Highway to hell

Jan and myself went up Norfff Thursday to see my old mate Graham. Almost door to door motorway, M1 and M6. Journey up five hours, average speed 39.4 miles per hour. Return to London yesterday, four point five hours. Average speed, 42.7 miles per hour. Nothing but accidents and long road works delays. If you are travelling to the north from London, I recommend you travel at night. I would go by train, but you have to be rich these days to go by train, unless you book around four years in advance. And then they don't guarantee you a seat. This is called progress. And when I tell my kids how it used to be, they fall about laughing and say here he goes again. Staying to speed limits, the journey should be a tad over three hours.

Rant over

It was great to meet up with Graham ...
We always go to the same eaterie and get such a warm welcome - my garlic stuffed mushrooms followed by cod loin was just perfect

I think however you travel these days it's just not the same as the 'olden days' ... all I can say is thank goodness for an air conditioned car.

All the best Jan

I'm sure you may have seen reports about this ... but I do feel sorry for the people involved in the hold-ups.

With young children forever asking 'how much longer' not easy

Motorists face night in their cars as queues lengthen on roads to Dover



Motorists heading for Dover face spending the night in their cars after police warned the delays could last until Monday.
British officials are being drafted in to work with French border police after the Government admitted motorists had suffered "extraordinary disruption" at the port.
Those using the route to cross the channel have been warned the chaos seen on Saturday could last right through to Monday.
People travelling, many heading off for a summer break, spent hours at a standstill in queued traffic while police helped deliver water supplies by helicopter.
Kent Police said the disruption is down to a "vast volume of holiday traffic" coupled with delays caused by heightened security at the border in the wake of terror attacks.
Late on Saturday, after a full day of disruption, the Home Office said it would send in the UK Border Force to help French authorities at the Port of Dover.
Increased checks were put in place by French authorities at the port in light of recent terror attacks, but questions have been raised about staffing levels to deal with the huge increase in people travelling at this time.

Continue reading story here
http://www.aol.co.uk/news/2016/07/23/motorists-face-night-in-their-cars-as-queues-lengthen-on-roads-to-dover/
Story here

Yes I did my driving back in the days when you could still do a reasonable speed because there was only a reasonable amount of traffic, even up and down the M1, M6 and M62.

A couple of decades ago I read that since my day (later seventies) the traffic on the M4 was 1700% of what it was. God alone knows what it's like now, must be more than twenty times as much. I used to like doing Cornwall out of season as the roads were designed for the peak holiday traffic, I dreaded the same route in midsummer. Once I remember coming off the M5 onto the A38 and finding a caravan at right angles across the road, with the Range Rover towing it at right angles on the other carriageway and the towbar on top of the Armco. I don't want to know how he managed that.

I think the train from Durham to London was £4.50 return (Deltics don't hang around, it was around four hours) and the motorway bus was £3.50, it took longer by a couple of hours but you were guaranteed a seat.

These days I hardly ever go out of Suffolk, except to Norfolk and occasionally Essex. I literally can't remember last time I was on a train. I last went on a motorway five years ago, and as for the M25, never again! Last time was when we moved here in 2004.

Mind you Chris, during the day. when most people are at work, you can motor along the old A roads at a reasonable speed, because most drivers want to save time by using the motorways. These roads are virtually deserted from 1030; and I don't just mean the by-roads, that criss-cross most counties.  If you don't have time to worry about, it's still possible to enjoy driving. So the dire warnings about Britain being gridlocked, are really based on the volumes of traffic, measured, during the 'Hour of Rush'!      The powers that be know it too. That's why they cause congestion with Traffic Lights, instead of utilising roundabouts. So they can justify slapping on 'congestion charges'. If they used roundabouts more there wouldn't be so much congestion. If you have ever driven through Swindon,  you'll know how easy it is, even during peak times, because of sensible island systems. (With the possible exception of the 'Magic Roundabout', which is somewhat confusing at the first encounter; or three!
Cheers

Wobbly

I used to love driving, but these days most of it is a chore. Years ago when the miners strike was on I had a job as a Sales Manager driving ludicrous mileages. My record in a day was over a 1000 miles and 3000 in a week. Driving up the M1 and other motorways, the Police gave up pretty much on the motorways during the strike, other than to park up at exits, checking cars for miners cars containing 'flying pickets' This gave a virtual free pass to would be Ben Hurs at the wheel. Plus of course far less cars on the road in those days and no bloody speed cameras.

If our plans come off, we will both go into full retirement within a year and live back on the South Coast. One run around car, probably a Honda Jaz, and Jan running me up to the beach for a spot of fishing and regular trips to the pub. I never thought I would say it, but if I never drove a car again, it would not break my heart. I can see it now, a couple of old codgers holding everyone up creeping about at 25 miles an hour. The times I have said to Jan, 'jeez can't these old dodder's get a move on' Now we are the old dodder's My days of playing Skid Solo are over, anyone remember what comic that character appeared in?

Most of the time I still enjoy driving here as there's comparatively little traffic and mostly quite laid back - you have to be when you're on narrow roads with the possibility of an 18-row carrot-turner coming the other way. It's been noticeable though the last week or so that Tourists have arrived from Sahf Of The Rivvah. Either they drive right out to the right, to stop people getting by and make cars coming the other way slow down, or they flash past when I'm already doing 60 or 70 or otherwise obeying(ish) the speed limits, only to hold me up at the next junction. Oh well, the survivors will be going home soon.