>> Our experiences will of course vary but I'd cavil at your describing my experience of
>> these schemes as limited.
Limited in comparison to mine, where I use M25 from M1 to M23 and M3 from 2 to 6/7/8/9 on at least a twice weekly basis and have done since they morphed into out countryside. Ok I am not a motorway user to the extent of Humph, but I do 16k miles a year and have done for the last 20 years, and you dont do that without extensive motorway usage and experience.
This was pre, during, post smart managed motorway.
(the M25 is an excellent economic barometer, traffic level variations have almost always predicted boom and bust by about 12 months, Its been uncannily accurate in the time I have used it since it was joined up - even to the extent of telling which European countries are doing well and those that are not)
>> Recent trips to Heathrow and Gatwick and using M40/M25/M26 to avoid the Dartford clusterfark has
>> put me on the western section. M40 to M23 is simply full up though variable
>> speed limits smooth the flow to some extent. Only answer is a relief road or
>> closing of some junctions to deter local traffic.
As you say, not fixable due to far too many inconsequential junctions, well it is fixable with adjacent feeder roads, won't happen tho given the money and influence that lives either side
Closing junction 11, and Making J14 a Heathrow T4/T5 feeder road only would achieve much, and cut out the hop on hop off nature of M25 western section.
>> The elevated section of the M6 is transformed. Once it was a constant jam from
>> Fort Dunlop to Bescot. Now I can rarely justify paying all but £7 for the
>> toll road.
Its been transformed BY the toll road. I was using that section a lot pre and post toll, it was the toll that done it.
>>I'd say that it generally works well at smoothing flow and preventing concertina stoppages..
My experience is it doesn't, It doesn't because the speed limits are not enforced by average speed cameras, experienced MWayers know which gantries work and which ones dont, and those that dont do the GP style fast after gantry and sudden slow at next gantry, without knowing which ones are enforced, causing the ripple effect till everyone is stymied.
>>As with anything it breaks down if drivers don't use it properly and Achilles heel is failure to >>move out in advance of/obey lane closure signs. If dozens of muppets need to be waved out of >>closed lane by Traffic Officers attending an incident then everything stops.
God this annoys me, I did two 70 mile motorway journeys yesterday, morning and evening. Both times a lane was blocked with move over signs then lane closed signs and both times they were universally ignored. . Now me I am an habitual very fast mway maniac, rarely if ever sticking to speed limits unless there is a camera to grab me, but I always obey the move over /lane closed sign in plenty of time, and those that dont cause chaos at the incident and could end up killing someone.
Mind I blame the HA, because generally speaking the sign indications are woefully wrong or not updated*. I can tell you parts where I know there will be erroneous signage (the reoccurring every weekend debris in road /broken down car on M25 clacket lane area, ditto M3southbound at Camberley, A1M North of Alconberry (not sure if that's fixed, it was jammed on for at least 12 months). *Ironically the only ones that are accurate are the lane closed ones.
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 2 Sep 19 at 10:02
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