Many Wilmslow residents are concerned about the lack of lane clarity when it comes to the King William/Manchester Road roundabout, particularly when coming from Handforth into Wilmslow.
The Highway Code (Rule 186) states that, when leaving a roundabout at any intermediate exit, the ‘appropriate lane’ should be chosen. While this is vague, the general advice given by driving instructors is to choose the left-hand lane for exits up to 12 o’clock, and the right-hand lane for right turns, unless there are road markings or signage indicating otherwise.
Some residents recall road markings upon entering the roundabout from this direction, however these have since disappeared. It’s likely that this is, in part, leading to some confusion regarding which lane to use when continuing straight ahead over the roundabout and staying on Manchester Road.
The uphill nature of the roundabout, and its relatively small size, also contributes to the problem. If two cars leave both lanes of the northern exit intending to continue straight onwards, it presents an almost immediate issue considering the shape of the roundabout and the power needed to climb the opposite hill.
Regardless of which the ‘correct lane’ would be, in theory a car in the right-hand lane should give way to one already in the left-hand lane. This rarely happens. Instead, both cars then navigate a last-minute merge, which is both dangerous and frustrating, particularly considering both drivers will believe that they are in the correct lane.
The lack of lane clarity can also be hazardous to drivers entering the roundabout from the bypass, as they may expect either a car in the left-hand lane to turn left, or a car in the right-hand lane to turn right.
In short, there needs to be more signposting of the lanes.
This issue has been discussed or mentioned on multiple occasions on
the Wilmslow Hub's Facebook page, leading to the creation of the
petition.
This ePetition ran from 21/09/2022 to 28/02/2023 and has now finished.
13 people signed this ePetition.