Cranfield Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 My Wife and I went down to Wales on Wednesday, stayed overnight and returned late this afternoon. We travelled via the M25 and M4. The M25 was OK, as good as the M25 ever is, but the M4 was a joke. Lit up speed restrictions (50 mph), for roadworks that never existed, this happened on at least eight occassions. Lit up lane closure symbols, when no lanes were closed, this occurred three times. Lots of times when there were roadside portable signs either limiting speed, or advertising road works ahead, when there was nothing happening, someone just hadn't picked them up. We also had a "slow accident 30 mph" overhead gantry warning and about 2 miles later, with all the traffic travelling at 30 mph and no accident in sight, we had the "all clear symbol". About a mile later, there was some Police cones and a shunt in the first lane, with about six cars on the hard shoulder. In the whole journey, there were only four incidents of the signeage being correct. With such pathetic traffic management, its no wonder that drivers eventually ignore the warning signs, on the assumption they are incorrect. Now I feel slightly better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jonrms Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 Sorry bud, gotta say this as a crazy or reckless driver ( you old folks call me.. lol) Kidding !!!!! but GET A RADAR DETECTOR!!!!!! Mine has never let me down.... and trust me ... it works... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ratcatcher Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 Dont go on the m25 mid day, theres always road works sat in it for a few hours before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jonrms Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 Dont go on the m25 mid day, theres always road works sat in it for a few hours before sorry cranfield.. since everyones being soo nice... (please dont call me and shout when I say this...) USE your bus pass..... its free... lmao any PW members .. if i am dead tommorow.. please note it was a murder.. (not a assignation) lol!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted September 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 Apart from the fact I am not old enough for a bus pass, I think a journey that far on a coach, would be purgatory. There use to be a telephone number posted along the motorways, that you could use to complain about incidents like this. I doesn't seem to be about any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jonrms Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 LOL! you know I was joking.. otherwise I am sure you'd be on the phone... giving me a ear full.. lol! I think the telephone numbers have all changed... because it now goes by county... i will check later tonight. but that is what used to happen.. now the highways agency operates on a local area.. which would mean you would have to call quite a few differant areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 They are annoying but they do work. The area around the A3 to M4 used to be worse before they were installed. You may be travelling slowly but you keep moving as opposed to the rapid acceleration and hard braking that this section was renowned for a few years back along with the inevitable crashes that came with it LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 I drive through the holmsdale tunnel every single day once on the way to work and once on the way back. Now, anyone that knows me personally will probably tell you a am a lunatic, I do drive fast on occasion but I do it with some considerable ability. I passed my advanced driving test when I was 18, this teaches you to drive to the same system as the police use (roadcraft). I speed when I can see that the road conditions, prevailing trafic and a whole host of other factors allow it. My father was one of the best drivers in the country, he taught me to drive, I won't go into that though. Now like the next man I hate scameras, or any other form of traffic "calming" becuase until recently I didn't think it worked. I have been using the m25 for a long time now, and through the "variable" bit past heathrow its a nightmare, it doesn't work. The new scameras they have up, SPECS cameras, DO work. I used to drive through the improvements before they got put up and there was a 40mph limit. PURE CHAOS for a few weeks. Then I noticed the teltale blue cantilever poles going up which I recognised as SPECS camera supports. &"^"£% I thought. They WORK, and they work well. That strech of the road was never great with the 4 lanes and hard shoulder. Its been down to 2 lanes with a contraflow but now everyone keeps to 40mph. For those that don't know the SPECS system is a forward facing numberplate recognition system which clocks you in and out of a zone (simple then to work out how fast you were going). I can depend on the time it will take to get through that bit of road now, at peak rush hour, somthing you can't say for anywhere else on the m25. I would never say this normally, but it has made my journey easier. I would rather be moving at 40 than doing 90, then 10, then stopped, then edging forward, then up to 60 then... You get the idea. I just hope they don't roll it out more, its cunning and works a treat. One flaw, doesn't work on bikes, they love it and zip through at any speed they like - good on em I say Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darebear Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 Apart from the fact I am not old enough for a bus pass, I think a journey that far on a coach, would be purgatory. oooooo you hit a nerve there. muahahahahahahaha and aye pin, i have to agree you're right. and without sounding too much of a boring ****, fuel consumption is better. with the ridiculous prices we pay, its something worth taking into consideration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 The worst thing about the M4 is they close whole sections late a night to do roadworks, so you quickly jump on to go 1 or 2 junctions and find yourself stuck in traffic jam in the middle of the night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted September 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 I think you may have misunderstood the electronic speed restriction signs, they were not the "variable" ones they use on the M25 around the M4 and M3 junctions to keep the traffic moving continuously, as opposed to the stop/start that use to happen. I have no argument with those speed restrictions. The ones I am referring to were specifically for upcoming road works, that didn't exist any more. The verges were littered with cones showing where they had been, but they had long gone and nobody had turned the lights off. In the same way that nobody had removed the roadside 50mph speed limit and men working signs, although their were no men working and no roadworks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirky640 Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 dont just grump get a life and move away from all that traffic i told you before you know it by now!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 I think you may have misunderstood the electronic speed restriction signs, they were not the "variable" ones they use on the M25 around the M4 and M3 junctions to keep the traffic moving continuously, as opposed to the stop/start that use to happen. Yes, sorry I got carried away with my own little evangelism I forgot to say... Those orange bulb matrix things are a bloody pest. I ignore them they are always wrong. I was speeding down the m25 a few weeks back, car thermomiter said 37C and I had 18C dialled into the climate control and what do I see "FOG" on the dammed signs. Other times I see "I I T" and the outside lane is never closed, or I see "50" and its 4am and I am the only one there. Someone is having a laugh somewhere Darebear: Sadly since I turned 30 I started thinking about mpg, and you are right, I get much better rates with the variable speed things. God I wish I didn't care about such things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jonrms Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Darebear... ****.. I like winding up cranfield.. when i can.. luckly i survived the night.. no murder has been carried out... I still think he is stalking me waiting to take the shot though...lol.... KIDDING for the sake of any guest reading this... those signs are a bloody nightmere. the highways agency is suppose to turn them off no later than 10 min from things moving on... anyway it never happens. grrr. Cranfield how many beers do I owe you bud.. lol!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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