Having read an article in one of todays broadsheets regarding the expected Bank Holiday road chaos, it was with much trepidation I set off on the Suffolk to Wiltshire run home this afternoon. This involves the A12, M25 (northern section) and the M4 so I was expecting there to be very heavy traffic in all the usual hotspots and it to be a 5 or 6 hour trip back instead of the usual 4 or so.
Errr, what traffic ?
It was very quiet, too quiet in places. Which started to make me think how much influence the media has over driving habits in the holiday season. If they tell us its going to be a dreadful weekend full of massive holdups, jams and delays then do people take heed and stagger their journeys or even avoid traveling at all ? If this leads to quiet roads and quick journeys then thats great for us motorists who ignored the warnings and the government too as its less congestion, pollution and fewer accidents. But its bad news for the press who run a story which never occurs and therefore they lose credibility. Which makes me wonder why the stories are ever run at all - unless someones got a vested interest?
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I think you're right. I think this is one of the many ways that government bodies have to control the masses. For instance the Met office seem to exaggerate weather warnings these days just to be on the safe side. Ive been driving all over the easter weekend from the Southeast across the midlands on the M4/M5/M42/M6 and M1 plus numerous dual carriageways, and I havent seen anything to realy write home about traffic-wise. Yet the media would have led us to believe that we would be huddled in mega-jams in a foot of snow anywhere North of Swindon !
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I guess it's a delicate balance - it doesn't take much for free flowing traffic to turn into a solid jam.
Near me, the M6 through Staffs/Cheshire has looked very busy, and it was closed for several hours on Good Friday which must have been pretty horrendous.
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I travelled today morning via M25 & M40 and entered Oxford - the road was almost empty everywhere!
I've never seen Oxford in such a deserted state - usually it is filled with so much tourists!
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M6, M62, M56 all remarkably quiet today. Manchester city centre also. Went to the Science and Industry Museum, well worth a visit.
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I went from Harwich to York on Thursday afternoon and the traffic was horrendous. The A1 was the worst I can remember it being...
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Maundy Thursday/Good Friday were worst travel days of the year from early in my driving career. Harrow to Ironbridge 6 hours in 1985. Heathrow to Leeds 8 hours in 1989.
A lot of distortion from normal travel this year because Easter so early with school hols differing widely around the UK.
I've only travelled relatively localy in Northants/Warks. M1/M6/M42 to Birmingham Intntl station Ok this afternoon. Much heavier on return, but the A5 was almost deserted from A426 to Towcester.
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On Easter Sunday we drove round the M25 from A3 to A1. Almost every Matrix sign was saying "SNOW. SLOW DOWN". There was of course no snow, either in the sky or on the ground.
And they wonder why we ignore these stupid signs ?
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This is how they sell papers, people need to feel that they will die without reading the paper or watching Richard and Judy. It's a sales ploy. "Later in the show, find out how chocolate can save you from cancer". etc....
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The trains have been quiet as well after all the scare stories...
But perhaps the bad weather had something to do with it?
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