Ari Posted December 27, 2006 Report Share Posted December 27, 2006 Had to drive to just outside Liverpool (from Devon) today, and back. Roughly 500 mile round trip, at least 98% motorway. Figured with the roads nice and quiet after Christmas and not too much commercial traffic it should be a fairly easy fourish hour up, fourish hour back run (plus stops). WRONG!!! Try over 12!! (And over 10 hours of that actual driving time... ) I've done this journey lots of times and this has to go down as an all time low. Heavy traffic and hold ups all the way. But the worst of it was the appalling standard of driving out there! Clearly all those people who normally never go further than the local shops and Church on a Sunday were out in force on the way back from visiting the in laws or whatever. Honestly, just about every permutation of poor driving was on show. Favourites were driving too close, zero lane discipline (I'm safe here in the middle lane and I aint budging, it's scary changing lanes!), lots and lots of fog lights on, most on at the front, some on at the back, some with all of them on (it drizzled a bit in a couple of places). I saw loads of squashed cars on the hard shoulder, never seen so many. Oh and of course everyone has to slow right down for a good gawp. What I also couldn't help but notice was a complete lack of any police presence through virtually the whole trip (except at a couple of crash scenes). Didn't see anyone pulled over yet if you'd been a traffic officer with an eye for pulling someone for poor driving it'd have been like shooting fish in a barrel. You could have pulled onto the motorway, videoed someone (pick an offence, there was someone doing it) and pulled them over for it, then gone straight out and pulled in another. Again and again. But of course the traffic was so bad that no one was getting much past 50mph at best (and that was rare) and there are no other offences other than speeding so I suppose there wasn't much point (other than helping clear up the debris of a multitude of crashes). The only time I saw any was on the way back much later after stopping for dinner. Lower end of the M5, finally traffic had thinned right out, and there was one on a bridge (I guess looking for speeders) and further on a car pulled over by one on the hard shoulder (might not have been for speeding of course...) I remember now why I usually do these runs at midnight when there's no traffic, but did it alone today and I can't do a 500 mile hit in one go alone late at night, too dangerous with fatigue. It did make me think of the infamous 118mph thread though, honestly, an RS4 at 118 on an empty dry motorway would have been safe as houses compared to the muppetry going on today, all at well under the legal limit. Anyway, a couple of photos taken to releive the boredom taken by a passenger sat in the back. A £260,00 Maybach (the only one I've ever seen). No doubt a lovely car from the inside but just looked like a big Rover from the outside... A stunning looking Lotus Exige. Talk about "purposeful" Can't have been much fun today though. A huuuuge stretch Hummer taken at the traffic lights (I took these but we were stopped). The nightmare that was the M6!! I took this too, and we were definitely stopped, as was the traffic on the motorway! And finally, the DIS when I got home. The time indicate (10:11h) is total driving time, the trip distance was the driven distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigyb Posted December 27, 2006 Report Share Posted December 27, 2006 Yep, pretty much what I got stuck in trying to get down to Windsor this afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted December 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2006 Oh and one more thing. I use a TomTom (you can see it in one of the pics above). Anyway, it was clearly Christmas present of the year cos every other car seemed to have one. But The TomTom comes with a "day" setting, in which it is nice and brightly lit so's to be clear and easy to see in sunny weather. And a "night" setting whereby it switches to more muted colours (is in "night" setting above) and the brightness is a fraction of the "day" level (obviously). Unfortunately most of the muppets out there clearly hadn't read the manual as the inside of their cars were lit up like the Blackpool illuminations inside by the things! How the hell anyone can concentrate and see to drive with a three inch screen glaring at them right in the middle of the bottom of their windscreen like a demented Xenon on full beam I have no idea, but they weren't switching them off, oh no. What's forward visibility compared to the pleasure of a new Christmas Toy? They can always look for bends in the road on their new screen... Honestly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 Was the H2 Hummer around the London area Ari? I'm 99% sure that plate was the same on a white Hummer I looked in once in the W4 area of London - at a hire place that was near a company I was visiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossG Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 My parents got stuck in all that today as well Ari. They left my house outside Glasgow at 7.00am and didn't get to London until well past 5.00pm That's just appalling. It sometimes (in a weak moment) does make you think about congestion charging...) I am fearful about my journey down to London, either tomorrow or Friday morning The last thing I can be arsed with is traffic of doom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calm Chris Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 [ QUOTE ] My parents got stuck in all that today as well Ari. They left my house outside Glasgow at 7.00am and didn't get to London until well past 5.00pm That's just appalling. It sometimes (in a weak moment) does make you think about congestion charging...) I am fearful about my journey down to London, either tomorrow or Friday morning The last thing I can be arsed with is traffic of doom [/ QUOTE ] Leave at 3:00 am, be clear of Manchester for 5-5:30 am, be in London for 8:00 am- You know it makes sense, does miff me off when everyone apart from the driver is 80% of the journey- but if you hate traffic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lottiefox Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Oh and one more thing. I use a TomTom (you can see it in one of the pics above). Anyway, it was clearly Christmas present of the year cos every other car seemed to have one. But The TomTom comes with a "day" setting, in which it is nice and brightly lit so's to be clear and easy to see in sunny weather. And a "night" setting whereby it switches to more muted colours (is in "night" setting above) and the brightness is a fraction of the "day" level (obviously). Unfortunately most of the muppets out there clearly hadn't read the manual as the inside of their cars were lit up like the Blackpool illuminations inside by the things! How the hell anyone can concentrate and see to drive with a three inch screen glaring at them right in the middle of the bottom of their windscreen like a demented Xenon on full beam I have no idea, but they weren't switching them off, oh no. What's forward visibility compared to the pleasure of a new Christmas Toy? They can always look for bends in the road on their new screen... Honestly... [/ QUOTE ] God, that is my PET hate at the moment - hundreds of cars with the scene still on day colours and the driver squinting at the light display inside as they hog the outside lane, have their fog lights on, brake with no concept of why and then flash you when you finally overtake (safely). The standard of Xmas driving has been shocking this year - truly awful. The M40 down to Windsor last night was fairly random, but nothing like that M6. The M40 back at 1.00 was however VERY different. Did you use the Toll Road? Although I guess not from the M5/M6 route - That does at least remove a small segment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danksy Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 I think mine switches automatically based on the ambient light Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted December 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 Unfortunately Danks, mines the old model that I bought off some dodgy geezer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted December 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Did you use the Toll Road? Although I guess not from the M5/M6 route - That does at least remove a small segment. [/ QUOTE ] Nope, peel off for the M5 before reaching toll road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted December 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Leave at 3:00 am, be clear of Manchester for 5-5:30 am, be in London for 8:00 am- You know it makes sense, does miff me off when everyone apart from the driver is 80% of the journey- but if you hate traffic [/ QUOTE ] My normal modus operandi is to leave home at 5pm, up past Bristol is never normally too bad. Then stop half way up at 7pm for dinner at a really nice pub, then on up at 8pm so by the time I hit the M6 it's 9pm and quiet and getting steadily quieter. 10pm pick-up (or drop off), home by 2am. It really requires two drivers though because that much driving at night on my own that late is not ideal. I never normally drive it in the day but I figured/hoped/prayed that yesterday wouldn't have been too bad. Wrong! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted December 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Was the H2 Hummer around the London area Ari? I'm 99% sure that plate was the same on a white Hummer I looked in once in the W4 area of London - at a hire place that was near a company I was visiting. [/ QUOTE ] No, near Liverpool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calm Chris Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 Hope the lad enjoyed his stay with Dad . Think about Riz's journey to and from Windsor in a Mini , I wonder if he has got home yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudson Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 I agree with a comment mentioned regarding road charging.... it will come soon or later and i am coming round to the conculusion that it is the only way forward if we do not want to spend most of our time in our cars on every journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 Yeah - why don't they just make motorways for the rich and force all the poor people through the towns and back lanes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted December 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 Ok so if road pricing were in I could have paid money to sit in the jam, or I could have gone overnight and avoided the traffic and paid less, but I could have done that anyway and avoided the traffic and paid nothing at the moment. What would have been better might have been useful info relating to the busy points and times correlated over the years so a quick check on a web site might have shown it was a bad time to go and then people might have paced themselves out a bit. Certainly if I'd had access to that info I'd have rethought my plans. I don't think people need financial penalties imposing to stop them travelling at peak times, just the information. No one wants to sit in a jam. Ah but then the government wouldn't make money out of it with another stealth tax so that wouldn't work would it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avus_Bub Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Oh and one more thing. I use a TomTom (you can see it in one of the pics above). Anyway, it was clearly Christmas present of the year cos every other car seemed to have one. But The TomTom comes with a "day" setting, in which it is nice and brightly lit so's to be clear and easy to see in sunny weather. And a "night" setting whereby it switches to more muted colours (is in "night" setting above) and the brightness is a fraction of the "day" level (obviously). Unfortunately most of the muppets out there clearly hadn't read the manual as the inside of their cars were lit up like the Blackpool illuminations inside by the things! How the hell anyone can concentrate and see to drive with a three inch screen glaring at them right in the middle of the bottom of their windscreen like a demented Xenon on full beam I have no idea, but they weren't switching them off, oh no. What's forward visibility compared to the pleasure of a new Christmas Toy? They can always look for bends in the road on their new screen... Honestly... [/ QUOTE ] God, that is my PET hate at the moment - hundreds of cars with the scene still on day colours and the driver squinting at the light display inside as they hog the outside lane, have their fog lights on, brake with no concept of why and then flash you when you finally overtake (safely). The standard of Xmas driving has been shocking this year - truly awful. [/ QUOTE ] LOL! I saw one of these numptys last night on the M25. And he was in the middle lane....... Bless them all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossG Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Ok so if road pricing were in I could have paid money to sit in the jam, or I could have gone overnight and avoided the traffic and paid less, but I could have done that anyway and avoided the traffic and paid nothing at the moment. What would have been better might have been useful info relating to the busy points and times correlated over the years so a quick check on a web site might have shown it was a bad time to go and then people might have paced themselves out a bit. Certainly if I'd had access to that info I'd have rethought my plans. I don't think people need financial penalties imposing to stop them travelling at peak times, just the information. No one wants to sit in a jam. Ah but then the government wouldn't make money out of it with another stealth tax so that wouldn't work would it? [/ QUOTE ] True, and I did say 'in a weak moment it makes you consider it' But, there are several examples in this thread alone of crazy journey times, and awful levels of congestion. Slowly, I am begining to think, 'are all these journeys really necessary' - particulalry if it is just people off to the sales etc. Perhaps an interesting experiment would be to prevent local traffic from using the motorway system to hop on and hop off a few junctions later. Leave them as a free flowing, long distance conduit. Leave the Mway system for people actually making a journey somewhere. Think how much less congested the M6 would be between Manchester and Birmingham if there was no local traffic popping on and off. And before you all jump up and down, that would seriously afect me - as I'm 11 miles from Glasgow city centre on Mway the whole way - and probably one of the local users who do contribute to greater traffic density on the Mway when there are alternatives. So there And Chri5 - good idea, don't see the wife buying it though! Will try and leave at about 6.00am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calm Chris Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 Safe journey Ross . Mine would buy the "you can sleep the whole journey" bait, mainly because she and the kids hate long journeys. Hope you have in car DVD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 I wonder how many of those people have now had their Tom Tom's stolen, after they left them in the car???? In summer, when the windows are open, your passenger could just grab them from the drivers side of cars once you are up level and doing the same speed on the motorway (in a stolen car of course - not your own) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Perhaps an interesting experiment would be to prevent local traffic from using the motorway system to hop on and hop off a few junctions later. Leave them as a free flowing, long distance conduit. Leave the Mway system for people actually making a journey somewhere. Think how much less congested the M6 would be between Manchester and Birmingham if there was no local traffic popping on and off. [/ QUOTE ] The cars that you don't allow on wouldn't disappear. They'd just cause more congestion on smaller roads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossG Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 Yes, but that would at least clear the Mways for their intended purpose. And it may in turn encourage people to use their cars less by natural selection, as local roads become ever busier. It's the whole 'I'm okay to use my car but no one else should be' syndrome - and I'm only thinking out loud - but when congestion during a 'holiday'period is worse than many so called peak times, then perhaps it is time to look into what those journies are actually for. Now I'm as bad as anyone else - running around visiting family and collecting my gran to take her for Christmas lunch, and then I'm driving all the way to London tomorrow just to spend New Year with some pals... ...but at least I haven't at any point contributed to the nation's congestion just for the sake of driving to the January sales It's a very tricky definition to make - but surely, as congestion gets worse and worse, there may have to be real consideration to the type of journies that cars are used for Sure, road pricing would cripple the UK economically and socially, and I'm completely opposed to it. But, it does seem that in certain parts of the UK, the traffic volume alone will suffocate itself. Perhaps the proposed new toll M6 to run parallel to the existing one between Manchester and B'ham will help - but it would be very interesting to know why that stretch is always a bottle neck ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted December 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 I remember reading somewhere (and can quite believe) that the M6/M5 junction is the busiest junction in Europe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudson Posted December 29, 2006 Report Share Posted December 29, 2006 Although it seems unfair the case for road charging or congestion charging (which ever you prefer) has been made by London, it has reduced the traffic flow through the city therefore it has worked (to the govt). They will see this as the template for the rest of us.....i see no other way to get people not to make so many journey's, and yes the rich will still travel and the poor will not, that's life, the same is true of education and health, overall the rich are better educated and healthier than the poor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted December 29, 2006 Report Share Posted December 29, 2006 [ QUOTE ] congestion charging (...) has reduced the traffic flow through the city therefore it has worked [/ QUOTE ] No it hasn't. After an initial reduction that lasted long enough for the system to be declared a sucess, traffic flows are now precisely what they were to start with. So, yours is an excellent argument in favour of road pricing, hindered only by the lack of any factual basis. Perfect for Government policy, then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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