Motorways

[Hamish]

We have travelled from Cheshire to Devon 27/12 to spend time with mum on her birthday. 
7.5 HOURS !!!!! 

Thank god it wasn’t in the TR!
 

typically 4.5 hrs it was just the volume of traffic and in my opinion poor driving. 
 

it was a bit misty but with visibility into the 100’s meters but the high intensity fog lights were wearing and really not needed. 
 

but later on lights were certainly needed and the number of cars with no rear lights was scary. Their daylight running lights showing an illuminated front and dash lights giving the occupant a false sense of security.

why DLR are not front and back I don’t know !!

rant over time to enjoy visiting mum and looking out Alvis memorabilia and documents 

[Nick Jones]

Oh dear…..

We did note yesterday lunch time that the UK road network was all sorts of pretty colours (but not much green!) on google maps……

And yes, “appliance operators” outnumber drivers by a large margin, especially in holiday traffic.

And yes, having dash lights on all the time seriously messes with driver ability to tell when lights are actually needed. Though many cars with DRLs are supposed to be “clever” enough to put their own lights on when needed….

[GT6MK3]

We did Melbourne to Bright in the ToyBox™️yesterday and the roads were chokkas with slow witted, slow moving appliance operators.  
 

There is something about a Sprinter bearing down on them that seems to wake many of them up…

8 days and nights of Vit D administered the old fashioned way await.

[RedRooster]

Just watching Dutch telly, they are showing pictures of car crashes from driving too fast in the fog. People must think they are invincible in their new cars with lane assist, auto braking etc. 

[Hamish]

9 hours ago, GT6MK3 said:

We did Melbourne to Bright in the ToyBox™️yesterday and the roads were chokkas with slow witted, slow moving appliance operators.  
 

There is something about a Sprinter bearing down on them that seems to wake many of them up…

8 days and nights of Vit D administered the old fashioned way await.

Well deserved rest , well break at least. 
enjoy

[mattius]

10 hours ago, GT6MK3 said:

We did Melbourne to Bright in the ToyBox™️yesterday and the roads were chokkas with slow witted, slow moving appliance operators.  
 

There is something about a Sprinter bearing down on them that seems to wake many of them up…

8 days and nights of Vit D administered the old fashioned way await.

Wow are you getting the 40+ Deg C that other parts are getting? I couldn't walk in that let alone sit on a bike

[PaulAA]

23 hours ago, Hamish said:

the number of cars with no rear lights was scary

This drives me insane. Why do manufacturers configure lights like this? The law here requires lights on all year, yet cars frequently have only fronts switched on. I fail to see what this achieves, and the danger it creates in fast-moving traffic in poor visibility is immense.

[Nick Jones]

21 hours ago, RedRooster said:

Just watching Dutch telly, they are showing pictures of car crashes from driving too fast in the fog. People must think they are invincible in their new cars with lane assist, auto braking etc. 

Oh no, they’ve been thinking they’re invincible since well before those gadgets arrived….

[Nick Jones]

On 12/28/2024 at 10:01 AM, GT6MK3 said:

We did Melbourne to Bright in the ToyBox™️yesterday and the roads were chokkas with slow witted, slow moving appliance operators.  
 

There is something about a Sprinter bearing down on them that seems to wake many of them up…

8 days and nights of Vit D administered the old fashioned way await.

Seem to have nearly all the toys present (no scooter apart from e-scoot?)

[GT6MK3]

58 minutes ago, Nick Jones said:

Seem to have nearly all the toys present (no scooter apart from e-scoot?)

Dad’s coming up for a few days over New Year’s, so I had to choose to either bring his bike and the Segway e-scoot, or a member of the Vespa fleet.  Easy choice.

The Segway may, allegedly have had it’s software tinkered with Sideways style to make it a fair amount of fun to pick up the shopping on ;-)

The 600 is still lurking in the van - I’m enjoying watching the Boxing Day test cricket too much to invest in a day riding her, and need to make sure my wrists/hands are up to it.

First bike ride for 2 months this arvo. 
 

So good to get out in the sunshine and get some exercise (albeit with a pub as the destination)

Promised the physio I’d ease into it and do my best to keep pressure off my wrists, so I did my best

Can’t express how good it was to get back to doing some peddling in the sunshine.

[Hamish]

That weather is to be envied 

a pub destination is well earned. 
 

enjoy and all of you stay safe. 

[Nick Jones]

1 hour ago, GT6MK3 said:

albeit with a pub as the destination

Doesn’t sound like a problem to me….. not on the way there anyway 

[RogerH]

Oh dear. going to the pub, drinking beer. sunshine and healthy air.  What could possibly be worse than that.

 

Happy new year to one and all.

 

Roger

[Nick Jones]

1 hour ago, RogerH said:

Oh dear. going to the pub, drinking beer. sunshine and healthy air.  What could possibly be worse than that.

I know, hard to know how he can bear it……

[Sprint95m]

On 12/28/2024 at 2:56 PM, RedRooster said:

People must think they are invincible in their new cars with lane assist, auto braking etc. 

A bit like when radar was fitted to (ocean going) trawlers in the 1950s?
In perfectly clear and calm conditions some managed to run aground.....

 

Ian

[JohnD]

HAH! "Motorways"

I spent last night babysitting my grandsons, in  Manchester.  The trip down was marked by speed limiting signs, 60mph, all the way from Lancaster to the M65 junction, with two signs that said "Reports of lane blockage".  No idea how far north they extended.     There was nothing in the way, even if there had been previously, and the Highways Authority has cameras on every gantry, and patrols, so why "reported"?
On my return, on the four-lane, no-hard-shoulder, Preston bypass, a stationary Highways bollard lorry blocked lane 1, because in front of it was a gulley sucker/gutter sweeper lorry, moving very slowly.   No warning from the overhead signs.

Not that anyone obeyed the speed limit signs, because they are used in such a profligate manner.   Why obey?  These are the central reservation signs, cautionary unlike the gantry signs that are obligatory, but used just as carelessly.

Bah! 

John

[RogerH]

I have this feeling that the Motorway control desk  use these signs simply to slow the traffic but do not want to use the lower speed signs so as not to upset the masses.

If you happen to have had a speeding awareness course, and at the end ask if these morons ever get trained in how to flip a switch the instructor will leap very quickly to their defence.

 

Roger

Edited November 17 by RogerH

[Steve-B]

About a month back we were on the M25 heading north from Surrey back to the M40 at night.

At one point I noticed ahead of us the gantries were lit but I couldn't make out the speeds until we got nearer to the A30 junction.

The 2 exiting lanes were NSL, lane 1 was 60, lane 2 was 30, lane 3 was 50 and lane 4 blank.

WTAF I said to SWMBO, she shrugged as well as we were in lane 3 we stuck to 50. A mile down the road all gantries were blank so we popped up to NSL speed and both spent the next 10 mins discussing/wondering was I right? She said I was wrong because there was no NSL "release" circles but I thought I was right.

No brown envelops in the post at 30+ days, so guess  was right.

Based on the lit gantries we both agreed the Motorway control desk was either sniffing glue or asleep...!

[Nick Jones]

20 hours ago, Steve-B said:

Based on the lit gantries we both agreed the Motorway control desk was either sniffing glue or asleep...!

I’m going with glue sniffing….

[Hamish]

I guess another reason for a dash cam to try and disprove random limits ?!

I’ve not got one yet.