M25 Madness

[Croker]

I just got backfrom a trip round the M25. Miles of it was coned off into one lane. Dead slow moving traffic for miles with apparently nothing happening until I came across two guys miles down the 'works' strimming the central resrvation. Then futher along, the very same thing, this time with two or three guys sweeping the central reservation. Maybe it's just me being grumpy?!

[bob_a_builder]

based on the time of your post : would you have prefered they did it during the rush hour, say a monday morning or a friday evening ?

[allieyoung666]

Originally Posted by Croker

I just got backfrom a trip round the M25. Miles of it was coned off into one lane. Dead slow moving traffic for miles with apparently nothing happening until I came across two guys miles down the 'works' strimming the central resrvation. Then futher along, the very same thing, this time with two or three guys sweeping the central reservation. Maybe it's just me being grumpy?!

we had that a couple of weeks ago on the A1, but it is litter picking!!!!!! And the right hand lane was shut for at least 3 miles!!!!! Why? I do not have a clue sorry!

[Paul]

The lane is shut to protect the people working on the roadside. It would have been coned off for a set distance before the area that they planned to work in, the planned work area itself and then a set distance after the work area. There are a lot of road workers seriously injured or even killed each year due to drivers not realising they are there or not giving them room to work so now-a-days they cone off the entire lane if necessary to protect them.
As for the M25 we never touch that road without checking the BBC travel,AA Travel and Highways Agency sites to see what roadworks, accidents etc are on-going as there are a lot of late night engineering projects ongoing at the moment.

[Nemesis]

...and junc 16 - 12 is still being done for the T5 terminal .... until Dec this year.

[Xaccers]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

...and junc 16 - 12 is still being done for the T5 terminal .... until Dec this year.

And don't forget the widening of the M25 that's going on as well!
I'll be so glad when that's over with as I have to drive to Staines for work which is bad enough anyway!
Of course with 5 lanes, you'll still have 4 of them full of people daudling along doing 60 rather than sticking to lane 1

[me283]

Originally Posted by Xaccers

And don't forget the widening of the M25 that's going on as well!
I'll be so glad when that's over with as I have to drive to Staines for work which is bad enough anyway!
Of course with 5 lanes, you'll still have 4 of them full of people daudling along doing 60 rather than sticking to lane 1

Driving on the M25 AND working in Staines? Double sympathy methinks!

I used to use the M25 every day, and nowadays use it a fair bit, although infrequently. In the past 12 years that I know there has always been some kind of major roadworks on the section between Junctions 15 and 10. It amazes me how there can ALWAYS be something that needs doing on that stretch!

Wouldn't it be great to be in power, to put all these things to right...

[Xaccers]

Originally Posted by me283

Driving on the M25 AND working in Staines? Double sympathy methinks!

I used to use the M25 every day, and nowadays use it a fair bit, although infrequently. In the past 12 years that I know there has always been some kind of major roadworks on the section between Junctions 15 and 10. It amazes me how there can ALWAYS be something that needs doing on that stretch!

Wouldn't it be great to be in power, to put all these things to right...

I believe that when it was first completed, it already needed more lanes then they had built!

[bob_a_builder]

There are a lot of road workers seriously injured or even killed each year due to drivers not realising they are there or not giving them room

On a trip to Boston(US) sometime ago I noticed that every set of roadworks had a policeman/car assigned to them (people alway slow down at the sight of a police car) and I believe that any penalties as the result of any RTA/violation are doubled if in the vicinity of such roadworks.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Xaccers

I believe that when it was first completed, it already needed more lanes then they had built!

I read that too. I think it's because it was planned in the late 60's/Early 70's and they totally failed to account for a massive rise in vehicle use that occured in the early 80's.

[Millay]

Originally Posted by Xaccers

And don't forget the widening of the M25 that's going on as well!
I'll be so glad when that's over with as I have to drive to Staines for work which is bad enough anyway!
Of course with 5 lanes, you'll still have 4 of them full of people daudling along doing 60 rather than sticking to lane 1

I thought the M25 was different to most motorways i nthe way that all lanes are treated the same so no lanes for overtaking etc no slower lanes, and with the variable speed limits 60mph sounds about right.. better to make slwosteady progress rather than no progress at all because ofweight of traffic caused by speeding up and slowing down and people changing lanes etc..

[me283]

Originally Posted by Millay

I thought the M25 was different to most motorways i nthe way that all lanes are treated the same so no lanes for overtaking etc no slower lanes, and with the variable speed limits 60mph sounds about right.. better to make slwosteady progress rather than no progress at all because ofweight of traffic caused by speeding up and slowing down and people changing lanes etc..

The lanes are the same as other motorways... ie left hand lane when possible, other laqnes for overtaking. The point about steady progress makes sense... except that not everyone drives at the maximum limit; add to that the problem that the slower drivers are often in the middle or outside lanes, and you get people undercutting etc, causing further problems. To be honest, a lot of the congestion on the M25, and other motorways, could be eased by sensible driving; too many people sit and hog lanes, resulting in other drivers getting angry and consequently driving badly.

[Xaccers]

Originally Posted by Millay

I thought the M25 was different to most motorways i nthe way that all lanes are treated the same so no lanes for overtaking etc no slower lanes, and with the variable speed limits 60mph sounds about right.. better to make slwosteady progress rather than no progress at all because ofweight of traffic caused by speeding up and slowing down and people changing lanes etc..

No, all motorways are the same, lane one is for traffic, the other lanes are for over taking slow moving traffic.
The variable speed limit has been brought in because with heavy traffic, slowing the flow actually increases the average speed limit.
I remember when it first was introduced, used to practically fly plast heathrow, then everything would jam up just past the variable area!

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Millay

I thought the M25 was different to most motorways i nthe way that all lanes are treated the same so no lanes for overtaking etc no slower lanes, and with the variable speed limits 60mph sounds about right.. better to make slwosteady progress rather than no progress at all because ofweight of traffic caused by speeding up and slowing down and people changing lanes etc..

No the principle of drive in the left hand lane, unless overtaking still applies.

In the variable speed limit areas, signs try to discourage frequent lane swapping, just to gain a notional advantage. When the variable limits are active, even the slow limited lorries maximum speed can be above the road limit. Thus all traffic in all lanes should be moving at a similar pace, with only safe gaps in front of each vehicle, as the limit is active to maintain free flow with road capacity having been reached.

In practice, it becomes a free for all.

[Ramrod]

If you want real time traffic info, get one of these. It's pricey but worth it if you drive a lot.