I decided to visit my son who is currently living in Fleetwood just outside Blackpool last Friday, normally a journey of 4-5 hours depending on the usual factors. I left J8 on M27 at 10 o'clock and did not arrive until 6:30 in the evening so travelling for over 8 hours discounting a couple of quick comfort breaks. Every single major road was delayed for one reason or another but the main cause seemed to be just the pure weight of traffic. So a complete waste of a day off .
I think Zero and others were singing the praises of google navigation the other day with regard to the traffic information and I would fully endorse this as it was spot on - I never normally use it unless I actually need directions but I found it really helped as it meant you knew in advance when the next hold up was coming and how far it stretched, this helped reduce some of the frustration instead of just hitting the back of yet another tailback.
I'd also like to compliment the good old BMW sports seats, even after this length of journey most of which entailed clutch pumping, I got out of the car at the end without any aches or pains.
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Think it was probably the start of school holidays in some areas, which no doubt would have not helped!!
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that was the conclusion I came to as well (too late !)
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I cant add anything to the OP questions although it took me 6 hours to travel back from Epsom to South Yorkshire on Friday and I felt cheeky leaving work at 3pm to get home.
If you know it took say 5 hours, why leave home at 10am. Could you have left earlier to purposely drive as much in non peak hours?
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I thought 10am was probably the optimum time as those roads would also be busy during the earlier peak rush-hour. The reality is it was just the knock on effect of one delay after another - a lane closed at Winchester delaying entry onto the A34 a lane closed on the A34 due to a broken down car etc. It then culminated in hitting the M6 that much later catching both the extra 'holiday' traffic along with everybody knocking off early on a Friday, once past Manchester the traffic moved pretty well .
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I'd have left at 4am on a holiday Friday with that journey ahead of me and stopped for breakfast anywhere north of j10 of the M6.
Arrive by 11am stress free but knackered!
Pat
Last edited by: Pat on Tue 1 Aug 17 at 17:51
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Yep, anywhere near Brum is generally constipated by 07.00. and remains so until after 20.00.
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>> A34 a lane closed on the A34 due to a broken down car etc. It
Mrs B is not a daily commuter but Northampton>Oxford and return is a twice weekly occurrence. The A34 is by some distance the bit of journey most likely to stuff an on time arrival. And there are no realistic alternatives.
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Partly weight of traffic, but partly also more people on the roads who normally only drive short journeys and/or at weekends. I've been up and down the A303 yesterday and today (we try to avoid it altogether on summer weekends), and there's far more tailgating, and the resulting mindless braking, than usual. Stupid queues when there was nothing to queue for.
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>>the A303 yesterday and
>>Stupid queues when there was nothing to queue
>> for.
Stonehenge
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Agreed, I have seen piles of dusty rocks in many countries, the only thing that varies is the ambient temperature.
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You do get a lot more middle lane hoggers at weekends and during the holiday season. Slack jawed, white knuckled and oblivious to the congestion they are causing behind them. Cars badly overladen with random carrier bags squashed into every available corner. Mostly sitting way too close to the steering wheel and averse to looking in the mirrors. Occasionally they speed up to 90 and then slow down to 55 without any apparent reason, other than that if you do overtake them when they are dawdling, they'll speed up immediately afterwards, overtake you, and then straight away revert to 55 again.
On the very rare occasions they do change lanes, they wait until there is a vehicle directly alongside them and nearly sideswipe it only indicating or giving the slightest clue as to their intentions after the event.
How some of them make it to their holiday accommodation unscathed is a function only of how vigilant others are at keeping out of their way.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Tue 1 Aug 17 at 17:43
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>> is a function only of how vigilant others are at keeping out of their way.<<
That's a sign of a truly professional driver if ever there was one, no matter what vehicle they are driving.
Pat
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Too kind Pat, too kind !
But I'll take it anyway.
;-)
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Ask any lorry driver, they can recognise a car driver who does the miles and spends most of his life on the road at a half mile distant!
It's that 'trust' thing between the two of you.
Pat
Last edited by: Pat on Tue 1 Aug 17 at 18:00
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Don't really know how to explain this properly, but I try to drive in such a way that others should hopefully notice me when that is useful to both of us, but also I'd hope they wouldn't particularly remember having seen me when the moment has passed. If that makes any kind of sense.
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>> I'd hope they wouldn't particularly remember having seen me when the moment
>> has passed.
well they cant see those boots of yours, so i guess thats possible.
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Have you ever had one of those drivers who leeches onto you on a motorway and copies everything you do for miles and miles and miles?
I had one about a month ago on the trip across Europe. He clung on for 96 miles after I noticed him and I only shook him off when I stopped for fuel. I was on cruise all the time but I usually hit the gas if I'm overtaking when there are only two lanes (I hate those who do monumentally slow overtakes). So after an overtake I'd be about 200 metres in front. And there he would be, slowly catching up and taking his place 20 metres behind me.
It didn't bother me at all, in fact, quite entertaining.
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Flick bogies out of the sunroof at them.
;-))
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>> It didn't bother me at all, in fact, quite entertaining.
Take it as a compliment to your smooth progress. I do :)
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I remember driving at night between LA and Phoenix.
There was one other vehicle on the road and his cruise control was obviously set at 0.0001 mph faster than mine.
Could see him in my mirror for ages and could then see him in front of me for hours as well
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" .. make it unscathed is a function only of how vigilant others are at keeping out of their way. "
Not just at holiday time either,
Reminds me of the Jasper Carrot sketch "mother-in-law"
"never had an accident, but seen hundreds"
P.S.
first look on this site today, so not yet looked at non motoring, might already be mentioned, but I see from the late news that the Brummie needs a heart bypass,
I wish him well
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Friday, nuff said, bad idea
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I had the opposite last night, arriving exactly 60 mins ahead of schedule on stand at LBA. Evening flight, tailwind, ATC allowed two 'shortcuts' from Tenerife
Then waited onboard for 34minutes before busses arrived to take us to the terminal. A perennial problem at that airport. Really useless ground handling.
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....I can't help but think that your jaunts abroad must be something akin to this:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPjJFv1NDBg
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'Alan Bennett Class'.... the chap has a property in Clapham, just up the road from me. Met him a number of times. Decent sort.
And I only take a carry on most of the time.... when you've backpacked for donkeys years you learn to travel light. And Jet2 hols deduct the cost of a checked bag if you are on a package. And the transfer. But you have to ask , cannot be done online.
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>> Then waited onboard for 34minutes before busses arrived to take us to the terminal. A
>> perennial problem at that airport. Really useless ground handling.
Insignificant compared to what LGW can serve up. Waited an hour there once for baggage not to appear. I jumped into one of the service desks in the end, called the duty manager (number handily written on the internal phone) and told him there was a riot going on in the baggage hall. By the time Sussex police rocked up there was. They soon got the baggage to arrive.
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>> Then waited onboard for 34minutes before busses arrived to take us to the terminal. A
>> perennial problem at that airport. Really useless ground handling.
If you're an hour early then unless there are busses and drivers sitting unused you're going to have to wait until stuff planned for previous hour is dealt with. OTOH I remember LBA with 6 stands and you walked to terminal.
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>> >>the A303 yesterday and
>> >>Stupid queues when there was nothing to queue
>> >> for.
>>
>> Stonehenge
>>
I headed out of London yesterday and the satnav took me the M4 way when I normally use the M3 and A303 followed by a 55 min cross country blast ...
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Mine was bad enough nearly 3 hours on a journey that should take two hours (a broken down van) then two and a bit hours back. Plus all day sat down.
I don't know how the mway hacks do it.
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Beats working though. Depending on time of day, there's Popmaster, The Archers, Any Questions etc etc.
;-)
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Sorry radio shows aren't my cup of tea, I only listen to music on the radio. Oh I don't know it felt like hard work at times!
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I've got used to having to travel far in rush hour these days - I'm spoilt.
Next week I have a funeral I need to get to (Friday). It's in Morpeth and at 11:30am. So because of the M62 I am thinking I need to leave home around 7am to get there on time. I've done it at weekends but no a Friday morning. I reckon it could be a 3.5 to 4 hour journey (potentially) and I'd get there for 11am. Not sure I can even get the time of work which is then a problem for my wife getting there... trains!
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I've never had to commute far or bomb up and down the mways for work. I suppose you get used to anything eventually but I don't think I would want to, or even could really, get used to it.
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Better to get clear of the M62 before 07.00. Can be a car park after that. Get an early start and a nice breakfast once you're somewhere more civilised. Or failing that, Wetherby services.
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Edit - but if you do use Wetherby services, don't stay too long. Look what happened to Iffy.
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>> Edit - but if you do use Wetherby services, don't stay too long. Look what
>> happened to Iffy.
Was that Wetherby? Do we have a release date for him yet?
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When I used to have to travel east on the M62, I found it was a little later than 7am that it becomes a problem. And I'd hoped the variable speed limits were not helping. Early start might include taking the father in law if he's up to it (he's 85).... so 7am might be pushing it for him. But if that's what we need to do... :-(
I had a spell working at some companies outside Leeds and also Bradford. I'd have to aim to get there really early (too early to get it) otherwise be late. So had a nap in the car :-)
Last edited by: rtj70 on Tue 1 Aug 17 at 20:35
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Gets a bit grim after 4.00PM too. Especially on Fridays. Not sure which bit of Manchester you'll be heading back to but I often use the A66 to get back to the M6 at Tebay. Might not help you as much though.
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I've had two journeys recently where I've been stuck in heavy traffic, both whilst going to see my cousin in Bucks. About 1 hour 15 min on the way there traveling weekday lunchtime, but two hours plus on the way home as we caught rush hour around Reading the first time a few weeks ago and the M25 yesterday.
But on neither occasion did it bother me at all. The first visit was to my cousin in a hospice and yesterdays was to his funeral. We all have family or friends who have been taken too early and it puts being stuck in a bit of traffic in perspective.
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I'm not too bothered about being stuck in traffic. I can put the heater on or the air con. Listen to the radio. Talk to myself and no-one thinks I'm mad. No nagging or answering back. No-one to complain if I fart etc.
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If a fart happens in the car and no one else is there, does it still make a smell?
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One's own emissions never repulse in the same way as other people's.
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>> One's own emissions never repulse in the same way as other people's.
>>
Yet another of my, er, talents that has waned in recent years.
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>> The first visit was to
>> my cousin in a hospice and yesterdays was to his funeral. We all have family
>> or friends who have been taken too early and it puts being stuck in a
>> bit of traffic in perspective.
>>
True, and sorry for your loss.
You were fortunate that both hold-ups didn't involve any time pressure. I'm finding that for time critical meetings I have to allow a ridiculous amount of buffer time, and for a family funeral I recently attended I was two hours early.
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Rode the 311 miles from Dover home yesteday. Leaving at 9.20am I was home just over six hours later - this included stops -without stops, on board computer calculated average speed of 56mph. All the way using the M20, M26, M25 (clockwise), M40, M42, M6, M54, A5, A483 and A55, I was so lucky no congestion until the Welsh border at Chirk the only time I needed to put a foot down was on the roundabouts. I was so lucky, especially around Heathrow.
Last edited by: R.P. on Thu 3 Aug 17 at 20:52
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Nightmare journey - smokie
