I've just returned from a few days in his bailiwick. The standard of driving on and around the A55 on the North Wales coast is the worst I've experienced.
Drivers seemed to sit at junctions, waiting to pull out onto a major road, but not doing so until there's a vehicle bearing down on them. It must scare m'cyclists to death, because it certainly gave me the heeby jeebies.
They seem to think it's their God-given right to sit in the outside lane of the two-lane A55 regardless of their speed and the absence of anything in the LH lane.
The 'farmer-type' driving a Land-Rover Defender with a horse-box sized trailer on tow gave my brakes a good test at a roundabout. At the next I realised his trailer indicators were reversed to the towing vehicle!
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I know - I hate every inch of it.
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Funnily enough it is - but most traffic has either come from the border or is heading towards it, it is horrendous at ferry sailing times, best avoided - been a marked difference this week as the 4x4 and caravan combos seem to have thinned out
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Its probably why he has to buy ugly distinctive cars, to be noticed on the road.
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It's generally a very poorly designed road with several junctions added as an afterthought with short or non-existent slip roads, there is one nonsense of a junction outside Penmaenmawr, a STOP on to an uphill and very fast stretch of road just before a tunnel - Absolutely stupid design. I use it very occasionally - I came out of it few months ago on a 125, luckily and unusually both lanes were empty otherwise I would still be there ! There seems to be an aversion to going into lane 2 early on here which I don't understand - the clowns that designed it built two roundabouts onto it the only ones on this E route - the next one is in Warsaw - one is believed to be about to be removed but they're leaving the other which has a hideous layout and has claimed at least two lives.
The road is well patrolled by the Police and you rarely drive it without seeing a patrol car somewhere and NWP have a dedicated Commercial Vehicle unit targeting HGVs. Not wishing to wind Pat up but there have been some spectacular LGV crashes on it over the years. The road is constantly under repair, the St Asaph flyover re-build seems to have been going on forever. I have learnt all the dodges on this road but keep them to myself on pain of death. Britannia bridge is another bottleneck I can't really work out why, especially from the Anglesey side as traffic is slowed down - locals suspect that a lot of the problems are due to rubbernecking visitors admiring the view. The road on Anglesey is pretty good being of recent design - there is a myth on Anglesey that he speed limit is 60 on it. You can make progress there but beware of Police patrols. Been some really nasty accidents on the Anglesey side of the road, at least some attributable to the local authority's neglect in tensioning the cable barrier that it suffers from.
I have ridden, more than driven, at fast speeds along this road, without feeling untowardly at risk, slowing down for the idiotic roundabouts.
Don't start me on the gaps in the reservation on an older section - absolutely lethal.
Last edited by: Pugugly on Thu 9 Sep 10 at 18:54
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try driving through doncaster
personally i never have an issue in pug land but then i dont suffer fools gladly i make them work for their foolishness
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Good point, I refuse to overtake the lane 2 mimsers on the inside, but amazing what 3 headlamp "dose of lights" does.
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Not just restricted to Wales.
Came back from Ireland last weekend via Holyhead. You think the roads are bad over here!!
What I could not understand was why on several occasions whilst I would cruise bang on 80 I would pass a car then it would pass me then slow down then I would pass it again and so on.
That happened with about 4 different cars.
Bizarre.
Journey cheared up when I was passed by a beautiful HSR Chevette at 'fullchat' on the M56
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>> try driving through doncaster
Ever since they redesigned York Road, built St George's bridge and the new Frenchgate Interchange, I've been able to drive across Doncaster like a dose of salts.
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Why would that wind me up PU?
It's absolutely correct that there have been a lot of HGV accidents.
It's hard to understand why though in comparrison to other roads.
It is very, very well policed and the only possible reason I can think of is that it's the direct route from Holyhead and all the ferry traffic.
If that is the main cause, it's good to know that Ireland is now coming under the far stricter maintenance and Operators licence conditions that we have here, so maybe that will help.
The M20 and A2, the Stranraer route and the A14 from Felixstowe all seem to suffer the same fate.
Pat
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The trouble with North Wales is the elederly and infirm emigrate there to live out their declining years and waft along in their cars in an odour of Wurthers Original and incontinence pads...
Oh sorry PU: I did not realise you retired there :-)
Last edited by: madf on Fri 10 Sep 10 at 09:36
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Dont forget the grey shoes Madf.
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My vehicles only waft at speeds of 85 or above...!
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Not the Nine O'clock News did some songs about Wales. Haven't been able to find them on t'interweb though.
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Admitted. Your nicked my Son! Step out of the vehicle please. Nik nik!
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....or off it. I'd cop a plea and think of the dozens of times I got away with it !
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The A55 is not too bad, even driven on it myself a few times last year. From experience though do not drive down there with an England badge on your car. My mate used to have a K reg Fiesta with an England badge on it (was on when he bought it) it never went down well ion Wales!.
Driving down there myself in a few weeks time, so its a nice road to drive on isn't it :).
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I was thinking about the OP's comment about tractors and trailers, thinking about it, the A55 actually slices farms in half, certainly at its western end - It's a must do for them to use it, most that I have seen are well lit tidy bits of kit driven with reverence (!) - It always amazes me the amount of (mainly car) drivers that end up stuck behind them, either because they're too windy to pull into lane 2 or they're half asleep at the wheel. Going along it tomorrow and no doubt a couple of times next week - you have to if you need to get anywhere (including the local BMW dealer !)
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Damn good road though, I rememeber as a kid before the A55 was complete it took hours and hours and hours to get into Wales properly. I remember being very excited when the tunnel under the River Cowny opened.
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You can travel the 100 miles from here to Mcr Airport in 90 minutes on a good day, fast easy drive, especially since they opened up the link road between the 55 and the M56 - on a bad day it can take ages. From personal experience it's not a road for 125cc motor cycles !
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...You can travel the 100 miles from here to Mcr Airport in 90 minutes on a good day...
And I thought The Great Escape was a war film.
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Take me with you I can see !
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...Take me with you I can see !...
Mr PU,
I can't believe you've 'fessed up to being a forger, you being an ex-man of the law 'n all. :)
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The Great Escape was a cracking film, a real Hollywood take on a genuine war-story. I still want to be Steve McQueen !
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...The Great Escape was a cracking film...
Agreed.
I'm no expert, but it's one of the few war - or other - films I can think of that had no female lead.
In fact, I can't bring to mind any female involvement at all.
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>> I still want to be Steve McQueen !
What.....dead ?
Ted
>>
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I have come down (and gone up) Rhuallt hill at warp factor 3 - I love that road on a fast bike, the gradient and camber are ideally suited for particular speeds...it's sheer adrenaline with that spectacular view down to the upper Clwyd Valley and the 14 peaks of Snowdonia winking at you - only if it's clear though.
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I remember once my mates K reg Fezza was running on three and we attempted to get up that hill. It only had 45bhp to start with. Even his N reg when which did run on four would always slow down to 40mph when it got to that hill.
I imagine even in my Panda I will need to be in 3rd.
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You might run into the tailback of traffic queuing for the roadworks nowadays.
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Whats it likely to be like in mid October? I have promised to drive me and my mates up to Llandudno/Conwy. I am wondering if its worth avoidng the M56 and going through Cheshire to get to the A55.
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Your worst problem is likely to be the Road works in St Asaph - keep on the M56 that's usually clear.
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How has Pugugly survived? - R.P.
