Just how bad is the M25 now!? No road works either. I’ve had two stories from friends about spending hours sat on the M25 just this week and I joined them on Friday when I made the very very stupid decision to go to Guildford and then up to near St Albans, Jesus is it like that everyday? . I’ve not been down that way for several years and will be very mindful of ever doing it again. That said the M6 was fine going down , M40 , and A1 back up. £100 in fuel lighter of course which was probably about a third of the price of the train , not that you can take a Mini with you on a train but holy moly the motorway network is getting towards capacity now in places and no speed limits required because you’ll never get near one! Thankfully we’re not that bad yet up north but definitely getting there! Slowly, literally!
If I have to go down that way, I'll arrange the timing so I hit it before 6 am & if it means having a kip in the car after, so be it. It works OK for me.
probably due to Motorists using their Mobiles when stopped in the outside lane & then when its clear in-front they are still on the Phone.. so miss the chance to get going again.. Result is the build up of traffic behind .. solution scrap Mobile Phones & the M25 will then be clear..or ban the sale of BMW.s & Range Rovers.. just a thought
steve1071 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 8:15 am
Friday’s always seem to be really bad.
According to mates so was Thursday and even Sunday! Might have been an end of half term thing I don’t know. I rarely use our M60 (Manchester’s M25) but it’s crawling on most days at peak time as opposed to most of the time.
You should try the A34 with the Botley interchange works at the moment.
Sat there for an age on Friday pm, hour + and didn’t do 3 miles.
I think it would be faster if I had a hoop and stick!
Costafortune wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 10:31 am
The M62 is now all but unusable and unfit for purpose. The last time I used it (M1 to Warrington) it took me four hours from Sheffield.
Four f*****g hours.
It's no longer a viable route so I take the train, when that's running of course.
When I started driving in 1984 there were half as many vehicles on the road as there are now. Insane.
I normally avoid it like the plague but had to use the 62 a few times recently and it is horrible. I work in north Sheffield most of the week so use the Woodhead if I go to Manchester. It's damn slow but a nice run if you're not in a rush.
And don't get me on about the M1 going past Wakefield. Every bugger seems to be in the wrong lane......
As a 'southerner' living just inside the M25 I can confirm the M25 is pretty much a car park most times of the day, if it does get moving at anywhere near the speed limit shown on the overhead gantries it usually grinds to a halt again shortly after due to the 'traffic braking wave effect'/accident/road works/or broken down vehicle in a live lane of the newer 4-lane 'Smart' motorway sections.
Seems to have got worse since the pandemic as many more drivers now use the M25 for short commutes and have not returned to using the now expensive and unreliable TfL trains and buses. Also the M25 is not covered by the London ULEZ zone charges if you have a non-compliant vehicle.
The original concept of the M25 outer ring was to allow the main A-road & motorway users to by-pass around London but the design fault was they put in too many entries and exits to more minor road junctions, which means much of the traffic is caused by people hopping on and off to do short daily commutes to work in areas that they would not have considered before. As often said the more roads you build or the wider you make them with extra lanes, etc works for a short period but then the now free flowing traffic soon expands to fill the space again.
I thought the trend for 'working from home' might help the traffic chaos but if anything it has since got worse and only the trains into London are much quieter on Mondays and Fridays...hence the London Mayors ULEZ scheme to raise money to fill the black hole created in TfL's finances since the pandemic restrictions and his bad management of London under the guise of cleaner air.
Costafortune wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 10:31 am
The M62 is now all but unusable and unfit for purpose. The last time I used it (M1 to Warrington) it took me four hours from Sheffield.
And don't get me on about the M1 going past Wakefield. Every bugger seems to be in the wrong lane......
Every bugger seem to in the wrong lane going past Wakefield , I wonder WHY , but guessing by this map of Yorkshire , i can see WHY
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So, our sainted police force nabbed me for 36 in a 30 on an A road and for that I had the honour of my third speed awareness course, sitting for three hours listening to the same shit as before.
Getting there took 30 minutes, not bad for seven miles. Coming back took 40.
The Lady running the SAC asked 'what can we do to prevent accidents?'
I stuck my hand up and 'start walking everywhere'. Cue a few sniggers.
I continued. I told her I hated driving with a venom, which is true. I cannot bear it anymore. Too many cars, badly phased traffic lights, potholes, roadworks, roads closed and the diabolical standard of driving. On top of all this we have to keep one eye on the speedo, second gear at 20 mph in case some halfwit walks out into the road.
Last week would have been particularly bad as most of London and the home counties to the west were half-term .. so the Chelsea Tractor's were out ferrying their precious ones wherever they wanted to go ..
The section of M25 between J17 and J10 (and vice versa) is always bad and even google maps seems to have given up bothering to warn anyone about that bit.
(And to add insult to injury, once you got to J15, trying to head west on the M4 last Friday was bad due to "a stranded vehicle in lane one" .. that would be between the stupidly spaced relief areas then .. that needs a hard-shoulder ..
The forerunner of the Mini .. the A35 .. lots of similarities except rear wheel drive. My engine contains a lot of Mini parts now and the bodyshell some Metro brake parts!
Costafortune wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 5:22 pm
I told her I hated driving with a venom, which is true.
Though not quite hating it I've got to a point where my commuting car is automatic, as nice as I can afford so at least when I'm stuck it's inside something reasonable and I very rarely go out just ' for a drive' these days, there has to be a reason if it's an everyday car, or it has to be early in the morning if I'm taking something 'classic' out.
They've just introduced multiple 20mph zones around us, that speed is painfully slow in a modern, anything that is older with an amount of tuning sounds like it's doing 50 in 1st gear off cam, so you get glared at.
gazza82 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 31, 2023 2:07 pm
The section of M25 between J17 and J10 (and vice versa) is always bad and even google maps seems to have given up bothering to warn anyone about that bit.
There are major long term roadworks happening at the M25 J10 with A3, so always worth checking for road closures, etc...
M25 junction 10 - upgrading the junction with the A3 Wisley Interchange to reduce congestion, improve safety and create more reliable journeys.
Start date Summer 2022
End date Summer 2025
Cost £317 million https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-road ... nction-10/
driving standards do get better as you head north I've found, but thats maybe as a result of lesser volumes and the more professional drivers being on the road when and where i am. Come fridays or holidays periods then its not worth the risks to be honest, so many clueless idiots its embarrassing, how the hell did they get licences to drive!!!!!!!!
Wanna see what I'm playing with? Youtube Channel
Caution may contain 8 Ports, Xe's and VTec's, I don't do standard!
Richspec wrote: ↑Wed Nov 01, 2023 12:19 am
driving standards do get better as you head north I've found, but thats maybe as a result of lesser volumes and the more professional drivers being on the road when and where i am. Come fridays or holidays periods then its not worth the risks to be honest, so many clueless idiots its embarrassing, how the hell did they get licences to drive!!!!!!!!
. I’ve not been down that way for several years and will be very mindful of ever doing it again. That said the M6 was fine going down 
, M40 
, and A1 back up. £100 in fuel lighter of course which was probably about a third of the price of the train , not that you can take a Mini with you on a train but holy moly the motorway network is getting towards capacity now in places and no speed limits required because you’ll never get near one! Thankfully we’re not that bad yet up north but definitely getting there! Slowly, literally!
.. that would be between the stupidly spaced relief areas then .. that needs a hard-shoulder .. 
today, M25 no delays 
