The worst/most frustrating road junction in Sunderland?

Weremuthe said:
The roundabout bottom of Durham Road/Tunstall Road/Mary Street/Albion Place - coming up St Michaels Way 2 lanes go into 3 and 2 to exit.
No clear signs as to which lanes are for Tunstall (generally the locals use the middle and non-locals left and middle), some treat it as a mini-roundabout and go all the way around to the Durham Road exit in the outside lane, others just ignore the markings and straddle 2 lanes at once.
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No clear signs? 🤔 It's signposted as to which lane to get in and then it's also on the road further up. It's the driver's that are mostly at fault. The sign below has been there since 2009 looking at google maps and it's clear as owt the left lane is for the first two exits. Most of time, it's drivers who are at fault and it's either them just being shite drivers or selfish knackers or both.

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Sporty said:
No clear signs? 🤔 It's signposted as to which lane to get in and then it's also on the road further up. It's the driver's that are mostly at fault. The sign below has been there since 2009 looking at google maps and it's clear as owt the left lane is for the first two exits. Most of time, it's drivers who are at fault and it's either them just being shite drivers or selfish knackers or both.

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I find it simple enough to navigate, however fully aware others don't & they will cut you up no problem, I have my foot covering the brake on that roundabout at all times!
 
Sporty said:
No clear signs? 🤔 It's signposted as to which lane to get in and then it's also on the road further up. It's the driver's that are mostly at fault. The sign below has been there since 2009 looking at google maps and it's clear as owt the left lane is for the first two exits. Most of time, it's drivers who are at fault and it's either them just being shite drivers or selfish knackers or both.

www.google.com

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the problem is that the 2 lanes become 3 and once you reach those sign posts you cannot change lane they are log jammed, to be honest I've never noticed those road markings they are normally hidden by the cars, vans, buses and lorries waiting on top of them
 
Weremuthe said:
the problem is that the 2 lanes become 3 and once you reach those sign posts you cannot change lane they are log jammed, to be honest I've never noticed those road markings they are normally hidden by the cars, vans, buses and lorries waiting on top of them
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The big sign is a distance away from the traffic lights and more than enough to switch if need be given you see the sign before getting to it. What percentage of drivers will be 'new' to the road?

Even if some numpty useless driver hogs the middle lane of the 3 after the 2 lane lights to go up Stockton Road and leaves the left free, that leaves the right of the 3 to head off to Tunstall or Durham Road. The left lane driver should not try to go right round that way, nor should they really take the middle lane to go up Stockton Road leaving the left free.

The worst approach is from Park Lane as drivers go into the left of 3 to go right but ends up chopping up someone in the middle lane wanting to head up Durham Road. If you click forward in the link below, there's even someone caught on google maps in the left lane who then cuts into the middle lane that the google car is in.

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That's the problem, the standard of drivers and those with poor lane discipline for one reason or another. It's the same on the A19/Wessy Way roundabout as people can't even follow the dotted markings to guide them to switch lanes to the left before coming off the roundabout.

Most places can be driven through using lane discipline but the standard of driving is poor at times from some. You can often have an idea of what some drivers are going to do and it's best just to be ready or hang back a bit before they cut you up.

Vindaloo Man said:
I find it simple enough to navigate, however fully aware others don't & they will cut you up no problem, I have my foot covering the brake on that roundabout at all times!
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This! Just said similar above.
 
These aren't as big an issue as some others mentioned but can be a pain.

The roundabout on the south side of the Alex bridge. Driving instructor always told me if you're coming over the bridge turning right headed to Pallion (3rd exit) use the middle lane, with the right lane being for heading nearly back on yourself for the 4th exit. Plenty of times I've had someone go round in the right lane and cut across for the 3rd exit, then have a go at me. I just hang back now if I see someone in the right lane.

Only the 2nd and 3rd exits are signposted there like so it's not clear, they need to either reduce it to two lanes round the roundabout or get a proper sign up.

Couple on the Barnes roundabout you need to keep an eye on. Two lanes into three after the lights if you're coming down Durham Road and turning right. Sometimes drivers in the left lane will take the left lane, sometimes drivers in the right lane will take the right lane, sometimes drivers from both lanes will take the middle lane.

Headed from Queen Alex road towards Barnes Park there's some lights coming off the roundabout that briefly split into two lanes before immediately merging back into one again. Had a few people in the right lane not realising how quickly it merges back.
 
a1970man said:
How about the lights at Toll Bar.
Worked fine as a mini roundabout for years, then they go and turn it into traffic lights.
Result = Queues regardless of when you rock up, be it rush hour or 5am on a Sunday morning.

Sunderland Council at their finest. They even fell foul of their own rules as they didn't have planning permission when the converted it from memory.
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I went through that junction on two separate occasions when the lights weren't working and they were all switched off. It was great there were no queues and most drivers just used common sense to drive through it, by giving and taking. Both occasions were a Saturday when it's always busy.
Most of the roads the council have messed with have been a disaster. The so called A690 super route created chaos and gridlock when it came online. The buses it was supposed to help were caught up in it giving the opposite of what it was intended for.
Roundabouts with lights on which when you're turning right it's very difficult to change lanes as you go around. You keep getting stopped then there is traffic alongside you making it hard to move left to exit the roundabout. The roundabout at the end of the A690 joining Chester rd in the town centre is the worst, but they refuse to change it.
 
Sporty said:
The big sign is a distance away from the traffic lights and more than enough to switch if need be given you see the sign before getting to it. What percentage of drivers will be 'new' to the road?

Even if some numpty useless driver hogs the middle lane of the 3 after the 2 lane lights to go up Stockton Road and leaves the left free, that leaves the right of the 3 to head off to Tunstall or Durham Road. The left lane driver should not try to go right round that way, nor should they really take the middle lane to go up Stockton Road leaving the left free.

The worst approach is from Park Lane as drivers go into the left of 3 to go right but ends up chopping up someone in the middle lane wanting to head up Durham Road. If you click forward in the link below, there's even someone caught on google maps in the left lane who then cuts into the middle lane that the google car is in.

www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
www.google.com www.google.com

That's the problem, the standard of drivers and those with poor lane discipline for one reason or another. It's the same on the A19/Wessy Way roundabout as people can't even follow the dotted markings to guide them to switch lanes to the left before coming off the roundabout.

Most places can be driven through using lane discipline but the standard of driving is poor at times from some. You can often have an idea of what some drivers are going to do and it's best just to be ready or hang back a bit before they cut you up.


This! Just said similar above.
Click to expand...

It's my local roundabout - I must have used it 250 x 20 times and the number of times I've had to slam on the brakes must in the low dozens. I know which lane to be in but a lot of people get it wrong and two lanes to three lanes back to two lanes confuses people, 3 tight narrow lanes are not long enough or wide enough for a bus.

I was on that stretch yesterday in the freezing rain - the traffic was banked up from the traffic lights - if there was signs on the road you wouldn't have been able to see them.

If the three lanes on the roundabout were replaced by 2 lanes there would be no problem but there are idiots who don't know how to handle any roundabout.
 
Cheese n Ipa said:
Why do the council insist on putting bushes on roundabouts, restricting your view of lights and other traffic?.
As both a driver and a pedestrian, the roundabout at the Scullery is a nightmare for walkers. Most cars goimg far too fast coming up from Sainsburys way and don't indicate off or you simply can't see whats coming up or down the roads due to the bushes on the roundabout.
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Intentional? To bring folk to a halt? Seen roundabouts around the country with obstructions installed so you cant cruise round. Imagine the additional braking, fuel, emmissions that causes.
 
HorsePills said:
These aren't as big an issue as some others mentioned but can be a pain.

The roundabout on the south side of the Alex bridge. Driving instructor always told me if you're coming over the bridge turning right headed to Pallion (3rd exit) use the middle lane, with the right lane being for heading nearly back on yourself for the 4th exit. Plenty of times I've had someone go round in the right lane and cut across for the 3rd exit, then have a go at me. I just hang back now if I see someone in the right lane.

Only the 2nd and 3rd exits are signposted there like so it's not clear, they need to either reduce it to two lanes round the roundabout or get a proper sign up.

Couple on the Barnes roundabout you need to keep an eye on. Two lanes into three after the lights if you're coming down Durham Road and turning right. Sometimes drivers in the left lane will take the left lane, sometimes drivers in the right lane will take the right lane, sometimes drivers from both lanes will take the middle lane.

Headed from Queen Alex road towards Barnes Park there's some lights coming off the roundabout that briefly split into two lanes before immediately merging back into one again. Had a few people in the right lane not realising how quickly it merges back.
Click to expand...
Best thing to do on roundabouts like that is to drive round them as fast as you can until you lose control and get spat out onto one of the exits.
 
The roundabout just before Wessington Way if you're going to join the A19 southbound and you have a fuck off truck or lorry to the side of you can get pretty hairy like.
 

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