Motoring Discussion > will i make it? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: devonite Replies: 18

 will i make it? - devonite
Unfortunately, I have to try and get to Hillingdon Hospital tomorrow, - My planned route is M6, M42, M40. I know the Countries is bogged at the moment, but these are major arteries, We haven't got a flake here in this part of the world, so I'm wondering if I'll make it? - anyone know if these roads are passable?
 will i make it? - PeterS
Well, I’ll be driving back from Liverpool this afternoon via the M6 and M40 so will let you know!
Just stopped at Stafford. Again, very little snow...
 will i make it? - rtj70
M62 is a major road but parts closed last night. It think it's still closed now.

But I'd think things will have improved and you'll be okay tomorrow.
 will i make it? - R.P.
Isn;t the M62 the highest motorway in Europe ? May have a bearing on it.
 will i make it? - Bromptonaut
>> Isn;t the M62 the highest motorway in Europe ? May have a bearing on it.

Highest in UK but the A75 Autoroute has a long section 1000 metres plus. I think the Lyon to Bordeaux motorway attains similar altitude too.
 will i make it? - rtj70
The bit closed includes the highest bit of motorway. But cameras show it's all clear.... so something odd still happening?

My two guesses are: (1) it's very windy and more likely (2) it been closed for a day and temperatures below freezing and now it's covered in ice. Putting grit/salt won't make a difference quickly because that is meant to be moved about by traffic to make it work, so to speak.

Even more of the M62 is showing as shut tonight than last night, at least west bound.

www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.62343,-1.9929033,12.05z/data=!5m1!1e1?hl=en
Last edited by: rtj70 on Fri 2 Mar 18 at 20:51
 will i make it? - PeterS
Now at Crewe, and no snow at all!

Edited to add, never been to Crewe station. Quite large. And deserted. Not a soul on any of the platforms!
Last edited by: PeterS on Fri 2 Mar 18 at 11:51
 will i make it? - devonite
Thanks for the updates chaps!
 will i make it? - rtj70
You could always take a look at the motorway cameras.

e.g. www.motorwaycameras.co.uk/england/m62/eastbound/traffic-camera/267
 will i make it? - Harleyman

>> Edited to add, never been to Crewe station. Quite large. And deserted. Not a soul
>> on any of the platforms!
>>

It's been soulless since 1968.
 will i make it? - PeterS
Well, I made it back from Liverpool in 5 hours and 20 minutes. That’s 272 miles, and average of 51mph and 43 mpg. It didn’t get any special running in treatment, but it’s a 7 speed DSG auto, so I’m not sure it was needed.

I reckon that’s quicker than on an ordinary Friday; all the scaremongering meant that the roads were pretty quiet. No snow on the roads until the M1. There was then snow on the M1 much of the whole way, but enough traffic and salt to keep it as a slush, and speeds varied from 30 to 70mph. Didn’t grind to a halt once, though the Sat Nav took me out of Liverpool under the Mersey and on to the M54 (?) and then the M6/M1/M25/A3/A283. The M25 and A3 were almost deserted at 6pm, again for a Friday bizarre. They were clear and wet, though it was minus 2. That was what convinced me to go cross country on the A283 rather than the ‘safer’ A3/A27 route.

Turned out the M25/A3 had lulled me into a false sense of security - it was pretty slushy and slippy. The A29 up Bury Hill was particularly icy, but it’s long and relatively steep, with a couple of sweeping bends, the one at the top tightening just at the steepest point. Maintaining momentum without slipping is a fine balance; I erred on the side of more speed, so as not to get stuck. I can confirm that the ESP works ;) I can also confirm that, while the adaptive cruise/DSG combo is brilliant, and will brake the car to a standstill then accelerate when the road is clear, a build out of snow and ice on the front of the car will stop it working.

All in all a pretty uneventful journey, despite the doom and gloom from (almost) everyone I spoke to. Thanks to Pat for confirming what I thought, which was that my route took me pretty much between the two bands of snow and so would be a relatively low risk journey. It was :)
 will i make it? - Bromptonaut
Interesting account Peter, thanks. The Mersey tunnel/M54 route is what I'd expect. At least it didn't send you via Runcorn bridges and need to pay Merseyflow tolls.

What was the M1 like round here (from J18 to 15)?

Drive home last night on roads where gritting was either not done or ineffective was a 'mare and I decided not to chance it this morning. As it turns out the four foot drift at end of road would have stopped me.

Another dump in progress since c. 15:00 today has obliterated any sense of where edge of road is and no doubt restored the drift after neighbours dug it out. We're on UHT milk now as village shop had either sold out of fresh or supply hadn't arrived. More worryingly they were also nearly out of beer......

Might need to get as far as Weedon tomorrow for top up.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Fri 2 Mar 18 at 21:49
 will i make it? - PeterS
Apologies...I’m rubbish at junction numbers. Is that Rugby / Northampton area?

It got worse the further south I got, until around Milton Keynes. Then it slowly started to get better. But at no point did it actually grind to a halt, or even get slower than 30ish mph. Which, given it was roughly between 4 and 6 seems pretty good for a Friday. Overall I thought the standards of driving were pretty good too... No-one driving at stupid speeds, good lane discipline and plenty of courtesy shown by all. Still the odd idiot (a black Tiguan and a white Range Rover Sport) that took exception to the gap I was leaving between me and the car in front and were hell bent on undertaking to fill it. Which they did, but then made no further progress!!

Edited to add, it was pretty windy in places, but the Ibiza was fairly immune to everything thrown at it. It got no special treatment, and I only spent a few moments setting my driving position. But I got out feeling fine. It’s noisier than the A3, but at speed no more so than the convertible BMW.
Last edited by: PeterS on Fri 2 Mar 18 at 22:11
 will i make it? - Bromptonaut
>> Apologies...I’m rubbish at junction numbers. Is that Rugby / Northampton area?

Yup. 18 is (s/b) Rugby, Daventry and Dirft. 16/15A/15 are Northampton, Silverstone and Oxford (via A43).
 will i make it? - devonite
Thanks folk! - setting off now, hope all goes well! - we had a small flurry during the night, so I'll soon see if I can get over the fells! - i'll let you know! ;-)
 will i make it? - FuzzyDuck
>> Thanks folk! - setting off now, hope all goes well!
>>
It's been over a week, did he make it?
 will i make it? - Duncan
>> >> Thanks folk! - setting off now, hope all goes well!
>> >>
>> It's been over a week, did he make it?
>>

Nice to hear from you TeeShot.

How are you keeping?
 will i make it? - PeterS
The trouble with gritting is that it needs a certain volume of traffic to work it into the snow and make it effective. There comes a point when it gets overwhelmed...I think had traffic been lighter on the M1 then Lane 3 would soon have become unusable. That would have slowed traffic, and then slowed it more as cars joined / left at junctions. I think that’s what grinds things to a halt.
 will i make it? - devonite
Yep! - I did make it, down there in 5hrs on the Saturday, hit the traffic at Stafford roadworks on M6 - 22miles at about 10mph! slowed me down abit. Home on the Sunday in 4 1/4 hours - good run, except for the berk that decided to jettison his roof rack and canoe in the middle lane! causing folk to take evasive action, no body came to grief as far as i could see in the rear view mirror tho! - not a drop of snow anywhere on the roads!
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