M1 motorway out of London

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Viewing 13 posts - 46 through 58 (of 58 total)

  • HongKongLady
    Participant

    Yes the welcome end to the roadworks does seem to have left us with variable speed limits and the is it the hard shoulder safety lane or is it an actual lane scenario ! Both seem to cause great confusion. The M42 also suffers from both these to it’s detriment.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    Yesterday I travelled up to Sheffield on the M1, from junction 4 – 29. The motorway element was 131 miles.

    1. There were 2 sets of road works, first was 7 miles and second was 15 miles = 22 miles = 16% of my journey

    2. The road works had narrower lanes with a 50 MPH speed limit

    3. Even though it was a Sunday, I did spot 7 yellow jackets working

    4. I did find added concentration was needed whilst driving through these road works. Keeping to 50 MPH was difficult as the motor was busy and when you are caught in a flow of cars, the speed can vary, significantly

    5. Having trucks/lorries passing you so close and drivers constantly changing lanes adds to the stress

    6. I don’t think I have ever noticed so many speed cameras checking average speed and instant speeds. Cameras built into the overhead bridges seem to be multiplying like rabbits. This must be a great income generator for someone.

    7. Coming back to London, I did like the signs confirming that due to congestion, the hard shoulder should be used – this did speed up the traffic flows closer to London.

    8. I also noticed fewer people holding a mobile phones whilst driving. Hopefully the message is getting through…

    9. It would be nice if the police or even the highways patrol drivers, could encourage the lane hoggers to move over. There is a lot of undertaking still taking place. I need to check my highway code, but I think you are allowed to undertake if you have a clear lane in between. I am sure I will be corrected on this by someone.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    just to confirm (1) – the road works were in identical places on both the northbound and southbound carriageways.


    esselle
    Participant

    MartynSinclair

    Agree totally. The stretch between Northampton and the M6 has been like this for a very long time, and I have no idea when it is due to finish.

    They are apparently creating a “smart” motorway.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    The long standing roadworks are the same on the M6 in Staffs/Cheshire and part of the M60 to the NW of Manchester.

    I bought a base model car when I moved back from Malta and the first thing I did was to have a cruise control fitted so I didn’t get busted by these cameras.

    It cost £450, but must have earned it’s price back several times, by now.

    I’m travelling to Milton Keynes for 2 days next week and will let the train take the strain, especially as I have a railcard that grants a 34% discount – it becomes better value than driving.


    AlanOrton1
    Participant

    [quote quote=817041]They are apparently creating a “smart” motorway.[/quote]

    They’ve been doing the same for a 13 mile stretch on the M3, south of the junction with the M25, for 3 years.
    It’s only 7 months late so far and £45m over budget….


    Johnnyg
    Participant

    I couldn’t agree more Martyn Sinclair, I frequently travel between West Sussex and Cheshire to see my family. I never leave before 22:00 hrs due to heavy traffic on the M25 etc but even during the early hours of the morning the amount of ‘lane hoggers’ in the outside lane with no other traffic for miles is still a frequent sight.

    Maybe another use (and income stream) for gantry cameras.


    stevescoots
    Participant

    They have shot up all over in the past 5 years, in some places for no reason. It always amazes me the amount of people who have no concept of how the average speed cameras work, I flick on the Distronic at let the car do the rest but I am forever being tailgated (in the left-hand lane) or see cars going past at probably + 20 over the limit to see their brake lights come on at the cameras. I usually have 4 sets on my drive back from LHR to Lincs, M1 north at the roadworks around Luton and A1 north at Southoe, Peterborough parkway and Crowland bypass. The last 2 I am sure are just revenue raisers. The parkway ones were fitted after widening from 2 to 3 lanes and reducing the limit from national to 50. The Crowland ones are plain annoying. This is an almost dead strait stretch for 7+ miles with no hedgerows , houses field access and dead flat, you can see for miles The only serious accidents happened at a curve with a junction where people chance their luck. Put static cameras there but to make the full 7 miles in open fields a 50 zone with average cameras is revenue raising. It’s a farming area so the road often has tractors going 30 mph or trucks limited to 45 on them. This causes frustration as you end up with 20+ cars in a line too afraid to pass in case they go over the average limit. Just that stretch from my home to the A1 has gone up another 20 minutes on average travel time.


    Cyberstreak1
    Participant

    Highway Code rule 268 (driving on motorways) states;

    “Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.”


    mkcol74
    Participant

    [quote quote=817042]The long standing roadworks are the same on the M6 in Staffs/Cheshire and part of the M60 to the NW of Manchester.

    I bought a base model car when I moved back from Malta and the first thing I did was to have a cruise control fitted so I didn’t get busted by these cameras.

    It cost £450, but must have earned it’s price back several times, by now.

    I’m travelling to Milton Keynes for 2 days next week and will let the train take the strain, especially as I have a railcard that grants a 34% discount – it becomes better value than driving.

    [/quote]

    We shall welcome you to Milk and Beans with open arms next week 😀


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    [quote quote=817160]

    The long standing roadworks are the same on the M6 in Staffs/Cheshire and part of the M60 to the NW of Manchester.

    I bought a base model car when I moved back from Malta and the first thing I did was to have a cruise control fitted so I didn’t get busted by these cameras.

    It cost £450, but must have earned it’s price back several times, by now.

    I’m travelling to Milton Keynes for 2 days next week and will let the train take the strain, especially as I have a railcard that grants a 34% discount – it becomes better value than driving.

    We shall welcome you to Milk and Beans with open arms next week ?

    [/quote]

    Well thank you, much appreciated.


    canucklad
    Participant

    This reminds me of a dialogue in Yes Minister…..can’t remember word for word but the essence of the message was….

    Q) “Why does Oxford and Cambridge have such good links with London? ”
    A) “The same reason, why the M1 originally stopped in the middle of nowhere”.

    In other words so that cabinet ministers good easily attend university functions or head home to the shires at the weekend.


    ASK1945
    Participant

    FDOS

    The Cheshire roadworks to junctions 16 to 19 of the M6 are due to last until March 2018. The new A556 fast route into Manchester (by joining the J19 of the M6 to the M56) was completed and opened in March, but Junction 19 of the M6 was not upgraded.

    With the lack of foresight and planning typical of this country, the government announced last week that junction 19 will be upgraded starting in 2020 – so it will be back to delays around there for another two years, after a short respite.

Viewing 13 posts - 46 through 58 (of 58 total)
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