Having been away from Blighty for a full year, I just returned and spent 2 weeks doing 1100 miles driving around England and Wales. It's funny how you view things from a different perspective after a lengthy period away! Here's what struck me...
- M40 northbound on a Sunday afternoon, busy, free-flowing, and many motorists happy to barrel along at around 100mph! Nobody's scared of cameras in Oxfordshire then??
- Isn't the new Astra a beauty. I'd have one. But the new Meriva isn't so pretty!
- Perfectly good A-roads in and around Stratford, Banbury, and south midlands have seen the speed limit progressively reduced to 50 and now 40mph! Why is this necessary?
- What bright spark decided to put permanent 50mph speed limits on sections of the M4 in South Wales?! It's supposed to be a motorway for goodness sake!! What poor infrastructure.
- M6 northbound on a Saturday afternoon: is it really necessary to close the entire road for 20 mins just to investigate a very minor nose-to-tail 4 car fender bender??
- Rental Peugeot 308HDI very accomplished, comfy, spacious, & frugal. Shame the rental company couldn't have cleaned it a bit better when I collected it though.
But what struck me most is the high number of high quality, new-ish cars on the UK's roads. Apart from the ubiquitous German premier brands, it strikes me that even the mainstream Fords, Vauxhalls, etc look the biz these days and come very well finished. Us Brits must spend a fortune on our cars!
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"Oh wad some power the giftie gie us. To see oursels as others see us!"
I often wonder what impression of UK roads/driving is left on an overseas visitor. In fairness there are still beautifully surfaced quiet roads around if you know where to look....
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>> >> Nobody's scared of cameras in Oxfordshire then??
>>
>> Might have something to do with them all being turned off:-
>>
Make hay while .......
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-11676603
Moves to return speed cameras to Oxfordshire's roads are under way just months after they were switched off amid cash shortages.
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Regarding the speed limits on the M4; work is in progress installing variable speed limit stuff on that section. I am not normally a fan of a blanket 50 limit, but (unless someone cares to correct me) it does seem to have reduced the number of jams. Unfortunately (or perhaps predictably) many motorists have yet to learn that the lane markings have been changed around junction 29 (A48M) with the result that we still suffer mimsers in the middle lane, unaware that they will no longer be irreversibly sucked into Cardiff!
I do think the 50 limit carries on for a junction too far westbound though.
Last edited by: Harleyman on Tue 2 Nov 10 at 19:42
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>>..it does seem to have reduced the number of jams. >>
Slowing traffic down does prevent jams and keeps traffic moving; it also increases the number of vehicles using the route per hour.
That's why the speed limits, for instance, on the M25 are reduced at peak hours as and when necessary.
>>Yeah, you wouldn't think that the economy is supposed to be in a bad way... >>
Part of the reason may be that many people are eligible for the Motability scheme. Motability is the largest supplier of new vehicles for leasing in the UK at around half-a-million vehicles a year.
Last edited by: Stuartli on Sun 7 Nov 10 at 22:10
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>> Make hay while .......
Me and my big mouth.
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I am once again interested in knowing of any cameras on the A40 into Oxford as once again I am using that route farly regularly.
Having got zapped coming out of Oxford at the top of Headington Hill in the wee small hours ( some years ago) I now have to suffer that long 20 mph section into town on the A420.
I guess it is to protect the Brookes mob when they stagger into the road :-)
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Just returned from my first motoring trip to UK for 5 years - some impressions:
1. Took over an hour to get out of Plymouth after disembarking from ferry - roadworks, poor forward signposting of lanes
2. Whilst acknowledging it was start of half-term density of traffic is incredible. On Spanish motorways, reckon on 95+% of journey is on cruise control; wasn't able to use it until North of Carlisle on a Sunday morning.
3. Spent more on parking in one week than my normal annual expenditure
4. Number of breakdowns on motorways seems high in UK; virtually one every 10 miles. Rare in France and Spain.
5. Service stations inadequate in number and size. Rest areas needed - off-motorway services should be signposted if additional facilities can't be provided.
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...density of traffic is incredible...
Sounds like you didn't get stuck, though.
Not bad from Plymouth to 'north of Carlisle'.
Service areas on motorways are roughly every 12 or 15 miles, although there's bound to be longer gaps.
Not sure we need any more.
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>> Service areas on motorways are roughly every 12 or 15 miles, although there's bound to
>> be longer gaps.
>>
>> Not sure we need any more.
>>
Perhaps not, but it's common practice in Germany and to a certain extent in France to provide frequent rest areas, sometimes with just parking, sometimes with picnic benches and/or toilets. No petrol, no big fancy buildings, just somewhere where you can perhaps have a picnic or just stretch your legs, which is probably enough for many people.
Living in Austria and driving back to the UK on occasional visits, it's interesting to make comparisons. The biggest eye-opener is the total inability of at least 50% of the road users on the southern section of the M25 to understand the concept of lane discipline, and keeping to the left except when necessary (e.g. overtaking). They wouldn't last a minute driving round the Munich ring road, which much of the time is totally derestricted allowing cruising speeds of 100mph+. In general, motorway lane discipline is significantly better in Germany. There's no reason why it should be different in the UK.
And yes, the M4 South Wales section is frustrating as well. We've been driving this regularly since 2005 since our son went to Swansea University, and as he now lives in Cardiff, we made the journey the last two weekends. Good job they increased the number of lanes then.......
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>> 5. Service stations inadequate in number and size. Rest areas needed - off-motorway services should
>> be signposted if additional facilities can't be provided.
>>
Couldn't agree more. Whilst on some motorways there are, as has been pointed out, services every twenty miles or so, others aren't so well provided.
Out of interest, OP, what did you think to the prices in motorway service areas; is that kind of extra margin common in Europe?
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There are pubs, and supermarkets, (with fuel, toilet, and cafe facilities), near many motorway junctions, either local knowledge, or a little journey planning means that MSA's can be avoided. I just cannot understand why people queue to get into MSA areas at busy times.
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>> But what struck me most is the high number of high quality, new-ish cars on
>> the UK's roads.
>> Us Brits must spend a fortune on our cars!
Yeah, you wouldn't think that the economy is supposed to be in a bad way...
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SWOBO and I went to Cardiff last week and couldnt beleive why such a seemingly long stretch of the M4 is consigned to a top speed of 50mph. I can understand in peak hour the need to reduce the speed, but the number of vehciles will naturally slow down the traffic, but off peak and weekend I cant see the point!
Interesting still the number of motorist who just dont get the average speed bit and slow down every time they came to where they thought a camera was on the gantry.
RM
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Notes from 2 weeks on UK's roads... - VxFan
