3 ms·

“Overtaking lane” in most of the world.

by sen 3y ago

rationalist 3y ago
Are you thinking of a different roadway feature? As I understand English, that phrase literally means you're using that lane to overtake someone else, when in fact the opposite is occurring.
nl 3y ago
My understanding is that these aren't like the overtaking lanes we have in Australia (where what was a 2 lane road becomes 3 lane with one additional lane for a period of time). I think they are more like what we'd refer to as truck stops - an area off the road where you can pull over to stop. I'd note this quote: > Second, often times (in the USA at least), these pull-outs have rough terrain going in an and out of them. There will be a little bump or uneven ground that most vehicles wouldn't mind hitting every now and then, but in my rig, that causes the whole thing to sway back and forth ... > Pulling into the pull-out, coming to a complete stop, waiting for everyone to pass.. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36410014 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36410014 These aren't things that happen with overtaking lanes.
- prawn 3y ago
  No, it's neither of those things IMO. (I've driven a lot in Australia and in the US.) The latter you mentioned sounds like a truck-specific rest-stop - there are loads of those on the Stuart Highway, or heading over to Eyre Peninsula. What they're talking about are turnout lanes which are a lane beside the road with no median/barrier and you're expected to slow down or maybe stop very briefly, purely to let faster traffic through. There are some up on the road past Pichi Richi Park to Quorn if you ever drive through the Southern Flinders, but they're not overly common in SA. I've seen them formally in northern USA (Idaho going into Washington state, maybe) where they are risky and unclear, and I've seen informal ones on roads east of the Sierra Nevada which are like your quote - rough, unpredictable poorly laid asphalt or gravel.
  - iudqnolq 3y ago
    No, a pullout is not an extra lane. The smaller ones are about thirty feet long paved or gravel, but especially in California they can be a few times longer. They look like so: https://i0.wp.com/takemytrip.com/images/550x_14d_DSC03483.JPG?resize=550%2C367&ssl=1 https://i0.wp.com/takemytrip.com/images/550x_14d_DSC03483.JP...
    - prawn 3y ago
      Is there a distinction between turnout and pullout? An RV is 20-30+ feet long. Thirty feet isn't enough time to slow and stop at speed. Let alone build up speed and reenter the main route. Even the one in your picture (much longer than 30') is an example of one that is risky for an RVer to use. People would use that to stop and take a photo or take their kid to the toilet, but proper ones are closer to an actual lane as in, same surface as the road, and longer. And no one would stop on them other than for 10 seconds to let traffic pass. Here's one on the southern side of Flinders Ranges Way here in South Australia (where I assume @NL still lives): https://www.google.com.au/maps/search/quorn/@-32.4561221,137.9721475,181m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&entry=ttu https://www.google.com.au/maps/search/quorn/@-32.4561221,137...
davchana 3y ago
No, its literally a 100 feet or something, maybe 3 or 4 rv length, or 10 car length strip, in California its asphalted. You get off the road lane, you have to stop in it. Others pass you. Now you come back to road.

“Overtaking lane” in most of the world.

by sen 3y ago

“Overtaking lane” in most of the world.

Are you thinking of a different roadway feature? As I understand English, that phrase literally means you're using that lane to overtake someone else, when in fact the opposite is occurring.

nl 3y ago

My understanding is that these aren't like the overtaking lanes we have in Australia (where what was a 2 lane road becomes 3 lane with one additional lane for a period of time). I think they are more like what we'd refer to as truck stops - an area off the road where you can pull over to stop. I'd note this quote: > Second, often times (in the USA at least), these pull-outs have rough terrain going in an and out of them. There will be a little bump or uneven ground that most vehicles wouldn't mind hitting every now and then, but in my rig, that causes the whole thing to sway back and forth ... > Pulling into the pull-out, coming to a complete stop, waiting for everyone to pass.. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36410014 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36410014 These aren't things that happen with overtaking lanes.

prawn 3y ago
No, it's neither of those things IMO. (I've driven a lot in Australia and in the US.) The latter you mentioned sounds like a truck-specific rest-stop - there are loads of those on the Stuart Highway, or heading over to Eyre Peninsula. What they're talking about are turnout lanes which are a lane beside the road with no median/barrier and you're expected to slow down or maybe stop very briefly, purely to let faster traffic through. There are some up on the road past Pichi Richi Park to Quorn if you ever drive through the Southern Flinders, but they're not overly common in SA. I've seen them formally in northern USA (Idaho going into Washington state, maybe) where they are risky and unclear, and I've seen informal ones on roads east of the Sierra Nevada which are like your quote - rough, unpredictable poorly laid asphalt or gravel.
- iudqnolq 3y ago
  No, a pullout is not an extra lane. The smaller ones are about thirty feet long paved or gravel, but especially in California they can be a few times longer. They look like so: https://i0.wp.com/takemytrip.com/images/550x_14d_DSC03483.JPG?resize=550%2C367&ssl=1 https://i0.wp.com/takemytrip.com/images/550x_14d_DSC03483.JP...
  - prawn 3y ago
    Is there a distinction between turnout and pullout? An RV is 20-30+ feet long. Thirty feet isn't enough time to slow and stop at speed. Let alone build up speed and reenter the main route. Even the one in your picture (much longer than 30') is an example of one that is risky for an RVer to use. People would use that to stop and take a photo or take their kid to the toilet, but proper ones are closer to an actual lane as in, same surface as the road, and longer. And no one would stop on them other than for 10 seconds to let traffic pass. Here's one on the southern side of Flinders Ranges Way here in South Australia (where I assume @NL still lives): https://www.google.com.au/maps/search/quorn/@-32.4561221,137.9721475,181m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&entry=ttu https://www.google.com.au/maps/search/quorn/@-32.4561221,137...

davchana 3y ago

No, its literally a 100 feet or something, maybe 3 or 4 rv length, or 10 car length strip, in California its asphalted. You get off the road lane, you have to stop in it. Others pass you. Now you come back to road.