Any - Rush hour

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Fri 5 Jul 2019 20:29
Any - Rush hour - dan86

This morning I had the pleasure of taking a trip to Milton Keynes from chiselhurst in se London Kent area.

I needed to be there for 10 AM so though I know what the M25 is like I'll leave early.

Left home just just after 7:30 got on the A20 no traffic on to the M25 mo traffic up the M1 no traffic in to milton Keynes no traffic.

I'm beginning to wonder if these stories of the M25 being total gridlock during rush hour are a hoax to stop people from driving.

I did the journey in just over one and a half hours with a brief stop for a coffee.

Has anyone else had a journey they thought would be a total nightmare and it turned out to be smooth and uneventful?

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Fri 5 Jul 2019 20:39
Any - Rush hour - gordonbennet

Friday mornings are often a clear run, doubly so during school holidays, sadly it all changes around lunch time when the lemmings go into an aggressive headlong rush leading to the inevitable smash ups and long delays.

If you reversed the route and left on another weekday morning at 7.30, it could easily take you 1.5 hours to reach the inevitable snarl up at the bridge.

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Fri 5 Jul 2019 21:38
Any - Rush hour - RickyBoy

I left MK at 07:10 for Henley-on-Thames (via Aylesbury, Chinnor & Nettlebed) yesterday morning. Was parked-up (free street-parking) at top end of town by 08:40 and down by the river before 09:00 to enjoy an absolutely slabcrackin' day at the Regatta, etc.

Return journey (49-miles - an exact reverse of my earlier one) took 2hrs 15mins!!!

A combination of following an (unovertakeable due to long line of traffic) artic from Park Corner onto Christmas Common/the usual cars parked all along the High Street hold-ups in Chinnor/crawling up to and beyond Stoke Mandeville station, down into Aylesbury and out the other side/an artic having a tyre changed on the A418 between Bierton & Rowsham – hence blocking s/bound – with driver doing his best to let 10 vehicles from each direction through at a time/and finally, every grid road leading up to every roundabout before & after crossing the A5 towards MK was, er, gridlocked!

This country ... :–)

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Fri 5 Jul 2019 21:48
Any - Rush hour - RickyBoy

Apologies to the OP – I was expecting it to be smooth & uneventful, it tuned out to be anything but ...

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Sat 6 Jul 2019 10:39
Any - Rush hour - Andrew-T

This country ... :–)

You can't blame the country - its road system evolved for about a ten-times smaller population who mostly didn't need to travel very often on their horse (if they owned one). So many people liked living there and driving that we are now where we are. Like it or lump it, I'm afraid.

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Fri 5 Jul 2019 21:49
Any - Rush hour - dan86

Friday mornings are often a clear run, doubly so during school holidays, sadly it all changes around lunch time when the lemmings go into an aggressive headlong rush leading to the inevitable smash ups and long delays.

If you reversed the route and left on another weekday morning at 7.30, it could easily take you 1.5 hours to reach the inevitable snarl up at the bridge.

Ahh the dartford crossing it's a magical place where there are no tole booths yet the traffic has got worse since their removal.

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Fri 5 Jul 2019 22:00
Any - Rush hour - badbusdriver

Has anyone else had a journey they thought would be a total nightmare and it turned out to be smooth and uneventful?

I remember a few years ago having to take my son into Aberdeen for a hospital appointment at around 8am. When i was driving buses i remembered that the traffic was absolutely horrendous, so i made sure we left nice and early.

But the traffic was light, it was flowing well and there were no major holdups so we ended up arriving at the hospital nearly an hour before his appointment.

Hey ho!

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Fri 5 Jul 2019 22:00
Any - Rush hour - gordonbennet

Ahh the dartford crossing it's a magical place where there are no tole booths yet the traffic has got worse since their removal.

Fortunately Dan, and i do count myself fortunate for this, that in my present job i haven't needed to cross the thing for about 5 years now, if i never go near it again as long as i live that will be fine by me :-)

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Fri 5 Jul 2019 22:29
Any - Rush hour - daveyjp
OP. This time of year is relatively quiet. My daughter gets the school bus, its about 5 miles.

Today it took 20 minutes, at other times of the year it can take twice as long.

Exams over, people on holiday, better weather gives commuters chance to use motorbikes, cycles, no massive demand for extra goods in shops so deliveries are reduced.

Try the same trip in mid November!

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Fri 5 Jul 2019 23:39
Any - Rush hour - bathtub tom

What about the Woolwich Ferry? Tried it myself one Sunday morning and found it an interesting alternative. Never had to be there since.

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Sat 6 Jul 2019 00:29
Any - Rush hour - Bromptonaut

Ahh the dartford crossing it's a magical place where there are no tole booths yet the traffic has got worse since their removal.

Going south, so using the bridge, it's definitely better since the tolls went. Obvs really; no need to slow down and fanny about with card/coins.

Northbound is still a lottery. Mostly due I think to traffic being regulated for congestion/emissions in tunnels and interruptions so fuel tankers and other dangerous loads can be escorted through.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 06/07/2019 at 00:30

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Sat 6 Jul 2019 13:38
Any - Rush hour - dan86

Ahh the dartford crossing it's a magical place where there are no tole booths yet the traffic has got worse since their removal.

Going south, so using the bridge, it's definitely better since the tolls went. Obvs really; no need to slow down and fanny about with card/coins.

Northbound is still a lottery. Mostly due I think to traffic being regulated for congestion/emissions in tunnels and interruptions so fuel tankers and other dangerous loads can be escorted through.

Its always north bound that's backed up south bound doesn't seem to suffer the same fate.

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