Motoring Discussion > A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Mapmaker Replies: 18
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New Mon 6 Sep 10 18:58 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - Mapmaker
What's it like? I shall be leaving London around 4.30pm, would I be better going M1 instead and avoiding Hatfield?
Last edited by: Mapmaker on Mon 6 Sep 10 at 18:58
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New Mon 6 Sep 10 19:16 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - Dave_
It depends... Whereabouts are you heading?
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New Mon 6 Sep 10 19:36 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - Perky Penguin
This site will give live traffic info

www.trafficengland.com/index.aspx?ct=true

plus I think they have an 0845 number

and Google maps will also give traffic info; go to maps, find the area you want and there is a "Traffic" tab in the top centre of the screen, click on that and you will get live traffic flow info.
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New Mon 6 Sep 10 19:39 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - Zero
the hatfield tunnel, has mostly been failry free flowing northbound.

Its helps that the approach road is only two lanes, and two lanes are open (albiet at 40mph) through the tunnel.
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New Mon 6 Sep 10 19:41 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - Iffy
...the hatfield tunnel...

Has it still got those large fans bolted to the ceiling?

They were in short tubes and you could see the blades spinning lazily.

Used to fascinate me.

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New Mon 6 Sep 10 20:02 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - Zero
yes it does, and they are not spinning lazily, they are spinning like jet aircraft turbines in a deperate attempt to clear the smog from the slow moving traffic. So fast in fact it sounds like heathrow in there at times. And there is still a smog in there.
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New Mon 6 Sep 10 20:07 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - Iffy
...and they are not spinning lazily...

Oh, last time I was through they were - you could see the individual fan blades.

That was about 20 years ago.

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New Mon 6 Sep 10 20:10 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - Zero
its only happened since the work taking place. people zooming through created a draught. They dont now. YOu have to punch the "recirc" button.

On that note, when i went through some v long tunnel in italy/france the other year the outside temp display crept up to 39c
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New Mon 6 Sep 10 20:30 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - PeteW
Use the tunnel and avoid the M1 - usually some sort of hold up around Luton and beyond most days! Tunnel flows reasonably well - the update works have for once been quite well thought through to prevent too much congestion.

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New Mon 6 Sep 10 20:40 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - Iffy
...Use the tunnel and avoid the M1...

...and put the money you save on fuel towards new Everest double glazing.

That was close - a post from EP which didn't promote his employers. :)

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New Mon 6 Sep 10 20:55 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - ....
...and spend the money saved on a Sandwich in a leafy part of the NE ? :)
If he were heading that way, possibly even divert into an MSA in that area such good value that they are.
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New Mon 6 Sep 10 21:02 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - Iffy
...possibly even divert into an MSA in that area such good value that they are...

I hold no brief for service areas, gmac.

My posts on the topic describe the hot drinks as a rip-off and some of the food as not too bad.

I've posted a few prices, it's up to the reader to decide if they represent good value or not.

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New Mon 6 Sep 10 20:57 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - PeteW
>>That was close - a post from EP which didn't promote his employers. :)

Flippin' cheek, only tryin' ta make a livin' guv... ;-)
Last edited by: Everest Pete on Mon 6 Sep 10 at 20:58
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New Mon 6 Sep 10 21:06 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - Iffy
...Flippin' cheek, only tryin' ta make a livin' guv... ;-)...

And you're not doing a bad job in a drip feed sort of way.

I used to think Everest was a commission-only, foot-in-the-door, pyramid sort of operation to which the product was purely incidental.

Now I'm not so sure. :)

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New Mon 6 Sep 10 22:23 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - -
Use A1, nip off at jct 6 Welwyn turn as you drop down the hill, follow your nose and cheat the queue where it goes 3 lanes to 2, and rejoin by the hotel.

Then come off at Tempsford and nip up the old road through Little Barford to the A428, do a left and rejoin A1 after the black cat roundabout where the queue will likely be half an hour min.

Keep these minor diversions among ourselves eh.
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New Mon 6 Sep 10 22:38 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - Zero
thats blown it giving the tips away.

I always hate the black cat queue northbound, specially if you are stopped juuuuuuuust round the second s bend, I always look nervously in my mirror.
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 6 Sep 10 at 22:38
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New Mon 6 Sep 10 22:51 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - -

>> the second s bend, I always look nervously in my mirror.
>>

Yes if in a car i like the driver behind me to see i'm braking before losing sight of him, couple of weeks ago the queue was back at the tempsford/Barford turn at 5.50ish on the Friday.

Black Cat as with nearly all roundabouts would be a hell of a lot better if they cut down the jungle growing on the island, it's getting increasingly difficult to get onto roundabouts in a truck with their poor acceleration and making the roundabouts blind is trebling the problem.

Maybe once MM's seen the tips a kind mod would wipe them..;)??
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New Tue 7 Sep 10 10:32 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - Mapmaker
Thank you for those two little tips, GB.

I thought they had remodelled Black Cat - there were incessant roadworks there previously, weren't there? Obviously, whatever they did, didn't sort the roundabout. I agree, it's a horrid spot.

Perhaps we could have a car4play Sunday trip to trim the foliage and improve traffic flow.


Destination, by the way, Bowes. Saturday's destination, between Rothbury & Alnwick.
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New Tue 7 Sep 10 11:06 
 A1 (& Hatfield Tunnel) on Friday afternoon or M1? - Zero
enjoy, I got Raul Moat out of the way for you.
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