It’s The Latte Latte Delta Tea Break 2018

[midgetman]

Just saying the same about our roads to MGDavid yesterday, he came to visit me via the A4 which used to be a fun drive. Not any more!

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I love it down here, no potholes very little traffic (what's a traffic jam?)
Beautiful driving conditions on billiard table top roads all paid for by EEC money

Ain’t that the truth! Only one short section of autopista had any potholes on the whole drive across Spain and back. And no accidents or road works hold ups.

I lost 3hrs on the M3, but if could have been on any UK motorway! Really ****es me off.....

[grantp]

It is very noticeable how recent years of road patching policy have resulted in utterly dreadful surfaces.

I took the car for MOT and service yesterday. 10 miles up the M1 and a coupld of miles off the M1 to the service location.

The M1, half of the way, being converted to a "SMART" section has continuous tar and stone pellets as no one is cleaning it up after any of the barriers are moved to facilitate the work.

That, however, was nothing like the truly awful state of the roads in north Nottingham where surfaces are just crumbling and leaving huge areas of 2 and 3 inch deep sections to the surface that previously existed some time in the past.

The outer perimeter track at Donington over the weekend had some ruts and potholes that could be excused because of current work and extremely wet recent weather. Compared to the roads of Nottingham that gravel track is perfection personified.

Utterly awful.

As for closing main roads for hours on the slightest pretext .... someone needs to start running risk vs needs assessments on the decision makers.

Back in the day when an ambulance had to travel the roads to attend in incident there was a reason to keep the road at least partially viable.

Now when they know they can close a main road in both directions for as long as it takes to fly 2 or 3 air ambulances in and out as soon as someone says they agree to the suggestion that their neck might be hurting, it's just too easy to forget the thousands of travellers some of whom might end up with health issues as a result of an extended delay.

And of course I doubt that anyone is trying to assess whether the state of the roads has any impact on accident rates in any way whatsoever.

[GORDON STREETER]

Is it just me being a Victor Meldrew or are a good percentage of the drivers on the road absolute morons ? How anyone can do a delivery driving job today without having a heart attack or having road rage every ten minutes I've no idea !
I used to enjoy driving around the UK but not now, virtually at anytime (apart from silly o'clock) places like the M25 are a car park ! so much so that if I want to go to my mates place in Winchester I use the old A25 and find it almost (and sometimes quicker) as quick because if I join the M25 at the nearest to me Oxted/Godstone junction It can take ages to even get to the M23 junction that is just up the road !!! Arrrrgh
And why haven't the UKs motorways got fold back sections of the central barrier to allow the traffic to at least have a chance of moving instead of sitting for hours after a major crash, or is that too easy !!!!

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by grantp

As for closing main roads for hours on the slightest pretext .... someone needs to start running risk vs needs assessments on the decision makers.

Back in the day when an ambulance had to travel the roads to attend in incident there was a reason to keep the road at least partially viable.

I mist be Victor Meldrew as well... Half the problem yesterday was because the junction from northbound M3 onto the M25 was completely closed to repair a small piece of barrier! Guess damaged by whatever stopped us in the first place, but with a bit of thought they could have coned off a small section of the dual carriageway slip road and let traffic filter through behind. But No, they just coned off the whole junction and spread their maintenance vehicles all over the area.....

The cost to the environment in pollution increase, fuel consumption increase, and time lost to industry not a concern, obviously!

Grrr...

[Alan Morgan]

You sound pretty "coned off" yourself Mike!

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Alan Morgan

You sound pretty "coned off" yourself Mike!

As I said before, IMO our road system is beyond a laughing matter! The majority is seriously inadequate, and likely to get worse.....

[justracing]

How on earth can anyone justify the construction of HS2 with the roads nationally in such an appalling state?

[grantp]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

And why haven't the UKs motorways got fold back sections of the central barrier to allow the traffic to at least have a chance of moving instead of sitting for hours after a major crash, or is that too easy !!!!

Because after the tensioned wire barriers that had started to replace older Armco were abandoned due to the potential negative effects on motorcyclists (and some continuing reports of poor installation and maintenance together with the challenges presented by ever larger and heavier trucks) and then the double layer Armco was defeated by traffic volumes and ever larger trucks .... most dual carriageways have followed the US Metro Area policies and installed tons of concrete as a central barrier/trap.

Of course the success of concrete is entirely based on the introduction of the deformable car structures we have seem mandated for passenger safety which has eliminated the needs for any attempt at energy absorption from crash barriers. I don't think it does a lot for spray dissipation and rainwater drainage though. Still, every silver lining has a cloud.

Now that Trumpton rescue crews carry so many neat devices for hacking cars apart and the potential for claiming a few quid on the basis of possible neck pain (etc.) most rescues will take far longer than they once would even if no H&S concerns were in place. It takes a while to get the crews to site and then to hack the vehicles apart, something that seems normal these days, so some level of delay is inevitable and once the problem has been built up it will equally inevitably take longer go dissipate.

I used to think little of driving over 20k miles a year, albeit also trying to avoid rush hour times as often as possible.

I had the car MOT'd last Tuesday. The report includes the previous 3 Odometer readings during which time I have covered just 10199 miles. So about 3,400 miles a year. I can't imagine the horror of being forced to travel at busy times on a daily basis.

That said it perhaps explains why people like cars that are filled with toys these days. Gives them something to play with whilst stationary in a queue somewhere.

[Lancsbreaker]

The cynical side of me (about 95% as it happens) thinks that the roads are being allowed to disintegrate as a traffic calming measure, just as the supposed Smart motorways are at least partially designed to let any unqualified clown, sat in a control room somewhere remote, institute an arbitrary speed limit for no good reason at a moment's notice....and then apparently disappear off for a meal break to allow the cameras to rack up the fines.

And then there's the closure of a motorway for hours "as a crime scene" after any incident - even if some poor soul has thrown themselves off a bridge onto the motorway.......that doesn't make the motorway a crime scene - if there was any crime scene it was up on the bridge above. Just clear the road and get the traffic moving again - its all going somewhere for a reason because we sure as heck don't get much chance to drive for pleasure any more.......


And breathe.......

[grantp]

Originally Posted by justracing

How on earth can anyone justify the construction of HS2 with the roads nationally in such an appalling state?

Virtue signalling.

International "Keeping up with the 1st tier".

And the person who, as a minister, signed it off may have the long term benefit (if they are lucky) of being the one whose name is forever associated with a clearly identifiable piece of long life infrastructure engineering rather than a few thousand tonnes of tarmac scattered over tens of thousands of miles of road surface - and lost once more within ten years.

In any case, once they have "accidentally" nationalised the means of personal transport they will have better control over the management of wear and tear and repair without the majority of members of the public being concerned about how it is done.

Moreover if the new pot-hole sensing suspension claimed for the Ford Focus (was that from an April 1 press release?) is widely copied and enhanced, concern about the state of the roads may become a thing of the past. (Assuming that flying (electric) car development and its equivalent of autonomy has not been rapidly developed before then.)

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

How anyone can do a delivery driving job today without having a heart attack or having road rage every ten minutes I've no idea !

You have to learn to chill and as I get older I now appreciate that there is always someone bigger so I don't get stressed anymore. As for the heart attack, I'll let you know after my visit to St T's in a couple of weeks

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by grantp

Moreover if the new pot-hole sensing suspension claimed for the Ford Focus (was that from an April 1 press release?) is widely copied and enhanced,……

Hi Grant. Are you referring to what was adapted from hi-fi loudspeakers to car suspension by Bose? Think it was more than 35 years ago. Gogol tells me this technology has recently been sold to ClearMotion. This thing is incredible. Hard on the tires though to say the least.

[PeterMorley]

Originally Posted by justracing

How on earth can anyone justify the construction of HS2 with the roads nationally in such an appalling state?

A viable public transport system would remove a lot of cars from the road network.
But apart from the infrastructure it also needs to be cost effective which it certainly isn't (it's questionable whether public transport actually exists in the UK).

Similarly an effective rail freight system would remove a lot of lorries from the roads.

The state of the roads (and plenty of other services) is down to continual cuts in funding, which is daft at a time when interest rates are negligible (and costs more long term when you factor in claims for damage and the expense of multiple temporary repairs).

[delta]

You will all be pleased to know that dead on 10 am just we went out on track here in Hockenheim the heavens opened and we are now in for heavy rain all day . I have never known weather to be so bad .

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by delta

You will all be pleased to know that dead on 10 am just we went out on track here in Hockenheim the heavens opened and we are now in for heavy rain all day . I have never known weather to be so bad .

Hang in there- Supposed to be over 20 deg and sunny for the weekend, Boss. Hope the forecast is correct and you can dry out!

[GORDON STREETER]

Gigantic Scalextric !!!
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/...cid=spartandhp
I can't see this design happening for a long time in the UK (if ever)

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

Gigantic Scalextric !!!
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/...cid=spartandhp
I can't see this design happening for a long time in the UK (if ever)

I wonder how much down time there will be due to 'fluff on the brushes'? That was a constant problem with the Scalextric set in out house!

[bauble]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

I wonder how much down time there will be due to 'fluff on the brushes'? That was a constant problem with the Scalextric set in out house!

Just how many 'bits of fluff' did you have Viv?

Why would they be cluttering up your Scalextrix track, hoping for a better ride perhaps?

[delta]

Yes thanks Mike . 22 degrees forecasted tomorrow and I’ve bought new pair of shorts .

[justracing]

Originally Posted by PeterMorley

A viable public transport system would remove a lot of cars from the road network.
But apart from the infrastructure it also needs to be cost effective which it certainly isn't (it's questionable whether public transport actually exists in the UK).

Similarly an effective rail freight system would remove a lot of lorries from the roads.

The concept is fine if you start with a blank sheet but in the UK I fear it's too little too late.

[justracing]

Originally Posted by delta

.... and I’ve bought new pair of shorts .

Not Lederhosen surely!

[andy97]

Originally Posted by gary396

Maybe one for your 'TV diary' if you're interested in the new UK aircraft carrier (without aircraft of course).

8pm BBC2 15.04.18 1/3

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/pro...iggest-warship

Having served on a "Through Deck Cruiser" (with aircraft) I will watch with interest.

[andy97]

Originally Posted by PeterMorley

A viable public transport system would remove a lot of cars from the road network.
But apart from the infrastructure it also needs to be cost effective.

Similarly an effective rail freight system would remove a lot of lorries from the roads.

.

Hmmm. The rail system is unaffordable in this country without VAST public subsidies. It costs a fortune to build and maintain it.

And in thecDonington Park area we are about to suffer from removing freight from road to rail. A new Inland Port is being built near J24 M1 - 17 trains a day will arrive from the east coast container ports and then transfer their loads on to.......lorries to fan out around the E Mids. Thanks.

One of the justifications is the 6000 jobs it will create. How will they get to the site to work? Oh yes, cars.
Far more traffic.

How about we use the existing port and waterway infrastructure to move freight inland using the Thames, Severn, Humber and Trent etc.

Good sized coastal ships and barges could get freight from the coast to Gloucester, Oxford, Nottingham, Newark, Leeds etc

Still got to trans load it into lorries, though. The country needs viable road infrastructure.

[Tel 911S]

They spent umpteen Millions , if not Billions , upgrading the 10 miles of rail line from Ipswich to Felixstowe , [ the biggest container port in the country ] , with the result that several thousand more containers per week now go on trains .

The end result is that rail transport now manages to carry about 6% of goods movements in the country , & over 90% still go on the roads.
So the idea that the railways could ever manage to carry much of the countries freight is just fantasy .