UK road traffic

[Ash4781b]

I’m in Kent - south east and the roads are as busy as ever. It takes hours to get across towns. I have seen Lots of road rage and accidents with people getting confused, some queuing blocking  people are queuing through junctions, jumping lights. Then people tell me about going to London across Blackwall tunnel and it taking a few hours to get back into Kent. Is it like this in your area?  Seems to be a bad underlying mood on the roads as infrastructure falling to bits.

edit:oops sorry meant to go in off topic @spunko

Edited September 19 by Ash4781b

[Joxer]

Continuous and poorly planned roadworks in my area of London. Really fucks everything up as the back roads have been blocked off to through traffic.

[One percent]

8 minutes ago, Ash4781b said:

I’m in Kent - south east and the roads are as busy as ever. It takes hours to get across towns. I have seen Lots of road rage and accidents with people getting confused, some queuing blocking  people are queuing through junctions, jumping lights. Then people tell me about going to London across Blackwall tunnel and it taking a few hours to get back into Kent. Is it like this in your area?  Seems to be a bad underlying mood on the roads as infrastructure falling to bits.

Yep, congestion is off the charts.  I try and avoid driving places.  

[Paulie]

Strangely WFH was meant to offset traffic growth in peak hours. White collar including public sector is still 50% home based. Who are these people clogging up the network given that the economy is tanking and traffic is linked to economic growth? Can't be recent (g)immigrants as so far a car isn't included as part of the welcome package.

[AVERAGEUKBLOB]

car brained transport network

thats the problem

and big SUVs which take up more space on the road and cause exponential increase in traffic

 

 

if you say too much alcohol causes liver disease and it can be made better by reducing alcohol, thats ok

if you say too much sugar causes diabetes and it can be made better by reducing sugar, thats ok

if you say too high car use causes traffic and it can be made better by reducing car usage, PHROAAAAARRRR!!!! WHATS THAT PAL? ARE YOU SOME KIND OF POOF

the retardedness of the car brain never ceases to exist

Edited September 19 by AVERAGEUKBLOB

[DurhamBorn]

Between 8.15 and 9.30 and 16.30 and 17.30 busy main roads linking towns,suckers working 9 till 5 to pay for bennies and illegals.The rest of the time very quiet.

[Bobthebuilder]

They are building a new tunnel under the Thames at Blackwall, they are doing an amazing job and keeping traffic moving, same at the A3 junction on the M25.

[Pip321]

10 hours ago, Joxer said:

Continuous and poorly planned roadworks in my area of London. Really fucks everything up as the back roads have been blocked off to through traffic.

I genuinely feel sometimes the roadworks are so bad that it’s a deliberate plan to make people consider other routes and options for a few weeks…..in the hope they never use their car again.

I can literally take a diversion to avoid some roadworks only to be met by another set of roadworks and having to drive an extra 2 miles. 

How can we have so many roadworks but the road surfaces and general services are still shite 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Curious Pattern]

Yes, the traffic in Kent is horrendous. Nearly every town has had massive housing estates built around it over the last 10 years yet no new major roads have been built. I assume TPTB were relying on petrol prices, potholes, lockdowns, WfH, 5 minute cities, food deliveries and a general increase in antisocial tendencies to keep people off the roads but its not enough. Every second car is a stonking great big 4x4 too.

Then if you try to escape to another part of the country you get to the M25...

[HousePriceMania]

20 hours ago, Ash4781b said:

I’m in Kent - south east and the roads are as busy as ever. It takes hours to get across towns. I have seen Lots of road rage and accidents with people getting confused, some queuing blocking  people are queuing through junctions, jumping lights. Then people tell me about going to London across Blackwall tunnel and it taking a few hours to get back into Kent. Is it like this in your area?  Seems to be a bad underlying mood on the roads as infrastructure falling to bits.

edit:oops sorry meant to go in off topic @spunko

It's mental round her. I miss lock down.

State of the roads if something else too + no c*** seems to know how to drive.  Small black woman seem to be the main danger ( in the cars not as pedestrians ), whomever is selling 5ft woman 4x4s is a c***.

[HousePriceMania]

12 hours ago, Pip321 said:

I genuinely feel sometimes the roadworks are so bad that it’s a deliberate plan to make people consider other routes and options for a few weeks…..in the hope they never use their car again.

I can literally take a diversion to avoid some roadworks only to be met by another set of roadworks and having to drive an extra 2 miles. 

How can we have so many roadworks but the road surfaces and general services are still shite 🤷🏻‍♂️

I cant find the reference to it but a few years ago the government admitted they phase lights so drivers used more petrol. More petrol = more tax.

 

I was surprised people at that point didn't sting the ****s up, but it seems the British do like being taken up the back passage by the establishment.

[Shits McGee]

2 hours ago, HousePriceMania said:

State of the roads if something else too

Could be worn out/aged dampers but even with the big old balloon tyres on my work truck, it's abysmal.  I have no idea why people drive cars with low profiles etc and that's not just me being boring, give me a V8 powered sofa and I'd snatch your arm off

[Ash4781b]

20 hours ago, DurhamBorn said:

Between 8.15 and 9.30 and 16.30 and 17.30 busy main roads linking towns,suckers working 9 till 5 to pay for bennies and illegals.The rest of the time very quiet.

Yeah possible I guess also with delivery drivers etc servicing the bennies. Unfortunately I have seen a benefit family near me. They drop the kid off at school then hang out all day. The house / garden smells of cannabis so I think they just sit in the garden and smoke. Very productive 

Edited September 20 by Ash4781b

[spygirl]

On 19/09/2024 at 21:02, Ash4781b said:

I’m in Kent - south east and the roads are as busy as ever. It takes hours to get across towns. I have seen Lots of road rage and accidents with people getting confused, some queuing blocking  people are queuing through junctions, jumping lights. Then people tell me about going to London across Blackwall tunnel and it taking a few hours to get back into Kent. Is it like this in your area?  Seems to be a bad underlying mood on the roads as infrastructure falling to bits.

edit:oops sorry meant to go in off topic @spunko

Youd think that road traffic would die down a bit when the economy slows.

Youd be wrong.

What happens is that you get people driving further n further, chasing work.

 

 

[UmBongo]

Traffic around Norwich and suburbs can be pretty shitty. Sometimes there would be temporary traffic lights on the road you want to drive along with no notice. So many of them as well on numerous roads. This hasn't been a problem since the General Election. Have Labour clamped down on council road budgets in the last 10 weeks?  

Caught out a few times on my way in to work, fortunately I have an understanding boss. She drives into and out of work and these things affect her too.

I fucking hate commuting. I would rather walk to and from work @AVERAGEUKBLOB but the jobs I like or are good at tend to be far away.

One interesting point of note is that most of my male work colleagues don't have a car and rely on the local buses and the shuttle bus laid on by the employer.

[Joncrete Cungle]

23 hours ago, HousePriceMania said:

I cant find the reference to it but a few years ago the government admitted they phase lights so drivers used more petrol. More petrol = more tax.

 

I was surprised people at that point didn't sting the ****s up, but it seems the British do like being taken up the back passage by the establishment.

Middle of Preston had roadworks for something in the region of eighteen months or two years. After they had finished fucking round with the roads, the traffic light sequences had all been altered. I used to drive that way early in the morning going to pick up rejected veg.

Nine times out of ten if the first light was green all the following lights would be green as you got to them and you could make progress. Now the first light is nearly always on red and it's not controlled by sensors in the road any longer but on a timer, at a four way junction. Then the next light is red and no longer on a sensor, but on a timer at another four way junction. Then another.

What used to take probably less than a minute to drive, now takes upto ten. It's worse on the way back as the roads are busier and chaos at morning and evening commute time. The main route to avoid the above now has a bus only section and revenue raising cameras making it an expensive detour.

[Pip321]

On 21/09/2024 at 16:46, UmBongo said:

Traffic around Norwich and suburbs can be pretty shitty. Sometimes there would be temporary traffic lights on the road you want to drive along with no notice. So many of them as well on numerous roads. This hasn't been a problem since the General Election. Have Labour clamped down on council road budgets in the last 10 weeks?  

Caught out a few times on my way in to work, fortunately I have an understanding boss. She drives into and out of work and these things affect her too.

I fucking hate commuting. I would rather walk to and from work @AVERAGEUKBLOB but the jobs I like or are good at tend to be far away.

One interesting point of note is that most of my male work colleagues don't have a car and rely on the local buses and the shuttle bus laid on by the employer.

I used to commute…it was shite. And unpaid. 

My lad moved jobs and moved from a job which took an hour to drive to…..to one he could walk to albeit 1.5 miles. But he uses it as exercise and with his clothes kept at work and a shower facility then even in the rain or snow for a young guy it’s an enjoyable distance. Not least because the walk involves walking past standing traffic. 

He was looking for all sorts of jobs and salaries but decided to take a £6k cut, but now they have one car…not two plus he works term time only ie school holidays off.

The way tax and NI works, plus student debt…..it’s been financially one of the best moves he has made

[DoINeedOne]

A family member used to do work on commercial properties around central London and would have to shoot to different places each day

5-6 hours of traffic a day he used to sit in worked out about 5 days a month

That was 10 years ago god knows what it would be now with all the cycle lanes and diversions

 

He quit in the end due to being to much stress, took a pay cut and could work more local doing building work, most days would walk to work with a cup coffee