Town driving
Introduction
By this point in your training you should be well on the way with improving your ability to recognise potential hazards and improving how to deal with them with little help from your instructor. So the next step is to move into busy town/city area's.
Teaching Strategy
On this lesson your instructor will start looking at the more Advanced Syllabus
with fine tuning your forward planning with the use of hazard and L. A. D. A. routine's by going into town areas this includes:-
- One way streets
- 20 zones
- Contra flow systems
Throughout the lesson your instructor with reducing their instruction and giving you as more support on the new topic “Anticipation and planning” in town areas.
Lesson aims
The aim of today’s lesson is to identify different types of hazards including recognising when entering and emerging too and from a one-way, bus/contra flow lanes and 20 zones, while working on an all-around awareness when in traffic queues or on multiple lane roads.
Taking early observations, identify potential hazard, looking well ahead for signs, other road users, junctions, obstructions and pedestrians is all part of forward planning and reading the road.
During this lesson you will be assessed on your general drive but will be give you as much support as you need.
Objective
Your objective will to be as independent as possible on your general drive and given as much help on the new topic brief. So by the end of your lesson be able to develop your hazard perception, defensive driving skills and improving any other issues brought up on your last lesson with little or no help from your instructor.
Lesson brief
On this lesson you will start to follow road markings and information signs and then progress onto using a programmed satnav and follow a test route (this will give experience on following a sat nav so get you ready for your driving test).
Once you have started town and dual carriageway brief's you should be driving a lot safer, making a lot less mistakes and feeling confident. So lets look at the types of issue's you will come up with when negotiating bus, cycle, contra flow lanes,various parking restrictions area's and not blocking side roads and junctions when in slow moving traffic.
On your driving test
At the beginning of your driving test your examiner will tell you to always follow the road ahead unless i (the examiner), road marking or signs state other wise. (Please note 4 out 5 driving test will get to follow a sat nav and 1 out of 5 will get to follow road marking and signs).
Traffic queues and use of signals
In town and city centres you will often find traffic queuing always try to get into your designated lane as early as possible. Queues of traffic can make it difficult to get into the correct lane so forward planning is a must.
Use of signal
There may be times when you might need to signal to change lanes and rely upon the courtesy of another driver to allow you to merge in front of them, so in
this instance the signal becomes a request to merge rather than a signal that you intend to immediately change lanes.
However you must continue to allow traffic to flow in your current lane so be prepared to abandon your manoeuvre if no one lets you in.
Awareness and planning
Courtesy and common sense plays a very important role in town and city centre driving so if someone signals to merge in front of you make sure they have seen you and that their actions are consistent with a request to merge rather than an intention to immediately move across, when safe to give them priority do so.
Observations
All round observations, awareness and planning are critical when in slow moving and queues of traffic you have to particularly watch for pedestrians walking out into the road in front of you. You will have cyclists transitioning from path to road, motorcyclists coming up either side of your vehicle .
E scooter
We also now have the added danger of E scooter and E bikes, these rides ride on the path and the road going as fast as 20MPH and many pedestrian's have been seriously injured due to riding the machines with dangerously, they are silent so you really need to know what is around you 24/7
Holding back out of junctions
You have already been briefed on the hold back position from a parked vehicle, a minimum of 2 vehicles from a parked vehicle. Just incorporate that knowledge into this brief.
In queues of traffic you will need to keep out of junctions to ensure you keep the exits clear for vehicle coming in and out of the side junction.
Planning
Before passing the junction when in queues of traffic wait until the vehicle in front of you is roughly 3 to 4 lines past the junction in front of you.
Look at the diagram below the yellow vehicle is 2 lines past the junction so the orange vehicle can cross the junction and still has tyres and tarmac of the yellow car.
Your instructor will explain always stop the opposite side of the junction in busy traffic and once the orange vehicle orange vehicle in the below diagram is where the yellow vehicle is, it will be safe to continue past the junction.
Another way to know your not in the keep clear area is ensure you
stop
where you can visually see the
KEEP writing out of your front wind screen (more of the keep clear writing you see the more your out of the junction area).
Tyres and tarmac
When stationary ensure you keep
tyres and tarmac from the vehicle in front of you. We keep this gap just in case someone runs into the back of you and this safety gap will stop you being pushed forward into the vehicle in front of you. Vehicle insurance states if you hit the vehicle in front of you, you the have to pay for the damage.
2 seconds rule (Safety bubble)
Maintain the two second safety gap when driving as
only a fool breaks the 2 seconds rule (look at the emergency stop brief for stopping distances).
Angle starts
Another exercise you may get on your driving (practical) test is an angle start, have you been asked to do one yet on your driving lesson?
Your driving instructor will brief you and it will go something like this.............. Please pull up on the left about two to three car lengths from the blue vehicle on the left, check your:-
● Mirrors interior and left door mirror
● Signal left
● Position towards the curb (drain width)
● Speed (WALKING then CRAWLING PACE)
● Gear (keep in the gear you are in second or third)
Stop a drain with from the curb
Apply your handbrake and gear stick into neutral
Drive on when it is safe to do so
Once you have pulled up on the left somewhere
safe, legal and convenient and roughly 2/3 vehicles from the parked blue vehicle
and make your vehicle safe (handbrake and neutral).
Drive on when your ready
Once you are asked to drive on:-
P.O.M
Prepare the car to move:-
- Put the clutch down and select first gear.
- Find the biting point.
Observations (Mirrors/Signal)
- The 6 point check (mirror and shoulder check).
- Always check the path side first with your observations.
- Firstly look in the interior mirror then the left (nearside) door mirror, and then look over your left shoulder.
- Next check the interior mirror again, then the right (offside) door mirror and then look over your right shoulder (your offside blind-spot).
- If it is safe to proceed (Consider your Signal to the right).
Manoeuvre (Moving away)
- When it is safe to move off release the handbrake
- Make an extra right mirror and right blind spot check as you start to move (See-saw your feet)
One way systems
One way systems in town and city centres have helped to improve the flow of traffic.
Roads that at one time may have clearly been designed to have traffic flowing in both directions may now only allow traffic to flow in one direction.
So the key is to look out for signs, road marking on the approach to the road you intend to turn into as you don't want to turn left or right into a road that is now a one way street.
When entering new roads look for
new signs and mirrors.
Correct lane
When exiting a one way street ensure you are on the correct road position for the direction you are driving. When there are two lanes on the one way street you are on ensure you have the correct position for you direction you are exiting.
- Be on the left hand side when turning left
- Be on the right hand side when turning right
One your driving test
When you are on your driving test and you are on a one way street being in the wrong lane position would unfortunately fail your driving test as you as you are not paying attention to road markings and signs. Being in the left hand lane and turning right could be dangerous to other road users that are in the right hand lane already waiting to turn right.
You could be holding the traffic up behind you in the left hand lane wanting to turn left when you are waiting for a gap to turn right.
Using the right hand lane
The right hand lanes on a one way system are not specifically for overtaking, so you may pass on either side, also traffic can equally merge from the right as well as from the left.
Road markings and signs
When entering and exiting a one way street the road marking are slightly different giving you the information you are NOT on a two way road but on a ONE WAY road.
Entering the junction
Look for the single white dotted line all the way across the mouth of the junction, this is the observations you need to take as your entering the junction.
Exiting the junction
At the end of the road look for the double white dotted line that will be all the way across the mouth of the junction (and the directional arrows on the floor), this is the observations you need to take as you approaching the junction.
Bus, cycle and tram lanes
Many town and city centres now specially cater for buses, trams and cyclists by providing specific lanes for such traffic.
Cycle stops
- The spaces allocated in front of the traffic lights are solely for cyclists.
- You would be required to stop behind the second white line before the traffic lights, not the first as it is for cyclists.
- To know you have not stop in the correct position ensure you can see at least half of the cycle stop from the driver’s seat.
Bus lanes
Bus lanes may or may not be for the exclusive use of buses (So look out for the signs when you can and cannot use them).
If there are only certain times when buses have exclusive use of such lanes road signs will clearly state this.
Outside of these times normal traffic may use them.
Contra flow
Some junctions have bus/cycle lane flows in the opposite direction to what you might expect they call these contra flow's. You may be on a two way and one way system with a bus/cycle lane's going in the opposite direction.
Accident happen when vehicles come out too fast out of a T junction, crossroads or one way street as they DO NOT expect cycles or even buses to be traveling in the opposite direction. So ensure always look right and left before emerge out of any junction.
Tram Systems
Tram systems are attempt to reduce the traffic congestion in city centres some councils have adopted modern tram systems.
Trams cannot stop easily and cannot be steered always be prepared to give way to them.
The metal tracks or rails also present a hazard as they provide little road adhesion and can be very slippery particularly when wet.
Reflect & Review
So remember your instructor is there to HELP you so on your driving lesson if you have any uncertainties or need anything rewording or recapping to make things any clearer, just ask.
Your training vehicle is fitted with dual Controls and if necessary could be used throughout your lesson if needed. These are here for your safety so we can step in to keep you safe.
So don’t worry if the issues arise we will aid & guide you VIRBALLY or PHYSICALLY and we can go over the situation if happens to correct if in the future.
Risk management
Physical control of your vehicle
The aim is for you the student to have full control of this lesson with previous lessons and have full talk through on the new topic and then reducing the support throughout with you decision making as best you can.
Your instructor’s job is to analyse any faults or new faults that may accrue in this lesson and put them right.
Talk about any issues if the situations happen on the driving lesson and put issues right.
- Fault identification.
- Fault analysis.
- Remedial action.
Level of instruction on your lesson
- Full talk through.
- Prompt.
- Independent.
End of lesson
- Feed back at the end of your lesson.
- Student’s responsibility of lesson and improvements.
- Plan for the next lesson.
