Inside, Outside, Near Lane, Far Lane, whatever...

[Geoff Bannister]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Carol" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
>
> Geoff:
> > The offside - to my right.
> > 
> > I haven't said that the middle (of the entire road) isn't the middle.
> > 
> > I said that, within a context of driving with three lanes going in
> the same direction, in UK English, the leftmost lane  is the inside
> lane, the rightmost lane the outside lane and the lane is the middle
> is.... the "middle lane".
> 
> Carol responds:
> 
> But what, exactly, is your "inside lane" inside? Ours is "inside" the
> road itself, whether or not there's a median. Our "outside lane" abuts
> the shoulder or sidewalk, which is "outside" the road.
> 
> I just don't understand how the lane nearest the edge of the road
> could be "inside" anything.
> 
> At least we agree on the concepts of "fast lane" and "slow lane"! And
> "middle lane." :-)
> 
> Carol, understanding that you didn't invent the term and just striving
> to understand the concept

Geoff:
Inside the pavement or the hedge or the hard shoulder or whatever
happens to abut the road on the near side.

Great heavens. Never say that the thought that I invented the term 
crossed your mind. Shock, horror, that you could indulge in such 
calumny.
:-)

As an example, whenever I go into Wales to visit a friend, I approach a 
roundabout near the centre of Cardiff to turn left towards the town of 
Penarth and there is sign saying "Inside Lane for Penarth only" because 
I cannot use the left lane to go straight ahead which happens usually 
because there is a dedicated lane for Penarth and - I repeat - it says 
"Inside Lane".