Left lane use on city street

[TheMan419]

So I drive through town to get from our farm to my day job. The main street I am on (not a highway, a city street) is 2 lanes each direction, with a turn lane in the center. It dead ends into another street and I turn left at that intersection. Most folks turn right at that intersection and there are two lanes for doing so.

Today I am in the left lane as we are approaching the intersection. I am doing my usual 5 mph or so OVER the posted limit. There is traffic in the right lane as well.

Some lady comes roaring around all of us using the center turn lane as a passing lane. We both then have to stop at the light, where i am turning left and she is turning right. She rolls down her window and starts to berate me for "going slow in the fast lane".

Is that a thing in city driving? I have driven this exact same route to work for 20 years. Never heard of this.

Yes on a highway left lane is for passing and right lane is for driving.... but on a 4 lane city street? Am I wrong here?

 

[seville009]

You are correct; she was wrong.

 

[old and tired]

You were correct; she is a *****...

 

[TheMan419]

Ok glad to know I am not crazy. OAT I may have used a similar word but it starts with a C.....

 

[Diggin It]

The correct answer is .....

It depends. We have roads with four lanes and a center turn lane and there are signs 'Slower Traffic Keep Right" or similar. Check your state laws regarding lane usage. You may be surprised at laws about 'Improper lane usage'.

In general, you cannot cruise the left lane unless traffic conditions are heavy enough to require it, you're passing a slower vehicle, or you're getting ready to turn left (you don't say how far you traveled in the left lane approaching the turn).

As for passing in the center lane and yelling ... well ....

 

[kthompson]

My wife told me last week you should be a judge so you could fine the drivers that bug me. Driving etiquette has about totally died, well not yet but dying.

 

[ruffdog]

That is the new trend now...when you are in the wrong, yell at everyone else.

 

[oldnslo]

That is the new trend now...when you are in the wrong, yell at everyone else.

Sure do like the I am stupid and it is your fault mentality invading society today.

 

[Torvy]

She was definitely wrong, but you may have been wrong, too, depending on other traffic. We are supposed to pay attention in all directions and if someone is coming up faster, you are supposed to move right, just like on a highway. Of course, in cities it is often too crowded to move over. In many places, this is codified law. In others, you could get charged with something vague like obstructing traffic. It is, at the very least, just proper driving etiquette. Besides, if someone is driving overly fast, I would want to let them get by so they are well past when they lose control, cause an accident or get pulled over. All that being said, it really depends on if you could move over or not. No excuses for her.

 

[K5lwq]

You were right. She needs to have her DL revoked.

When I lived in Florida I was pulling a trailer on a 4 lane highway with no turning lane. I needed To turn left onto the road I lived on so I was in the left lane. A FHP was passing me on the right before I was close enough to put my blinker on and start slowing down. The Officer decided to be smart and got on the loud speaker and told me to move to the right lane. So I hit my brakes and fell in behind him then put my left blinker on and started my turn but had to stop for an opening to cross the highway. So now I had both lanes blocked with the trailer waiting to turn.

He noticed in his mirror and turned around. That created an opening so I went. He turns in behind me and pulls me over. Being smart he walks up to my truck and says what was that? I said that was me following FL state law. I am to obey a police officer even if it breaks another law. Then I said I still don’t know why you wanted me to make a left hand turn from the right lane but that was your call not mine.

He did not say anything else and got in his car and drove away.

 

[TheMan419]

So I took a perusal through Indiana traffic code. Apparently you are to move over if someone is overtaking from behind. However there are two relevant exceptions - (1) if congestion prevents you from moving over or (2) you are turning left.

I suppose there is an argument (2) did not yet apply because we were not up to the intersection yet. However (1) has to have applied because if there was no one in the right lane she would have just passed me on the right. If there was room to pass me on the right and she STILL went off into the turn lane to pass me she was REALLY wrong rather than just wrong.

Of course the yelling at me for it was just bonus stupid points.

 

[dodge man]

What? Are you a complete idiot? Yes you should get out of her way, she had a lot of important things to do compared to your trivial life and unimportant things.

I joke, she probably comes from a big city where that kind of driving is normal. We just got back from a vacation and drove and stayed in some bigger cities and I forgot to drive like a complete idiot when in these bigger towns. You know, every stop light that is red is a drag race when green, when changing lanes 1 isn’t enough, 2 or 3 lanes at a time is normal, and I forgot to accelerate hard to that red light ahead so I can arrive to my destination with smoking brakes.

 

[2manyrocks]

Some lady comes roaring around all of us using the center turn lane as a passing lane. We both then have to stop at the light, where i am turning left and she is turning right. She rolls down her window and starts to berate me for "going slow in the fast lane".

She was late to a meeting with her anger therapist.

 

[turnkey4099]

The correct answer is .....

It depends. We have roads with four lanes and a center turn lane and there are signs 'Slower Traffic Keep Right" or similar. Check your state laws regarding lane usage. You may be surprised at laws about 'Improper lane usage'.

In general, you cannot cruise the left lane unless traffic conditions are heavy enough to require it, you're passing a slower vehicle, or you're getting ready to turn left (you don't say how far you traveled in the left lane approaching the turn).

As for passing in the center lane and yelling ... well ....

Sorta. He was above teh speed limit so he would not have been "camping". I'm not sure if some one in the left lane can leagally be ticketed for "camping" if they are at or above the limit. Yes, it pisses me off to see peoople in the left lane not passing anyone no matter what speed they are going.

 

[kenmbz]

I used to drive a lot in Manhattan. This incident would not even be considered a thing there, just normal driving Lucky if you can even get close to the speed limit no less above it.

Dealing with taxis, buses, bicycles and phone based pedestrians is always fun.

Just move on and know you are doing fine and can't fix the crazy people or the clueless.

 

[Thomas]

She like ding bat knothead road ragger!!!!

 

[MossRoad]

The correct answer is .....

It depends. We have roads with four lanes and a center turn lane and there are signs 'Slower Traffic Keep Right" or similar. Check your state laws regarding lane usage. You may be surprised at laws about 'Improper lane usage'.

In general, you cannot cruise the left lane unless traffic conditions are heavy enough to require it, you're passing a slower vehicle, or you're getting ready to turn left (you don't say how far you traveled in the left lane approaching the turn).

As for passing in the center lane and yelling ... well ....

NO, it doesn't depend. She was using the center turn lane to pass people. I see it several times a week in the same area as the OP on my commute to and from work.

The problem arose from the city used to be a lot of one-way streets with multiple lanes going in the same direction. People got used to going fast, timed lights, and having 3 lanes. They removed all of the one-way streets and made them one lane in each direction, with a center turn lane. A very large number of people that live here never got over it, and pass in the center turn lane, or on the right in the bike and parking lanes.

I think it's a local phenomenon.

 

[MossRoad]

So I drive through town to get from our farm to my day job. The main street I am on (not a highway, a city street) is 2 lanes each direction, with a turn lane in the center. It dead ends into another street and I turn left at that intersection. Most folks turn right at that intersection and there are two lanes for doing so.

Today I am in the left lane as we are approaching the intersection. I am doing my usual 5 mph or so OVER the posted limit. There is traffic in the right lane as well.

Some lady comes roaring around all of us using the center turn lane as a passing lane. We both then have to stop at the light, where i am turning left and she is turning right. She rolls down her window and starts to berate me for "going slow in the fast lane".

Is that a thing in city driving? I have driven this exact same route to work for 20 years. Never heard of this.

Yes on a highway left lane is for passing and right lane is for driving.... but on a 4 lane city street? Am I wrong here?

Nope. You're right. She's nuts. See it daily.

Try LWW at 3:00am when the bars get out. Cars traveling west at 50-60mph four across. I found different roads.

 

[tallyho8]

You're lucky. In New Orleans if they have road rage they shoot you.

 

[TheMan419]

Nope. You're right. She's nuts. See it daily.

Try LWW at 3:00am when the bars get out. Cars traveling west at 50-60mph four across. I found different roads.

I wouldn't be near that area of town that time of morning. I have seen the videos posted on social media of this phenomenon, but it does not seem to be just a local thing.