I'm making an unusual (for me) journey on Thursday morning, Reading to Stevenage, needing to arrive a bit before 9am.
Can anyone advise whether it's best to stick to the M25 and get straight on the A1(M), or come off at J21A and take the A405/414 to the Hatfield tunnel, cutting the corner a bit? Will there be anything in it at that time of day in terms of weight of traffic/speed?
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Do this journey at that time 3 or 4 times a month, did it last week, so I know all its foibles. The answer is, the 405/414 in that direction at that time of day jams up badly in two places, and unless you know the shortcut from Junction 22 through colney heath, and you are confident enough to burn rubber streaks in the road to jump through a nanosecond gap in two fast lines of traffic, the M25 to J 23 is always faster.
Coming back, Hatfield tunnel & 414/405 to M25 J21 is always faster and you get the benefit of the cheapest petrol in town at the Shell garage by the Thistle hotel. With my 5p off shell voucher I filled up at 126.9 litre the other day.
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>> unless you know
>> the shortcut from Junction 22 through colney heath
Coursers Rd/High Street? Looks easy enough on the map.
and you are confident enough to burn
>> rubber streaks in the road to jump through a nanosecond gap in two fast lines
>> of traffic, the M25 to J 23 is always faster.
Turning right on to the 414 from Colney Heath? Hmm. I'm a confident sort of chap. And I have 5 NCAP starts. ;-)
>> Coming back, Hatfield tunnel & 414/405 to M25 J21 is always faster and you get
>> the benefit of the cheapest petrol in town at the Shell garage by the Thistle
>> hotel. With my 5p off shell voucher I filled up at 126.9 litre the other
>> day.
Nice tip. I'll need a tank of diesel on the way back. Diesel's 134.9 at best in Reading these days, what's the going rate up there?
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>> Coursers Rd/High Street? Looks easy enough on the map.
Yup
>> Turning right on to the 414 from Colney Heath? Hmm. I'm a confident sort of
>> chap. And I have 5 NCAP starts. ;-)
Yup, its a left turn only, but you have to jump across two lanes of heavy 50-60 mph traffic to make the immediate right swing round the roundabout. Its a "for the confident of us only" manoeuvre unless you want to spend all day there. And of course some there are not confident enough, and sit there all day so you have to take the left lane "under them" and then jump right "across them"
>> >> Coming back, Hatfield tunnel & 414/405 to M25 J21 is always faster and you
>> get
>> >> the benefit of the cheapest petrol in town at the Shell garage by the
>> Thistle
>> >> hotel. With my 5p off shell voucher I filled up at 126.9 litre the
>> other
>> >> day.
>>
>> Nice tip. I'll need a tank of diesel on the way back. Diesel's 134.9 at
>> best in Reading these days, what's the going rate up there?
No idea, petrol man you see. Petrol at that Garage is 131.9 at the moment. Average round here is 134-135.
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Cheers. I'll give J22/Colney Heath a spin then. Having streetviewed the junction I see what you mean. I likes a challenge! Better give the Guna plenty of right foot at that junction, it's a bit of a trickler setting off in first if you don't get the revs right.
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www.petrolprices.com reports diesel at 134.9 at Asda Stevenage (updated May 19th).
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Didnt know there was an asda in Stevenage ta, makes sense for me to divert off when I come south down the A1 next time.
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Next to N Herts College on Monkswood Way Z, one roundabout away from the cop shop / railway station. There's a Sainsburys just off j8 and a Tesco opposite the station, all much the same price for fuel. Watch for the GATSO 1/2m after Sainsburys...
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>> Didnt know there was an asda in Stevenage ta, makes sense for me to divert
>> off when I come south down the A1 next time.
>>
While you are at it, you could pop in here and save a bit more money!
tinyurl.com/mzsdcfk
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>>While you are at it, you could pop in here and save a bit more money!
I'm on me way...
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I always knew Weatherspoons beer tasted like unleaded.
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cheapest petrol in town at the Shell garage by the Thistle hotel.
Known locally simply as the Noke roundabout (not as the Noke Thistle as it was the Noke years before Thistle bought it) and yes, the Shell petrol station is cheap, generally price matches with Tesco in Watford.
Can be a bun fight at the pumps, and the return spring on them is a bit strong so I rarely fill the vintage car there. Were it not for the trees, I could see it from my house!
Last edited by: Slidingpillar on Mon 3 Jun 13 at 13:04
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"Known locally simply as the Noke roundabout ... and yes, the Shell petrol station is cheap, generally price matches with Tesco in Watford."
Er... As a local I have to say quite often it's NOT the cheapest in town. I go there if it is, but of late have used the Sainsbury's a very short distance away, which has regularly been at least 1p/litre cheaper. I agree the queues can be a nightmare, with people coming in from both sides and often ending by facing each other at the pumps. It's very awkwardly configured.
Watford certainly has the reputation of the cheapest petrol around - usually at Asda.
Last edited by: FocalPoint on Mon 3 Jun 13 at 16:25
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Thanks to Z for the Colney Heath tip. Worked well, and the tricky junction wasn't really a big deal. Pretty easy to deal with - I watched a couple of cars go past, got a feel for the speed of approaching traffic, and dived in to the next gap. Simple.
I was in Stevenage on the Friday too, and when I left the office at 16.30, I checked the travel news on the radio to hear dire warnings of Bank Holiday/half term traffic on the M25. So I did a cross country trip home via St Albans (getting there was easily the worst part of the journey), Hemel Hempstead, Chesham, Amersham, High Wycombe, Stokenchurch and Nettlebed. Got a bit turned around between Hemel and Chesham, sign posts are non existant, but once I realised I was heading towards Watford I turned around and found a country road to Chesham quite easily. No satnav required, just a quick glance at a map on my phone. I was home in about 2 hours 45, including a pit stop at Amersham Tesco.
Then, on Saturday, I was back out on the motorways, heading for Paris via the Tunnel for half term week. Oh good Lord. The M3 from Bagshot and the M25 between the M3 and the M26 were horrific. We stopped for a Maccy D's and a comfort break at the new Cobham Services - they were absolutely packed, but it's obviously been well designed as we were in and out within 10 minutes. However, whilst parked, some absolute wastrel managed to cause massive paintwork damage to the passenger side of my Laguna - huge scratches from the rear door to the rear bumper, about a foot high from top to bottom. Must have been reversing out, caught my car with the front bumper, and just carried on scraping rather than readjusting to minimise damage. Of course, no details were left, they just scarpered. Bar stewards.
We were then delayed by about two hours at the tunnel, but the drive on the autoroutes thereafter was an utter, stress free joy, as ever. Paris a joy to drive in as usual - so much easier than London. Everyone just goes for their gaps and leaves you alone to get on with finding yours. Simplicity itself. I parked in a secure garage, and left the car there for the the week. Metro/Bus/RER did the rest.
The Laguna did not break down. Nor on the drive back, either. 600 miles completed and 100 miles still in the tank when we got home. Barmy.
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Welcome back, Vic, and bad luck on the bodywork damage. Worth reporting it to the service station in case a camera caught anything. Fingers crossed for you.
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Ta. I'm not overly minded to contact the services. I couldn't accurately describe where I was parked and I can only estimate the time I was there. Maybe if there's a map of their car park on their website or somesuch, I could narrow it down. Perhaps I'll have a look. And there were seemingly thousands of cars there. If only I'd kept the Maccy D's receipt I'd know what time I was there.
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Sod it. I've sent them an email. Can't do any harm I suppose. You never know.
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They have replied, don't release CCTV images to the public. So no joy.
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But they might to the police, if you made a report.
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Bad luck on the damage, just your luck to park next to a scumbag. However, I'm not sure I'd waste any more of my life pursuing it.
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Me neither. Just another one down to experience. Police, WdB? Suppose I could. But that + insurance company will just = even more money down the drain on renewal.
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>> Me neither. Just another one down to experience. Police, WdB? Suppose I could. But that
>> + insurance company will just = even more money down the drain on renewal.
Yup, report it to the ole bill and you have to inform your insurance company and up goes your premium.
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>>report it to the ole bill and you have to inform your insurance company
I don't see why one should follow the other?
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Because there is a police report on file, and if you don't say "I have had an accident" when you renew, its material information you are withholding from your insurance company.
Last edited by: Zero on Tue 4 Jun 13 at 17:45
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Its material either way. Not telling the police doesn't impact that. Its just the likelihood of it coming to light which is different.
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>> they might to the police, if you made a report.
I was thinking that too.
I find it a fag, and depressing, to chase people after accidents or for things like that, and usually give up in short order. But if you have the energy and inclination, and the damage will cost hundreds to put right, it might be worth trying.
A lot of people are dishonourable in a petty way. After all the guy's third party will pay if he is rumbled. And if he isn't insured, I guess he needs to be brought up short.
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>> They have replied, don't release CCTV images to the public. So no jo
The phrase subject access request might galvanise them..........
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did I warn you lagunas are prone to hitting things?
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>> did I warn you lagunas are prone to hitting being hit by things?
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yes, thank you, quite correct.
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Thursday morning rush - M25 or A405/414? - Zero
