Is it time for the speed limit to be reviewed?

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Originally Posted by gettin2dizzy

Yet the M6 toll is always completely empty! I'd use it but I'm a tightwad

I travel the M6 a fair bit but mostly from the M42 to M5. I would never use the Toll road, plus there is more unmarked car on that stretch of road than i have ever seen anywhere else.

The only Tolls i pay are the Dartford Crossing (which is fair at £1) and occasionally the Humberbridge (which is a complete and utter RIP OFF at £2.70)

You should try the Severn Crossing! £5.10!!! On the times I've been impatient on the M6 and used the M6 Toll, it's completely empty and the traffic does 100-120! (guess from my 70 of course...)

Thing with speed limits is the proportion of people who are numptys with no common sense as to when it might be better to slow down.

(mini rant mode off)

Originally Posted by gettin2dizzy

I'd like to see how effective the M42 is when busy, the M6 is begging for something to work. I've never drievn on it at any time without being caught up in traffic.

I've driven the M6/M42/M25 for several years ... I've driven the M42 on a Friday and Sunday evening (in both directions), before/during/after the introduction of the variable limits and can say that on THAT particular journey, before variable limits were introduced it would take me about an hour to get from M6/M42 to M42/M40 ... in traffic moving (if you're lucky) at about 5mph. During the ensuing roadworks for installation it was pretty much the same and sometimes much worse, but after ... as graeme said, you at least get to move at 40mph and that transformed my journey time to about half an hour (or less) for that stretch.

Also, WRT the M25, I used to travel the West-North-West anti-clockwise section (from M40 to M3) and made this journey for about a year, then all of a sudden there was millions spent on widening this section of the M25 and roadworks ensued for approximately 12 months ... 12 months of MAYHEM was looming, so I simply chose to come off the M40 at J4 and head down thru Marlow on A-roads, short stretch on the M4, and then down towards Bagshot on A-roads again - a much nicer journey - and at least I was moving most of the time (except for the odd delays on the M4). However, I've also had to use the M25 following the widening and I think it depends when you travel ... on a good day, it's great and traffic flows quite freely ... on a bad day you now have 5 - 6 lanes of grid-lock rather than the previous 3 - 4 lanes

I've always thought you'd have to be a goon to regularly travel on the M25 every day. I've done it a fair few times and have never enjoyed being alive less.
I can see why the slowing of traffic does help congestion in the long run, as cars love to pile up when it's busy; but why don't they try and avoid closing every lane when a minor scuffle happens!

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Originally Posted by gettin2dizzy

but why don't they try and avoid closing every lane when a minor scuffle happens!

Serious pet hate of mine.

Heading north on the M6 just south of Carlisle, got held up for nearly 45 minute, did about 2 miles in that time.........what was the hold up you ask?

It was two traffic officers in a big uneconomical 4x4 who had closed down the inside lane whilst a van had its tyre changed. One of the goons was stood their waving everyone on frantically with an angry face if you so much as glanced across at the van whilst rolling by at 1.789mph.

Edit:- These people border on getting as much hate as traffic wardens from me, not necessarily because of the job they do but their view that they are superior and have immense power.

They've got no power whatsoever, it's very misleading for them to drive around looking like they do when it is such a serious offence to impersonate a copper. I often wonder how beneficial it would be to have big barriers between the roads. They would stop people slowing right down to watch the opposite carriageway, and could be made to stop riders and debris crossing in to the oncoming traffic. They'd only need to be cheap plastic.

Originally Posted by graemepaterson

Serious pet hate of mine.

Heading north on the M6 just south of Carlisle, got held up for nearly 45 minute, did about 2 miles in that time.........what was the hold up you ask?

It was two traffic officers in a big uneconomical 4x4 who had closed down the inside lane whilst a van had its tyre changed. One of the goons was stood their waving everyone on frantically with an angry face if you so much as glanced across at the van whilst rolling by at 1.789mph.

Edit:- These people border on getting as much hate as traffic wardens from me, not necessarily because of the job they do but their view that they are superior and have immense power.

To be fair, if I was changing a tyre on the motorway I'd be quite keen on someone keeping the traffic away from me.

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Originally Posted by Flamin_Squirrel

To be fair, if I was changing a tyre on the motorway I'd be quite keen on someone keeping the traffic away from me.

I appreciate that aswell. It was the mass of congestion that they caused and then the way they acted whilst passing that really got my back up.

Originally Posted by graemepaterson

I appreciate that aswell. It was the mass of congestion that they caused and then the way they acted whilst passing that really got my back up.

's fair enough. I always think that if someones inconsiderate enough to crash and delay my trip, the least they can do is let me get a good stare at the resulting mess.