"Rod Speed" wrote in message
...
Does it have the same problem that box junctions have, that if you are
going straight on, you find that as soon as a space becomes available, a
car on your left that is turning left takes the space because they are
closer to it and can reach it sooner?

Not clear what you mean by box junctions, post a link to one
please. All our major junctions which arent mini roundabouts,
normally because a mini roundabout wont fit there now, have
lights and so the queuing happens behind the light white line.

Ah, I wasn't sure whether box junctions had made it over to Oz - maybe they
have under a different name.

Here's an example https://goo.gl/maps/k2vJWLxesJS9F5GS7 The traffic which is
queuing for the traffic lights has to leave the side road on the left clear
so cars can turn left towards the lights or right towards the camera. The
rule is rather like your roundabouts: you can't enter the yellow hatched
zone unless your exit is clear so you won't have to stop on the hatching.

The problem that I was describing with box junctions is illustrated by the
silver car on the left. Supposing I was stopped immediately short of the box
(roughly level with the "C" of the Castlegate label), wanting to follow the
dark estate car through the lights. Suppose the silver car was wanting to
turn left to go in the same direction as me. If the estate car moved
forwards and made a space there would be a "race" between me going straight
on and the silver car turning left, which the silver car may win because he
is slightly closer. Now suppose there is a whole queue of cars behind the
silver and black cars which *all* turn left; I would then never get chance
to cross the box because every time a space beyond the box becomes available
it is immediately taken by a left-turning car. Sometimes people don't have
much sense of fair play: they should alternate between one car from my
direction and one car from the left hand road.