Chaos!!

If that's the right spelling...
Britain's road network plumbed hitherto unexplored depths today.
My wife and I arranged to go to the south coast for lunch today, a place in Studland Bay called Pig on the Beach. The table was booked for 12pm, so to allow for traffic left at 8.45am from NW London. More than three hours should have seemingly been plenty of time to travel a little over 100 miles most of which is motorway. We arrived at 4.15pm some six and a half hour s later!! This mostly thanks to the highways agency deciding to close the M27 where it meets the M3, resulting in anyone wanting to travel further west from the M3 taking a diversion of utterly enormous proportions. At one point we were being directed to travel back up the M3 towards London, and what was undoubtedly the absolute low point a traffic hold taking in excess of one hour to travel two miles to cross a junction!!! At least the climate control after an initial lack of its usual effectiveness was able to keep me from exploding in 30 degrees in fact if anything being a little too cold.
As I say a new level of utter chaos.
As for the place, Studland is well worth visiting, of course in nice weather everyone else has the same idea making everything mobbed. As for the Pig hotel , it s probably a bit to 'on trend' for me, being full of lots of young people enjoying what seemed like someone's house party type atmosphere. I am probably a little old fashioned and prefer the more traditional country house hotel.
Anyway if this journey doesn't encourage the public not to use a car I'm not sure what would...

That sounds hideous, Keith. Top marks for tenacity, anyway. A few times lately I’ve had the misfortune of needing to drive at rush hour, and it really is utter shite. As someone who works from home or commutes by train to an office that is a very pleasant work from the main line station, I’m spared the indignity of travelling by car other then for SD&P (as the insurers call it). Driving anywhere nice on a sunny day is effing purgatory.

Problem we have is that there are two many cars on the roads of our little country. Doesn't matter where you go these days it's seems there is some kind of hold up....roads works, accidents, speed limits to aid traffic flow (now that's ********)....Most families have two cars or even four or more depending on offspring. When I was a child most families had one car. Our roads are just not set up for this volume of traffic when you travel through the day.

Sadly so true - I find even in our rural parts traffic so much heavier than years ago - I usually head out early mornings for driving enjoyment now otherwise levels of traffic make it rather less fun....

I feel your pain Keith, four years ago I tried to get to Poole Italia midweek and it took over six hours to get there.

you cant get anywhere fast these days unfortunately, what really p1sses me right off is roadworks on busy roads where there are no weekend crews working, utility companies should be forced by local authorities to have crews working 7 days a week. especially if causing major delays for weeks on end, I thought I heard somewhere that the government were restricting the length of 50mph roadwork sections that could be in place on motorways?

Andyk said:

Problem we have is that there are two many cars on the roads of our little country. Doesn't matter where you go these days it's seems there is some kind of hold up....roads works, accidents, speed limits to aid traffic flow (now that's ****)

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One of the main reasons we are moving to Ireland, once you get out of Dublin the definition of a traffic jam is 3 cars in a queue. Last year in the height of summer we drove to a lovely beach mid morning expecting the car park to be jammed but it wasn't no traffic no parking problems and a stunning 3 mile beach with no more than 10 families on.

Fine up here, mostly

So I stuck lucky yesterday - empty road from Hereford to Worcester - at least on the nicely surfaced bendy bits.

Just drove to Newcastle up A19 and through Tyne tunnel. No traffic really. Just annoying no work roadworks with ridiculous speed limits.

I imagine heading to work be if the most beautiful and therefor popular coast in the U.K. on what was the hottest day of the year must have played a part.

No excuse for crappy road closures and poorly managed motorway roadworks though!

Will put “Pig on the Beach” on the list for next time we are down that way.

zagatoes30 said:

One of the main reasons we are moving to Ireland, once you get out of Dublin the definition of a traffic jam is 3 cars in a queue. Last year in the height of summer we drove to a lovely beach mid morning expecting the car park to be jammed but it wasn't no traffic no parking problems and a stunning 3 mile beach with no more than 10 families on.

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Where are you off to Andy?

UlstermanAbroad said:

Where are you off to Andy?

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Co. Wexford, about 8km south of Gorey

I bought a car from sarf of the river in london , unfortunately a friday , waze kept trying to send me through the congestion zone but as I didn't know if it was ucrap compliant I wasnt paying £30 , took me 2.5 hours to get to the M25

If you ever get sent off the motorway at a planned closure with diversions bear in mind the diversion route is planned with articulated trucks in mind so you can be sent miles out of your way because of a low bridge or narrow road that you'll be fine with in a car
WAZE is your friend , been to oulton park today for the BTTC , it's rammed but I drove straight in via many country lanes thanks to Waze

Wexford is the one coastal county that I'm not familiar with.
Hope the move works out for you.

North east and upwards generally hot horrendous, obvious black spots, my personal pet hate is the A1 at Gateshead.

But anytime if been daan saath, midlands and beyond the traffic and amount of cars goes up significantly, I’d hate it.

Ryandoc said:

North east and upwards generally hot horrendous, obvious black spots, my personal pet hate is the A1 at Gateshead.

But anytime if been daan saath, midlands and beyond the traffic and amount of cars goes up significantly, I’d hate it.

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Yeah, but our beer's really good.

Felonious Crud said:

Yeah, but our beer's really good.

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You are jesting. It’s like pi55 water.

D Walker said:

You are jesting. It’s like pi55 water.

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WHS

Now now boys no fisty cuffs ....

Don’t get me wrong a love a trip downwards, I drove to Tunbridge Wells last year, chaos !