe, these are the guys that leave the mud at the carwashes. Even though it was quite clear by the way I was manouvering my truck that I was heading into the centre lane he decided that he was going to have it, making me accelerate hard (as I was actually more than 90% in front already) to have to get in front.

Idiot#4 - Corolla, possibly related to idiots#2+3 maybe a cousin I don't know. Well no sooner had I finished with idiot #3 than idiot#4 comes along, again those that travel Ballarat Rd heading out to Melton will know the road after the WRR turn off goes from 4-3-2 lanes. Now at this point I'm in the second from right lane so I am in the lane that continues after they all merge and becomes the left, but there is still a third at this stage and I am basically in the actual middle lane. I see a set of lights in the left lane but it is almost at an end and these lights are at this point still only a reflection on the ground, I looked back and he wasn't even at the half way of my tray. I'm almost at the speed limit so I'm thinking this guy has to slow down as he is behind me and the road merges, how wrong could I be. The idiot makes a move that you could only describe as suicidal and decides to pass me on the left when there is only metres left of his lane, he barely makes it. And before you ask if I moved over, I couldn't as there were now cars in the right lane so I would have taken them out, besides if he is that stupid then he desrves to have his breeding rights taken away.

That was a short half hour trip, some days I'm on the road for more than 12 hours, so maybe now you will understand where I got my PhD in social science majoring in idiotology.

Oh and just before I turned into my street an ambulance needed to merge into the left lane, the car in front of me oblivious to the indicator just cruised along at 65 in a 70, I slowed down and allowed the ambo in, how many car drivers can say they slow down to let anyone in, most close the gap up because they don't want to get home 1.86 seconds later.

All I'm trying to get across is don't think that truck drivers enjoy doing these things, understand that if you are in the wrong then you will be reminded of this in some way. Trucks need momentum to keep a constant speed, when idiots brake in front of us for no reason we brake and this breaks our momentum and this is when you get slow trucks in right lanes that may have seconds before been going at the same speed as everyone else.

Yes we are bigger and heavier and yes we can be frightening and yes we can KILL you and your family if we hit you hard enough, but if you don't put yourself into a situation where this might be the case then you never have to worry about it.

[rxj]

Originally Posted by XRQTR

Even better again, just got back from a job in Werribee.

Idiot#1 - AU#1, irratic speed changes, usually only a few k's up or down, but to a truck momentum is everything, get onto freeway at Werribee Hospital exit so one exit before the road works. Road works are 80, fair enough, so I take my foot off the accelerator early to allow the truck to slow down to the limit by the time I get to the road works. Our friend in the AU decides this is not good enough for him and hits the anchors from about 95 to get to a quick 80, just after changing lanes to get in front of me when he could have stayed in the left lane.

Idiot#2 - AU#2, those that travel the princess freeway from Werribee onto the Ring Rd will know the interchange and also know the 2 lanes that merge into 1 just as you get onto the WRR. Well our next contestant decides that as she is in the right lane and that I need to merge into her lane that she should make it harder for me by beginning a passing manouver at the very end of the merge lanes, I should mention that I was most of the way in front and could easily have manouvered in front of her. But that wasn't good enough, just as she got most of the way in front she then decides that she won't quite go the extra to give me enough room to merge instead causing me to brake rather heavily as the road runs out at this point, no screeching just heavy braking. She drives on still oblivious, or maybe just not really caring, to the fact that she could have easily caused an accident with her behaviour had it been peak hour.

Idiot#3 - Landcruiser, although this guy may not be a local (unlikely) and not understand the exit strategy at the Ballarat Rd exit. For the uninitiated, as you exit WRR at Ballarat Rd heading out all the cars in the right lane move right across to the right lane and those in the left lane into the centre. Although it may be possible that he is unaware I doubt it as he was a Landcruiser ute ****** wannabe, these are the guys that leave the mud at the carwashes. Even though it was quite clear by the way I was manouvering my truck that I was heading into the centre lane he decided that he was going to have it, making me accelerate hard (as I was actually more than 90% in front already) to have to get in front.

Idiot#4 - Corolla, possibly related to idiots#2+3 maybe a cousin I don't know. Well no sooner had I finished with idiot #3 than idiot#4 comes along, again those that travel Ballarat Rd heading out to Melton will know the road after the WRR turn off goes from 4-3-2 lanes. Now at this point I'm in the second from right lane so I am in the lane that continues after they all merge and becomes the left, but there is still a third at this stage and I am basically in the actual middle lane. I see a set of lights in the left lane but it is almost at an end and these lights are at this point still only a reflection on the ground, I looked back and he wasn't even at the half way of my tray. I'm almost at the speed limit so I'm thinking this guy has to slow down as he is behind me and the road merges, how wrong could I be. The idiot makes a move that you could only describe as suicidal and decides to pass me on the left when there is only metres left of his lane, he barely makes it. And before you ask if I moved over, I couldn't as there were now cars in the right lane so I would have taken them out, besides if he is that stupid then he desrves to have his breeding rights taken away.

That was a short half hour trip, some days I'm on the road for more than 12 hours, so maybe now you will understand where I got my PhD in social science majoring in idiotology.

Oh and just before I turned into my street an ambulance needed to merge into the left lane, the car in front of me oblivious to the indicator just cruised along at 65 in a 70, I slowed down and allowed the ambo in, how many car drivers can say they slow down to let anyone in, most close the gap up because they don't want to get home 1.86 seconds later.

All I'm trying to get across is don't think that truck drivers enjoy doing these things, understand that if you are in the wrong then you will be reminded of this in some way. Trucks need momentum to keep a constant speed, when idiots brake in front of us for no reason we brake and this breaks our momentum and this is when you get slow trucks in right lanes that may have seconds before been going at the same speed as everyone else.

Yes we are bigger and heavier and yes we can be frightening and yes we can KILL you and your family if we hit you hard enough, but if you don't put yourself into a situation where this might be the case then you never have to worry about it.

They seem like candiates for http://www.idiotdriver.com.au

Cheers,

rxj

[SB076]

Must admit after watching the video why didnt the girl who had the camera in her car just move out of the right hand lane and allow the truck to pass? In viewing the video she had several opportunites to do so. People get frustrated waiting behind someone in the right hand lane and tend to react and in this instance it (I think) resulted in an accident

[Full Noise]

She was just some typical arrogant bit*h with the attitude of (why should I move out of the way just to please someone else). An absolute drama queen and Martin Kingham isn’t any better.

[SB076]

Originally Posted by Full Noise

She was just some typical arrogant bit*h with the attitude of (why should I move out of the way just to please someone else). An absolute drama queen and Martin Kingham isn’t any better.

I am not saying she caused the accident, but she could have prevented it, who knows maybe the truck had been following her for a long period of time and she refused to move over and let him pass. I know that annoys me, the longer it goes for the more tempted you are to pass on the left.

[Elks]

Maybe the truckies insurer should have a crack at ACA for creating the situation :

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by SB076

I am not saying she caused the accident, but she could have prevented it, who knows maybe the truck had been following her for a long period of time and she refused to move over and let him pass. I know that annoys me, the longer it goes for the more tempted you are to pass on the left.

I somehow doubt that the truck was actually trying to pass on the left. The end of the tunnel is extremely steep and my guess is that he tried to move over because he wouldn’t be able to maintain 80 kmh on this section of roadway. So in effect, it looked like he didn’t want to hold up traffic in the right lane, even though the “terrified” car driver was quite happy to do this.

If you watch the footage closely, you’ll find that this incompetent, arrogant bit*h could have moved over as there seemed to be no traffic to her left. The footage actually shows this. Yet it’s easier to stay in the lane and plead harassment, or “this truck’s trying to kill me” or “I can’t see the driver, so he can’t see me” type of BS. I’ve heard it all before.

The footage shot from the ACA vehicle beside her is also interesting. Where was this vehicle when the accident occurred? My guess is that it was nowhere near it because if it was, I’m sure that we would have seen the footage shot from the vehicle by now. This sort of garbage is getting beyond the joke. Let’s all drive along the freeway with a camera looking out the back window slowing down in traffic and wondering why everyone is following so closely. Also the footage from the ACA vehicle would of showed if there was no one in the middle lane, yet surprise surprise, we don’t see any of this. Hmmm, would this be because it would show our “terrified” car driver being a right royal pain in the a$$ and not moving over?

This “terrified” driver, Tara needs a good old fashioned smack in the mouth for being such a pain in the a$$. I feel sorry for her husband, if she has one that is. Imagine living with someone like this? Interestingly after the accident had occurred, she spent most of the time watching what was unfolding in her rear view mirror and swearing instead of actually watching where she was going.

Car drivers are like bloody sheep on freeways now. You’ll be driving along at 100 kmh in a bunch of cars and trucks and some clown will be sitting on 90 so everyone else will do 90. FFS I don’t know why people just overtake these morons. It’s like when you’re behind someone and give them a polite flash of the lights to say “do the bloody speed limit or get out of the right lane” they look at their speedo and realise that they’re only doing 80 kmh. Some will move over, some hit the brakes to be a smart a$$ but most of the time they just stay where they are.

Then we have the cliché at the end with Martin Kingham handing over the footage to the police. Well big bloody deal. This footage will actually help the truck driver as it shows both vehicles changing lanes simultaneously. The car driver is just as much at fault as the truck driver. That big bad truck driver just ran into me blah blah blah.


Like I said in a previous post, this show is absolute garbage. :