Driving back from Stansted to Cheshire Sunday night at 11pm:
M6 Spaghetti Junction: 40mph average speed camera. No-one working on it, A38 (M) road into central B'ham. Why should I keep to 40mph if they can't keep their end of the deal? As my friend said, if they're going to shut a section of a motorway that's that busy and that important, they should be working 24/7 on it.
Same further up near Stafford.
I have NEVER seen anyone working on any of these roadworks, and am at the end of my tether about it.
Who do I complain to?
As someone says in another thread, the politicians appear hell-bent on bringing the UK to a standstill, and I'd LOVE to know the reasons why.
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Yes I completely agree and also know this stretch of M6.
See my thread on the M4 just bprior to this thread.
I am absolutely convinced as of the last 9 months or so that the government is involved in a conspiracy to actually force drivers off the road with these deliberate congestion-causing measures. In fact even though the children are on summer hols, I have seen less difference in the traffic this year than I can ever remember.
The government cannot fix things so they go about the brute force route, ie make people sick of travelling with pointless roadworks and people hiding behind walls with speed guns etc etc.
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>>In fact even though the children are on summer hols, I haveseen less difference in the traffic this year than I can ever remember.
I've noticed that too - on a couple of trips in the last 2 weeks, travelling mid-morning down the M6 heading into Birmingham, it's seemed busier than normal.
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But as the gantry boards always tell us "TOLL ROAD CLEAR". How convenient.
On another tack, if they charge a toll, surely the M6 toll road is therefore a private road? How, then, can a national speed limit be enforced?
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It is a privately owned road but it is open to the public and 70 limit is legal, the law has been adjusted to make it so.
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Fair enough I suppose.... amazing how quickly the law can be adjusted compared to how it normally drags on eh?
Forgive my cynicism everyone, but this country is wearing me down. After having spent the last 3 out of 4 weeks in Germany, I am tempted to move abroad. My feeling is that everything is too far gone in this country, there's a sense that we can never catch up, so what's the point trying?
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Have read that less people are taking holidays abroad this year due to good weather. Guess this could be having some affect with day trippers, tourists etc.
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I am absolutely convinced as of the last 9 months or so that the government is involved in a conspiracy to actually force drivers off the road with these deliberate congestion-causing measures.
Iam glad you are gradully comeing around to this reasoning,I been convinced that this has been happening far longer than 9 months.This not only stops with road works but unecessary traffic lights, timing of traffic lights changed to hold traffic up. The latest I have noticed is extra high kerp stones with shrub planters on wide pavements (previously marked by the council as parking areas)to force vehicles to park on the highway causing obstruction to the flow of traffic.Also previously appointed car parks closed and left abandened for the local youths to ride their motor bikes.It all adds up to causing congestion so we might consider getting off the roads.
--
rustbucket (the original)
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But why are they so desperate to force us off the roads?
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A few years back (probably 5 if i'm honest) i spoke with a police traffic sergeant at Hanger Lane Gyratory (for those fortunate enough to not know where that is it is where the A40 meets the A406 - North Circular Road, in North West London).
He had the key to the traffic light control unit and could manually override the pre-set light settings.
He told me he was under strict instructions to only use them in an emergency (which could be verified from the cctv) because the lights were set to ' discourage persons going into Central London'.
I took this to mean the pre-set settings meant deliberate congestion and if he overrode it and cleared it, he would be in trouble.
No idea whether what he said was accurate, but i've no reason to doubt him
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In reply to mss1tw they are not trying to force us off the roads, just to spend longer on the roads burning up fuel.
This way they benefit in the first instance from the extra fuel tax revenue, then from claiming that traffic congestion is a problem and must be more heavily taxed in order to discourage it! Each way the tax revenue increases and we all suffer.
Drove from St. Malo recently down to Rioja area of Spain using autoroute system of both countries - amazing!
No hold ups, no traffic lights, no congestion apart from the odd queue for tolls, nothing until the small roundabout as I came off the autoroute in Rioja into the village where I was staying!
Travel in Europe is still easy and the motorist provided for, which is why I do not mind the tolls as you can see the benefit.
Here it is the opposite in every way, but it may now be too late for a sensible solution.
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I was informed that whilst many road works are started prior to the school holidays, it takes twice as long to be completed at this time of the year, because many workers on the roads, go home for the summer months.
It also means that on the local roads, roadworks re start in earnest on the first few days of kids going back to school, and it is also a period of year when more accidents occur
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But why are they so desperate to force us off the roads?
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This is more complex and subtle than just stopping pollution/CO2 emissions.
My theory is that they are trying to re-order our societies habits by pilling misery on people who for lifestyle reasons have decided that it is acceptable to travel mega distances in order to live where they want thus causing congestion on the roads.
The government have no apptitude for tyring to fix these problems by 'normal' means (ie good traffic management, incentives to industry to help workers relocate etc etc). So they are goping to make us learn the hard way.
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Just wait till they start widening the M6 up to Manchester from Brimingham, that will be a proper laugh, mayhem. They need to whack a toll road in then widen it as well. Too little, too late. The M1 between Luton and London will still be a traffic jam when they get round to finishing widening that. Then they'll decide they need 5 lanes and not 4 and it will start again. Some people don't like toll roads but give me the choice any day and they're welcome to it.
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