Heading South yesterday late afternoon, hit crawling traffic from J27 to J19. Added an hour to our journey. Every gantry showed 40mph. The info boards just stated queue ahead. No information or how far the jam extended. If I knew how far, I would have diverted.
We passed a gantry showing 60mph so we thought right thats it. The traffic sped up. Then slowed down to the next gantry showing 40mph again. And many others after. When the traffic started moving past J19 the road was clear. If there had been a hold up it was gone.
Surely the muppets in the control centre should have turned the signs back off. All it did was create a concertina effect for many miles. It was the 40mph signs that created the congestion. Moving along past the North bound carriageway after we got going again the same was happening on that carriageway. In my mirror I could see 40mph flashing signs and again causing congestion. We didn't see anything to warrant the slow down.
I understand they are used to handle traffic flow but I feel it has the opposite effect in causing it. If there is an accident or other emergency then so be it, but I wonder if over zealous operators have a bit of fun with traffic control that suits them and not us.
If there is no obstruction to any lane get the traffic moving. Even the local radio reported that they had no idea what was causing the congestion. They offered "weight" of traffic. NO I screamed in frustration, its those gantries and the morons operating them.
Edited by Webmaster on 31/08/2008 at 02:47
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That junction has always caused hold ups, especially in the peak periods when commuters leaving the Manchester area travel down the 556 and join the motorway.
Also just below that junction you have that section where there are those chevrons painted on the road designed to make people travel further apart, its a good idea in a way, and drivers do tailgate far too much, but for some reason even when the traffic is light drivers slow down a lot through those chevrons. I haven't fathomed the reason out yet, but that section of road is often bottlenecked and is usually fine just after, trouble is the damage is done, hence the crawling traffic more miles behind.
TBH Friday afternoons have always been horrendous on the roads, the mornings are great you can really get around with minimal problems, come 12.30 and all hell breaks loose.
We've all seen it, solid traffic ahead, a line of cars all belting along at nearly maximum speed like a huge millipede, and panic braking resulting often ending in 3 or more cars bent, those that can't stop veering into the centre and then into the inside lane causing mayhem there too, many on the road on a Friday are not regular motorway drivers that doesn't help.
I understand your frustration, i suppose the camera operators err on the side of caution, i do believe it stops many of the accidents i described, as the speed differential isn't quite so great.
They are very quick to cut the speed on the M42 West of Birminham section too, backed up by the overhead speed cameras, unfortunately for those of us who do try to drive properly it does work, there are far fewer accidents on that section now.
I try to get off the road early as possible Fridays, if i can't then i assume the worst and plan accordingly time wise.
If drivers took more care and learned to drive properly we wouldn't need to be nannied half so much.
I blame ABS and airbags, remove drivers airbag and replace with bayonet you'd see different driving standards...;)
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Yes it is amazing how the motorways take on a different atmosphere from Friday lunchtime onwards. I allude it to the character shift you can see in a town centre on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, where a normally pleasant street becomes almost feral and full of tension.
I think your observations are correct GB. I think that Friday PM sees an influx of people who are less experienced users of the motorway system. Some are travelling home from far flung jobs. They are anxious to get home and maybe try a little too hard. They are maybe as tired as they can be having worked all week. Some are going away for the weekend.
I also think that Friday is unusual in that often people start their weekend socialising on Thursday nights and maybe more than a usual amount are driving while suffering the remains of hangovers.
I also try to plan my week so that I can avoid the motorway system on Friday afternoons. Not always possible of course, and for many not even an option. The standard of driving remains lower all weekend for many of the above reasons and although Saturday and Sunday traffic can be lighter, I always feel more aware that the unexpected is more likely to happen during these times. People who seldom drive above 30 mph during the week or even not at all, suddenly find themselves in the cut and thrust of a busy motorway, travelling at speeds they are just not used to.
Compare this to a busy weekday morning where despite high volumes of traffic there can be an almost balletic synergy to the traffic flow. This of course can and regularly does, all fall apart when one driver makes one small error and congestion ensues.
Edited by Humph Backbridge on 30/08/2008 at 10:04
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IME this sort of thing has happened on the M6 & M1 (and probably others as well) for years and long predates the current overhead gantries. It's simply down to volume of traffic and muppets who hog lanes two and three and cannot look far enough ahead to anticipate and drive smoothly. Somebody dabs a brake and the whole thing grinds to a near halt. Resume and repeat all the way to Leeds, or on the M6 until the traffic thins by attrition beyond the Blackpool spur.
This weekend will be particularly busy as it sees the end of the BH week and school hols with lots of folks returning home while the childless make their gettaway. Return of prem footy and a big RL match at Wembley add more into the mix.
Edited by Bromptonaut on 30/08/2008 at 10:57
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I was heading North yesterday at a similar time on the M6 and witnessed the aftermath of three separate incidents that led to your delay. Interestingly all three incidents involved cars that had spun round collecting grass samples from the embankment in the process of spinning.
I think the traffic heading North was more interested in rubbernecking as it was mile after mile of stop start traffic for me !
r
Edited by Pugugly on 30/08/2008 at 19:43
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I know what you mean, but why the 40 signs slowing people down. There were no blockages on the actual carriageway when we passed. The signs should have been switched off to prevent the mimsers and lane hoggers from sticking to the warning. I passed a smashed up caravan and 4x4 on the hard shoulder further along on the M40. No traffic. No slowing down. No temporary speed limits. So why the M6.
As I say they presume too much in their control centre and think they are managing the traffic when in fact they contribute to it. As soon as a blockage is removed, cancel the limits. The temporary speed limits combined with the debris on the shoulder compound rubber necking because people think it is worse than what it is. Hence the example I used above on the M40.
Boffins from local to national level are paid vast salaries to "manage" our traffic. They don't. Its not rocket science. Why can't these public servants earn their keep and apply simple solutions to getting our traffic moving.
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It's simply volume of traffic, made much worse if there are minor accidents. The fact that large numbers of drivers ignore the advisory limits does not help. Enforceable varaiable limits as on the M25 and M42 make for much smoother running.
French motorways are usually praised for being free flowing but we expereinced exactly the same symptoms as scribe on a grossly overtrafficed A7 on Sunday 10 August. Only sorted out by the 40 min queue for the tolls south of Lyon.
Edited by Bromptonaut on 31/08/2008 at 17:15
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