Motoring Discussion > Road Works - How Difficult Is It? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Bromptonaut Replies: 27
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New Sun 28 Dec 14 00:11 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Bromptonaut
Just how hard is it to drive in convoy with everyone else at 50?

Been up the M1 yesterday and today northwards from J16, both times between 11am and midday for family lunch get togethers. This section has a 50 limit while they replace barriers and upgrade lighting.

When I do it weekdays it's slow but steady - automaton driving in a mix of cars and lorries. Yesterday and today it was all cars and bunching slowing almost to standstill on slightest gradient.

A 'Sunday Drivers' problem?
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sun 28 Dec 14 at 00:13
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New Sun 28 Dec 14 00:24 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - rtj70
>> A 'Sunday Drivers' problem?

A Christmas/Holiday problem I guess.
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New Sun 28 Dec 14 08:16 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Old Navy
Sunday drivers, weekend drivers, holiday drivers, just the same people who are not used to making progress on long journeys. Many may not be regular motorway users or don't usually drive more than a few miles at a time. As you say not difficult, but regular practice helps.

Then of course there are the ones who are terrified of us in more fuel than is absolutely necessary. :)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sun 28 Dec 14 at 08:21
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New Sun 28 Dec 14 21:17 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - riddler
Christmas holiday amateur drivers took nearly 7 hours today from Manchester to South Wales. 2 hours to travel 30 miles on the /m6 southbound between J21 and J17 no roadworks or accidents. Then slow on the rest of the M6 4 hours to complete that stretch M5 little bit better. Grrr normal Sunday can do the journey in 4 - 4.5 hours
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New Sun 28 Dec 14 22:30 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Ian (Cape Town)
>> Many may not be regular motorway users or don't usually
>> drive more than a few miles at a time.

In the land of long journeys, they are an accident waiting to happen.
Drive maximum 40 minutes a journey - now have to cope with 4/5 hours on the road
Drive maximum 80km/h - now traffic is doing 120
Normally sole occupant - now have a family plus luggage.

I avoid driving at this time of the year.
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 00:04 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Alastairw
Currently dreading taking The Boy back to uni next weekend. Visions of spending most of Sunday on the M6/M5.
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 00:13 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - rtj70
So go early and visit him in between the next trip he makes home?

Or do what I did any Uni. Travel on the train. That's him not you of course.

I might have gone to visit family in Wales this weekend. The weather not looking so good so we didn't. I will soon.
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 09:31 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Slidingpillar
When I was at uni, only got a full lift at start and end of year. Other times, I used the train and a student railcard.
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 10:05 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Bromptonaut
>> When I was at uni, only got a full lift at start and end of
>> year. Other times, I used the train and a student railcard.

My sister did too though Leeds to Cardiff in the seventies was not an easy day trip.

No way my Dad would have driven into central London under any circs. When I started work there stuff, including on one occasion a vacuum cleaner, was taken down in instalments during weekend visits. Red Star parcels took my hi-fi and a few other heavy odd/sods.

My two, at Sheffield and Liverpool, get/got lifts at start and end of term but both are pretty straightforward drives. Miss B got taken back to Plymouth yesterday but it was also an excuse for some Mum/daughter time and they shared the driving.
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New Tue 30 Dec 14 21:30 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - PhilW
"When I was at uni, only got a full lift at start and end of
year. Other times, I used the train and a student railcard"

Never ever got a lift, never heard of a student railcard.
I had a thumb and a cardboard suitcase with all my worldly possessions in it.
Oh, and that haystack just off the A1 at Bramham was a good place to spend the night when I got stuck there!!
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 10:10 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Bromptonaut
>> Currently dreading taking The Boy back to uni next weekend. Visions of spending most of
>> Sunday on the M6/M5.

Yep.

The bank holiday landscape this year means anybody who can will take 02 Jan as leave with a massed return on Sunday 4th. Worth thinking about travelling Saturday and/or departing at daybreak:thirty?

The Lad's not due back until following week.
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 11:49 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Aretas
As part of her degree one of our daughters spent a year in Frieburg, southern Germany. Those take-you-there and get-you-home journeys really were special.
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 11:49 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Alastairw
Trying to persuade him Saturday is best, we will see. he is trying maximise time with his home based girlfriend.
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 12:28 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - martin aston
Reference the original point about traffic slowing down, I came through the 20 mile plus section of 50 limit on the M1 yesterday. I too found a lot of slowing and bunching. I think the problem is made worse by the fear of the average cameras. In normal motorway "70" traffic people avoid bunching by a mixture of speeding up (dare I say even exceeding 70) and slowing down. In this way the traffic tends to sort itself out. However in the 50 limit the speeding up option isn't really there so creating space to the car in front means slowing down and this, together with the Sunday drivers lacking confidence, leads to a tendency for speeds to drop. I must say, even when it was flowing well, trying to maintain a satnav 45-50 for so many miles with tailgating lorries in the inside lane and middle lane hoggers at 40 is not a relaxing experience for anyone.
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 12:30 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Runfer D'Hills
I find Mozart helps.
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 13:53 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Old Navy
I came across a few Sunday drivers who had escaped into today, the usual weekend modified car / boy racers were not around, probably too difficult to pose in fog. I doubt if normality will return until 05 Jan.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 29 Dec 14 at 13:54
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 15:32 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Bromptonaut
>> Reference the original point about traffic slowing down, I came through the 20 mile plus
>> section of 50 limit on the M1 yesterday. I too found a lot of slowing
>> and bunching. I think the problem is made worse by the fear of the average
>> cameras.

That may be part of it but I need to travel the J16>19 section of the M1 on average every 10 days or so. Usually midweek and middle of the day.

Normally it just flows along in same way as say the M42 does when the managed motorway kit pushes the speed limit down. It's automaton stuff to extent that I often prefer the A5/A426 to Lutterworth/J20 so I've actually got to drive properly.

I'll see if it's returned to normal after 5th Jan.
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 15:46 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - tyrednemotional
>> It's automaton stuff to extent that I
>> often prefer the A5/A426 to Lutterworth/J20 so I've actually got to drive properly.


I *always* use J20 to the A43 at Towcester (and vv) in preference to the M1 for exactly the same reason.

Usually very little traffic on the A5 now, and not a bad road to drive (with the exception of the habitual camera van at Kilsby).

I sometimes used to use the A361 from Kilsby to the M40 for a bit of fun. You always had to be careful of the few fixed cameras on that run, but a more or less blanket limit of no greater than 50mph now makes it either less enjoyable, or more of a risk!
Last edited by: tyrednemotional on Mon 29 Dec 14 at 15:47
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 15:14 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - No FM2R
>>Trying to persuade him Saturday is best

Instead of him facing the difficult choice between you driving him on Saturday and you driving him on Sunday, why don't you ask him to turn his attention to choosing between you driving him on Saturday and him making his own way on Sunday?
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 15:22 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Alastairw
He has me over a barrel really. There is a printer in his room at uni that I need (mine has died) so I need to fetch that as well.
I love him really.
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 15:24 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - sooty123
I'd be on the look out for a cheap printer!
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 15:28 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - PeterS
>> I'd be on the look out for a cheap printer!
>>

Indeed; a cheap printer is sub £50. A tank of diesel £70+. And that's before you consider the time aspect!!
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 17:15 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Alastairw
There and back for £40 worth of petrol. None of that diseasal stuff here.
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 15:27 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - No FM2R
>>He has me over a barrel really

So ask for his keys, tell him you're going up to collect your printer on Saturday with or without him.

The thought of my Father unaccompanied in my digs would have terrified the life out of me.
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 15:33 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Zero

>> The thought of my Father unaccompanied in my digs would have terrified the life out
>> of me.

I Guess your father was equally fearful.
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New Mon 29 Dec 14 15:35 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - No FM2R
>>I Guess your father was equally fearful.

Perhaps; somewhere between fearful/intrigued and enjoying my discomfort I suspect.
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New Tue 30 Dec 14 22:03 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - rtj70
When at uni at Manchester I did the trip to home in South Wales on the train. A huge bag and suitcase. Half the suitcase was the stereo. And when I got to my local station I walked the mile home too.
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New Thu 1 Jan 15 17:53 
 Road Works - How Difficult Is It? - Bromptonaut
Apart from Uni trip net weekend we''ve now drawn line under festive travel.

Out to Gresford (nr Wrexham) yesterday and back today. Both journeys mid afternoon.

Chose A5/A426 to M6/J1 and v v rather than try my patience on M1 again. Much better, indeed both outward an return trips were done in around 2:30, about as good as it gets unless flouting speed limits. Weather awful both ways too. Yesterday it was mucky salty spray requiring use of whole tank of screenwash by Oswestry - pit stop in layby to refill. Today heavy rain and a gusty crosswind on A486 and further south.

Signage announces that works on A5, presumably verge and drain clearing again, will resume on Monday for six weeks. That usually means 2-3 areas of alternate single working with temp lights between Weedon and Gibbet Cross (but only from 09:00 to 17:00). Probably still better than M1.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Thu 1 Jan 15 at 17:56
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