By golly, I have never seen so many idiots on the Motorway in such a short space of time. I am currently in a deep state of shock.
Coming back from Slough to junction 6 of the M25 yesterday, the Traffic was (again) limited to one single lane. All the other three outer lanes were all prohibited, as clearly marked by the large bright red flashing "X" above them. People had huge prior warning, yet while the responsible and reasonable drivers amoung us lined up in an orderly queue at a standstill, huge tankards and many other cars simply hurtled past us all at speeds in excess of 80mph, totally ignoring the restrictions in the selfish pursuit of pushing in further down the line.
One Mercedes went right up to the edge of where the cones merged in to the single remaining lane. The remaining lane I'd queued up in for over half an hour. He tried to push in right at the very last moment after clearly ignoring and disrespecting all the other obedient motorists. I certainly did not let him in, nor did a good 15 cars behind me thank goodness. The sheer audacity of this moron astounded me. He should have been dragged out of his car and stoned to a quivering pulp.
This was then followed by a foul stinking and ghastly Rascal van blundering through the hard shoulder and skipping everybody! The sheer cheek of people is amazing. I'd like to have given him a jolly hood hiding as well.
Nox, i couldnt agree more. Gets on my nerves when people wait til the last minute to merge in. I was at the same spot today and the same was happening. Also annoys me when people use the hard shoulder like a lane although this is being trialed in Birmingham as a way of cutting congestion. I was stuck on the A3 the other week and people were going down the hard shoulder. Police went and blocked them and booked the lot - good call. All the people trying to get back in and not being allowed too so they ended up with a ticket was funny to see. Some pompous old lady wound her window down and told me to move my "peasant mobile" I promptly ignored her and she got a ticket
Good show Craig, I couldn't have done better myself.
Yes I saw the M6 was being trialled for the use of hard shoulder, I think it certainly did help the congestion. I suppose an attainable 40mph restriction is better than a stand-still 40mph restriction.
I do hate the M6, though. It is even worse than the M25 for congestion. It took me seven hours to return from Wrexham to Croydon on Sunday, albeit including a couple of short relief stops at the services.
Which leads me on to the extortionate prices we are forced to pay at Services. £2.90 for a medium sized Coffee, provided in a paper cup which I have to pick up and prepare myself? £6.50 for an English breakfast, consisting of two shrivelled up Tesco Value sausages, some fatty gristly bacon and a foul, small barn egg? No thanks.
Nox, they are trialing it on the M42 not the M6. I can sympathise with that journey you made though as you know im based in London and Liverpool so i do it regularly. The trick is to know where the decent pubs and places to stop are that are just off the motorway and not stop at the services. On that journey if your gonna stop the best services are Keele on the M6 and Cherwell Valley and Oxford on the M40.
Well done to all who block lanes from those people who don't have to follow the same rules as us and their lives are far too busy and they are far too important to queue up like the rest of us. I like the old 'just driving over the lines not leaving enough space for the car in that quickly disappearing lane' routine and use it most days on the A45 in Brum, near Land Rover.
What were you driving Craig when she called it a "peasant mobile" and what was SHE driving?
Good grief chaps, I applaud your stance on this awful lack of decorum on the Motorways! I unfortunately see this often too. Craig & Nox I applaud you! Well done for not rising to the bait from the unpleasant lady and she paid the price for her impatience in the end!
Big G, it wasnt me, had it been me, i would have wound down the window & suggested that Nox, Craig etc who were stuck in the traffic turn round and attend dinner at Le Manoir au Quatre Saisons and then resume the journey when the traffic had subsided. Splendid. I am a patient driver contrary to what you might think old bean.
I wasnt out in a car yesterday afternoon, i was riding my motorcycle with no rear brake to the Kawasaki dealer to get its brake master cylinder replaced, which has now been done so i can ride with confidence when i go to collect it! Sadly it means another trip on one of Kens buses!
Originally posted by khanie: What were you driving Craig when she called it a "peasant mobile" and what was SHE driving?
I was driving my 2006 Roush Mustang and she was in a Vauxhall Corsa She got a bit of a shock after mouthing off and seeing me put the window down and end up nose to nose with her as the Stang is of course LHD.
Originally posted by PaPa SmUrFF: i must admit.. i do "que-jump"
mostly, its at roundabout que's...
i have x2 choices... sit in que for 5+ mins so i can go left.
or barrel down the right.. do a lap of the roundabout and be on my way in under a minuet...
a no brainer really... sod the extra polloution and co2.. i dont give a rats ass about it
That's OK PaPa becuase you are still following the highway code etc. as long as you indicate what you're doing to other road users. At our local supermarket people actually turn LEFT in the right hand lane and cut infront of you. Their frozen peas must be defrosting. Drives me mad.
Craig - how on earth has she got the gaul to call the 'Stang a 'peasants car' while driving a Corsa. You did well not to say something - I would have!!
And why would an old lady want to be so silly with her words in the first place?
What was she expecting the outcome to be?
Worrying, really. Of course it is wrong to get involved in voilence but why an old dear would want to be insulting to a strange man in these days of crime and killings, is beyond me.
If she had said ' Excuse me young man, I admit I have been silly here, but would you help me avoid a ticket by letting me back in ', then only a hardened nut would not do so.
I honestly wonder if we need to re-educate oldies in how to speak to youngsters.
Originally posted by Wobbletastic: I never let que jumpers in.
I do, but only on the basis that I occasionally make a bad call by being in the wrong lane and end up queue-jumping unintentionally. I appreciate being let in then and I would like to think I'm returning the favour when the boot is on the other foot. Terribly decent, but hey, it avoids unpleasantness. I suppose to some extent it depends what they're driving = value judgement on whether they're deliberately Qjumping, based on type of vehicle, or number of guns onboard.
Anyway, aren't we supposed to filter like a zipper these days? ie. all pile down to the blockage and take it in turns.
When Craig discards his peasant-mobile, can I have it, please?
Well we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
I let the odd queue jumper in now and again in case they just made a mistake as a fair few roads around here are no right turn so you end up in the wrong lane. Oddly enough this often tends to be more of a problem with sat nav slaves, "Go straight on at the next junction" but doesn't say that straight on is the right hand lane, yes folks even went using sat nav you still have to use your eyes and brain.
On one city centre road the right hand lane is right turn only but people use it so often to queue jump that I've stopped letting people in. What did it for me was someone who jumped the queue in the right hand turn lane, then proceeded to turn left at the junction. If he'd of gone straight on I'd of put it down to him just being hard of thinking or something (the right turn arrows are pretty darn clear).
Yes that's the kind of thing that I had in mind. People drive to the front of the lane for going right then try to get away faster than the cars on the correct lane allowing them to nip in front. You can usually tell who is going to do that because they start creeping before the lights have changed.
Originally posted by Wobbletastic: Yes that's the kind of thing that I had in mind. People drive to the front of the lane for going right then try to get away faster than the cars on the correct lane allowing them to nip in front. You can usually tell who is going to do that because they start creeping before the lights have changed.
Now you see, that's when 0-60 times come in handy.
Originally posted by Wobbletastic: Yes that's the kind of thing that I had in mind. People drive to the front of the lane for going right then try to get away faster than the cars on the correct lane allowing them to nip in front. You can usually tell who is going to do that because they start creeping before the lights have changed.
Now you see, that's when 0-60 times come in handy.
Nah, Nox, you don't need a fast 0-60 time, just an old white van!
There's a world of difference between finding oneself occasionally in the wrong lane, and the arrogant sh!theads who blast along in full knowledge that in 800yds they'll have to force their way in.
I always queue in good time, but NEVER let once near. I get the same violent feelings as Nox, but just as much as the drippy sod in front who happily lets them in.
I get it twice every night homebound. Where the M11 goes from 3 to 2 lanes as it approaches the North Circular (how there aren't more shunts there I'll never know - especially as there's a 50 camera just afterwards so everyone's hard on the brake) and queueing for the Redbridge Roundabout. The late brigade actually block the inside lane of the 406 whilst trying to force in.
------------------------------ 35% constitutes neither a majority nor a mandate
i don't understand the people who cue up for ages on the inside lanes before the outside lane merges. think of how many miles of road in the uk are waisted with this mentality. i always cruise up past in the outside lane skipping dozens of cars that have been there for ages, the fools. then they have the cheek to wave there hands and beep their horns because they think they are being cheated lol. its crazy. the correct manner it to use all the lanes and roads and preferably merge in turn where the lanes become one. it really works and it much smoother when people work together to do it. once i have merged in i am always prepared to let one car in front of me and one behind if they are joining me from the outside lane. tarmac in uk is precious, use it for Christ sake.
....... There's got to be a hundred reasons why i should listen to diesel owners, but right now, i can't think of any.
Originally posted by beach: i don't understand the people who cue up for ages on the inside lanes before the outside lane merges. think of how many miles of road in the uk are waisted with this mentality. i always cruise up past in the outside lane skipping dozens of cars that have been there for ages, the fools. then they have the cheek to wave there hands and beep their horns because they think they are being cheated lol. its crazy. the correct manner it to use all the lanes and roads and preferably merge in turn where the lanes become one. it really works and it much smoother when people work together to do it. once i have merged in i am always prepared to let one car in front of me and one behind if they are joining me from the outside lane. tarmac in uk is precious, use it for Christ sake.
What he said.
Well we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
What a load of rubbish. The lanes are closed and crossed out for a reason. Do you think we all like sitting there, stationairy in a line of traffic? Do you think we find it fun?
Of course we ruddy well don't. We're following the highway code and being safe and responsible drivers. I suppose the Highways Agency puts those big red crosses above lines because they want some early Christmas decorations?
I like your views on cars and Diesels, Beach, but on this one you are WAY out of step.
