Just stupid or self appointed speed police

[phill-k]

I have it in writing from the traffic police who look after written complaints from the motoring public, driving an urban assault vehicle a few years ago over the harbour bridge, Sunday morning about 7.30am, stupid bitch in her BMW in the right hand lane doing 78kms I was in a wee bit of a hurry and so flashed my lights to indicate I was coming through, no traffic as such and I didn't want to undertake her, long story short she complained about my aggressive driving and I wrote back saying she was travelling at under the speedlimit when the left hand lane was free and I did not wish to undertake her, received a letter back saying she was within her rights to travel in the right hand lane and that I could legally pass her in the left hand as they are regarded as individual carriageways on our motorways, another piece of muppet law.

[cheshirecat]

Where do you get that from Jim, the Rule is the Rule and is part of legislation?

did i see you (tidy 94ish VFR) on the Mway the otherday (fri am I think) You were going Well up SH1 braring left to go up the gorge. I was the other one.

[PrincessBandit]

Tbh, I've only seen the "keep left unless passing" on dedicated passing lanes which run for finite stretches of open road. Motorways or dual carriage ways aren't the same as those therefore I've never thought it important to observe. My bad if it's actually in the road code!!!

What twists my knickers is when two vehicles travel alongside each other holding up traffic behind. This is especially irritating when you get to an overtaking lane and a fricken truck decides to overtake another truck and the pair of them stop any other vehicle from being able to pass.

If there is more than one lane for the same directional flow of traffic which is NOT a dedicated passing lane then either is fair game for passing - left or right.

[BMWST?]

There's no legal requirement to stay left on motorways or dual-carriageways in NZ, and even if their was, it wouldn't be enforced.

there is,the road code says to keep left at all times except overtaking,this applies to dual and multi lane roads too

[pzkpfw]

... What twists my knickers is when two vehicles travel alongside each other holding up traffic behind. ...

On a busy day late last year I took off from work early (in car) to get my boy from school (returning from camp).

Going down the motorway at about 100-105 (according to my speedo) and get stuck behind two blockers doing 90-95, maybe 100 sometimes, side by side.

Got me angry (yes, MY fault, I know). So when the left blocker was held up by finally catching up to an even slower vehicle, I shot (yes, indicated first (I also do mirror and shoulder checks for bikes)) into the left lane, past the right hand blocker, and then back into the right lane.

Of course, I didn't actually want to play race car, but also didn't want to slow down right in front of the car I just passed, so continued for a little at "overtaking speed".

Around the corner to where the mufti Commodore was waiting for me. Cost me $80. (115 in a 100 area).


Finally got to my sons' school, to find he'd got a lift home with someone else anyway.

[HQfiend]

The really infuriating thing is the muppets that decide to prepare to exit the motorway system at Silverstream, by getting into the right hand lane at Ngaranga!

[merv]

did i see you (tidy 94ish VFR) on the Mway the otherday (fri am I think) You were going Well up SH1 braring left to go up the gorge. I was the other one.

Not me I wasn't there that day on the bike.

[Berries]

there is,the road code says to keep left at all times except overtaking,this applies to dual and multi lane roads too

The Road Code is just a bunch of handy driving tips, the legislation behind it does not say you have to stay in the left hand lane (although it should). In fact the legislation is written to specifically allow you to pass on the left - Road User Rule 2.8(2). As stated in a previous post, the Keep Left When Passing signs are only used at passing lanes however, 2.8(2) means you are not committing an offence to overtake on the left if you can. Don't try it in slow vehicle lanes though.

The practice used to piss me off when I first came to NZ, now I just accept it as typical inconsiderate NZ driving. I give them a second or two to see if they are going to move then wazz past on the left.

[pete376403]

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regul...DLM302188.html

Interesting that 7.15 refers to the right of a policeman to ask for and inspect your helmet. Anybody ever had their helmet checked?

Yup, happened to me a long time ago when full-face helmets were not offically approved. I had an AGV f/f and was pillioning on a Suzuki 250 Hustler (does that date it yet?) Rider got stopped for speeding, plod looked at my helmet and told me I shouldn't be using it as it wasn't safe in New Zealand. Didn't ticket me for it, though.
At that time (about 1975ish) you couldn't buy helmets like that in NZ shops, it was a private import.

[JMemonic]

the Keep Left When Passing signs are only used at passing lanes however

No they are not, http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&...05.33,,0,14.83

The Sign on the left is a keep left unless passing but the road way is dual carriage way on the uphill stretch, apparently this is unusual but not the only piece of road that has this situation in NZ.

[Swoop]

Getting kiwi road users to "keep left" is as impossible as teaching a woman the offside rule.




(Don't attempt to link to that thread in J&H, the writer has never seen females in action in a shoeshop).

[Usarka]

The Road Code is just a bunch of handy driving tips, the legislation behind it does not say you have to stay in the left hand lane (although it should). In fact the legislation is written to specifically allow you to pass on the left -

+1 the road code is just a pamphlet, it is not "the law".

[Scuba_Steve]

re road code overtaking.

"the light rail vehicle must not be—

*

(i) signalling an intention to turn left or to stop; or . ."

Can someone explain to me how one might be in this situation in NZ - I thought trains stuck to rails and we stuck to roads

I thought the "light rail vehicles" might have referred to the likes of the Hiluxes with those rail add-ons? I'm probably wrong tho???

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regul...DLM302188.html

Interesting that 7.15 refers to the right of a policeman to ask for and inspect your helmet. Anybody ever had their helmet checked?

Nope & I hope I never do, chances are being as "intelligent" as alot of cops seem to be their test will probably consist of dropping it onto the road & going "yea that held up, its safe"

[Swatty]

The really infuriating thing is the muppets that decide to prepare to exit the motorway system at Silverstream, by getting into the right hand lane at Ngaranga!

Yep see this a lot. Its 25kms to my exit so I better get in the right lane now. As an added bonus they will do 90kph with everyone passing them on the left. They may as well remove all the mirrors as they are only for decoration.

[oneofsix]

Yep see this a lot. Its 25kms to my exit so I better get in the right lane now. As an added bonus they will do 90kph with everyone passing them on the left. They may as well remove all the mirrors as they are only for decoration.

Hey calm down folks, you have to feel for these drivers. They don't know how to change lanes in traffic, they don't allow others into 'their space' so don't expect to be allowed in themselves and they aren't safe at anything over 90km (their speedo is probably reading 98km btw and the propaganda says you die at over 100km). Therefore they just have to get in their lane early, like super early.
Bet tehy are also the ones that slow down before their exit rather than after leaving the motorway.