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How to safely leave Calais Tunnel/Ports.


The Wanderer

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This guide is aimed at players who forget to drive on the opposite side of the road when they travel between ports, most notably being the Dover-based Channel Tunnel and the shipping port just outside of Dover. These seem to have no/very little moderator supervision as these aren't constantly busy.

It's going to be a long one, but it's to try and get the point across of how to use the roads around these areas, such as the junctions leaving the tunnel and also the roads around the area which is something many players seem to struggle with.
As a quick disclaimer, all of these screenshots were taken in offline mode. These are also mostly aimed to those travelling towards the UK, as that's where most players struggle. I've also done this at night-time in-game to prove that it is possible, either in good lighting or not. Please also note that some road positions are ever-so-slightly exaggerated just to get certain screenshots in a good enough quality (my PC isn't particularly beefy.)

So, you've crossed the tunnel, you've driven up the ramps and followed it around to the right and driving down that one-way system. So what now? Well, here, I'm planning to walk you through the process to go through when you're leaving. 

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So you're nearing the end of the one-way systems, and you see these road markings. ENTER THE LANE FOR THE DIRECTION YOU WISH TO GO. If you don't, you'll cause all kinds of confusion. The best thing to do if you don't, is to carry on and follow the turning, and then find somewhere safe to turn around; Circling through different roads, a roundabout or a service/petrol station. Or, stop and indicate to the lane you need, waiting until it's completely empty to start moving and then enter the lane. 
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As you're ever closer to the end, you see these two signs, bright red. THESE MEAN STOP. You must stop your vehicle to a complete stop here and check there is no traffic coming. Vehicles move erratically here, as to why you often see them with their hazards on in this area. Note that there is not designated stop sign; Different vehicles have different sight lines, obstructed by door pillars and similar. Pull out just enough to meet the edge of the road or until you can see clearly.
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Straight in front of you, you can already see this big blue sign. The sign, at this point, is literally telling you where to drive. Listen to it. If you go the wrong way, don't be surprised if you come to the game a day or two later and find yourself temporarily banned. However, people's video settings don't always aid in seeing this sign, so there's even more you can go off to figure out where you should be driving:
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Lighting is poor, but you can still clearly see these arrows on the floor here. You can also see the back of a road sign; If you see this, that means you need to drive on the opposite side of that sign. If the sign is on the right side of the road like that, and it's blank to you, you need to drive on the left.
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On the point of road signs, there's a give-way sign here, and it's on the left. Therefore, we can completely confirm that we need to drive on the left. Also, whilst we're at this point, check on your navigation panel or check the road signs in front to decide where you need to go. Once you know where to go, position yourself at this junction correctly. This is what a lot of people do wrong. Below are two pictures to show the correct location to position yourself at junctions like these, in this case, if you're turning right;
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Here, you can see that the base of my wing-mirror is lined up with this junction line, which means the bonnet of my vehicle will be no further forwards than that. You will need to experiment with your vehicle to see where you can make this reference.
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In this picture, you can see that my bumper is no further forwards than the two lines, and you can also see that I'm not on the wrong side of the road; I'm as far right as is safely possible. This is regarded as perfect road positioning for this junction. No vehicles are able to hit you here and it allows vehicles behind you turning left to do so. 

Now, once you've left the area entirely, here's some more quick checks you can do in case you're doubting yourself after all of this.
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Look at the side of the road again. It's pretty much a repeat of earlier on; look for any road furniture such as road signs, which will show you which side you're meant to be on. This 'No Overtaking' sign and the speed limit sign up ahead are visible to you.
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Another major giveaway are these gantry signs. If you're driving the wrong way, you'll be able to tell straight away that 1) These road markings aren't going the right way and 2) You'll not see anything on the gantry, or the gantry will be on the opposite side of the road.

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This what you would see if you were going the wrong way;

  1. The road signs are grey; You can't see the sign's markings because this is the back of the sign.
  2. The gantry is on the left, whereas you're on the right. This is a major giveaway that you're going the wrong way.
  3. The white markings on the left show the lane splitting off into a left turn for the tunnel entrance, whereas this side, it's cross-hatched.


This applies to ALL PORTS/CROSS-CHANNEL CROSSINGS, and some of these tips will help you in general if you ever find yourself straying by accident.

So, to bullet-point this guide, here's a list of quick checks to make:
 

  • What road markings are there? Follow the ones pertinent to you.
  • What road signs are there? Can I see them on my side of the road? If the sign isn't showing their image on the side of the road you're on, you're on the wrong side of the road. If a sign in blue gives you an instruction, follow it. These are mandatory.
  • Where is my vehicle in relation to the road? Make sure your vehicle is positioned as far forwards and to the side you're planning to travel as is safely possible without causing a collision with other players or road furniture. If you're turning right, position your vehicle as far over as possible so people turning left, can. 
  • What are the road signs saying after the junction? Make sure you can see the road signs again, as a double-check you're going the correct way.

    Hopefully, this guide will minimise the amount of people making these basic mistakes. If this stops even one player from making these mistakes, I'll deem this guide a complete success.
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You are writing about a very important issue. But, unfortunately, I don't think that this guide will be really very important even for the beginners. Most drivers are always very careful and they will choose the right side of a road without such a detailed guide. However, those drivers who are usually reckless can't use your guide properly because of their driving style.

 

 

But, anyway, thank you very much for this guide. Hope it will really help someone.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Useful guide as it is a mistake commonly made when people cross from mainland Europe to the UK. However, as @Gucci Gang said, a lot of people notice these signs and I am seeing this mistake less and less. None the less, this guide is very useful for the beginners who aren't from the UK as things like road markings are something that you need to be aware of.

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  • 2 years later...

This guide is outdated due to the port of Calais being revamped in V1.39 of Euro Truck Simulator 2 and as this guide has not been used for the last 2+ years.

 

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Views expressed are my own and do not represent anyone else.

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