The M6 Toll

Posted by: Steve Toy on 16 January 2004

It's as quiet as a fish through water.

The local police are keeping an eye on drivers for dangerous driving as this may discourage other people from paying to use this road if they felt their safety may be at risk.

However, they don't seem to be pulling drivers in for simply breaking the speed limit...

Cars wizz past the patrol car parked on the hard shoulder at about 85 mph and the coppers within just carry on doing their crossword with just one eye on the road...

I think that they are doing the right thing because otherwise drivers would be discouraged from paying to use this road if they ended up having to pay again in fines and points. The result would be even more traffic on the M6 "free." and possibly a greater overall number of accidents.

Long may this pragmatic style of policing continue.

Regards,

Steve.

Posted on: 23 January 2004 by blythe

quote:
Originally posted by Patrick Dixon:
quote:
Two problems here (both related):

There are quite number of junctions, which are a hazard in terms of using high speed on the main carriage way.

and what was the other problem?

Problem one is high speed at junctions
Problem 2 is slow speed of people joining at junctions.
Both related.

The slip road is designed as the place to gain speed in order to join a motorway and also the place to lose speed when exiting.
Unless totally essential, using the main carriageway to do this is a BAD idea.

Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......

Posted on: 23 January 2004 by blythe

quote:
Originally posted by Steven Toy:
The bloody frogs* just sit there in the inside lane when you try to join the motorway.

*_ J'adore les froggies ayant veçu avec eux pendant un an ou deux. _

Regards,
Steve.

As long as they've left sensible gap between the next car, there's no problem there. You adjust you speed accordingly and filter into the gap, which is of course how it should be done anyway.
How many times have you been in the middle lane with a car ahead of you on the inside lane that you're about to pass, there's a car coming alongside you in the outside lane and some pillock tries to force his way out of the slip onto the main carriageway... "Hello, Like who's got the right of way"?
I'm on the motorway, I have the right of way, he is effectively passing a "Give Way" sign at the end of the slip road, yet it happens all the time.

Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......

Posted on: 23 January 2004 by Steve Toy

quote:
How many times have you been in the middle lane with a car ahead of you on the inside lane that you're about to pass, there's a car coming alongside you in the outside lane and some pillock tries to force his way out of the slip onto the main carriageway... "Hello, Like who's got the right of way"?
I'm on the motorway, I have the right of way, he is effectively passing a "Give Way" sign at the end of the slip road, yet it happens all the time.

This is a grey area because although you have right of way over traffic joining the motorway it is silly to get anal about your right of passage

and force drivers joining the motorway to stop. Drivers already on the motorway are responsible for allowing others to join as safely and as smoothly as possible.

That's why we have slip roads.

Regards,

Steve.

Posted on: 23 January 2004 by Tony Lockhart

Right of way? Naa, the queen has that. I think the rest of us can have priority.

Tony

Posted on: 23 January 2004 by blythe

quote:
Originally posted by Steven Toy:
[QUOTE]
This is a grey area because although you have right of way over traffic joining the motorway it is silly to get anal about your right of passage and force drivers joining the motorway to stop. Drivers already on the motorway are responsible for allowing others to join as safely and as smoothly as possible.

That's why we have slip roads.
Regards,Steve.

You're right is is extremely silly in any situation to get anal about "I'm right, you're wrong" we all have to get on together.
Yes, of course there are many instances where it is a courtesy to move over when it's suitable to do so.
However, if the road in front of me is clear and the road behind me is clear, then the guy on the slip road should adjust HIS speed to join either in front of me or behind me.
I shouldn't be forced to adjust my speed or change lanes just because he "can't be bothered".
It is even more silly, no, DANGEROUS to get anal about your right of passage

and force drivers already on the (usually fast moving) motorway to stop.
A driver on a slip road should be prepared to stop if neccessary. (Read the highway code)
As mentioned before, if I have a car overtaking me and I have nowhere to go, some drivers on slip roads still force their way out. Who's being anal then?

On a similar vein, I often see people move over to the middle lane or outside lane purely because they're passing a slip road. This usually happens as I'm passing them and they force me into the outside lane. Often no signal is given. The fact that there's noboday actually on the slip road (sometimes visible hundreds of yards ahead) at the time seems to be beyond their comprehension. Think ahead, look ahead and plan ahead.

Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......

Posted on: 23 January 2004 by Steve Toy

I know this is off-topic, but...

If you enter the City of Birmigham on the A38 Tyburn Road, you and everyone else MUST IGNORE the diversion signs posted by some wanker at Birmingham city Council. These signs are set up to DELIBERATELY cause congestion by causing traffic entering the city to do a U-turn and to merge with the traffic leaving the city.

IGNORE ALL POSTED DIVERSIONS AND FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS BELOW:

From the Minworth island heading along the A38 Tyburn Road, at the island intersecting with the Chester Road (A452) turn right onto A452.

At the next island IGNORE the diversion signs to City Centre and continue straight on, and again at the next island.

At the junction with the Sutton Road (A5127) turn left. Cross the A4040 ring road and continue along the A4127 through Erdington and along the Aston Expressway (A38M.)

If everyone follows the above advice, not only will you complete your journey to the city centre in less time, you'll also enable the traffic leaving along the Tyburn Road to do so without hindrance or let.

The reason for the diversion is for resurfacing on the Tyburn road, city-bound only just past Frankie and Benny's.

Some wanker has decided to use this as a pretext for promoting "phase shift" although the buses aslo get caught in the traffic chaos. Otherwise the same is just a brainless moron...

Regards,

Steve.

Posted on: 23 January 2004 by blythe

quote:
Originally posted by Steven Toy:
I know this is off-topic, but...

If you enter the City of Birmigham on the A38 Tyburn Road, you and everyone else MUST IGNORE the diversion signs posted by some wanker at Birmingham city Council. These signs are set up to DELIBERATELY cause congestion by causing traffic entering the city to do a U-turn and to merge with the traffic leaving the city.

IGNORE ALL POSTED DIVERSIONS AND FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS BELOW:

From the Minworth island heading along the A38 Tyburn Road, at the island intersecting with the Chester Road (A452) turn right onto A452.

At the next island IGNORE the diversion signs to City Centre and continue straight on, and again at the next island.

At the junction with the Sutton Road (A5127) turn left. Cross the A4040 ring road and continue along the A4127 through Erdington and along the Aston Expressway (A38M.)

If everyone follows the above advice, not only will you complete your journey to the city centre in less time, you'll also enable the traffic leaving along the Tyburn Road to do so without hindrance or let.

The reason for the diversion is for resurfacing on the Tyburn road, city-bound only just past Frankie and Benny's.

Some wanker has decided to use this as a pretext for promoting "phase shift" although the buses aslo get caught in the traffic chaos. Otherwise the same is just a brainless moron...

Regards,

Steve.

It probably has something to do with your preferred, sensible route passing his front door.......
You know how some of these people work!

Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......

Posted on: 23 January 2004 by HTK

quote:
Originally posted by blythe:
A driver on a slip road should be prepared to stop if neccessary. (Read the highway code)
As mentioned before, if I have a car overtaking me and I have nowhere to go, some drivers on slip roads still force their way out. Who's being anal then?

Both.

I get pissed off at other drivers who expect me to do their driving for them. The jumping out of slip roads routine is dangerous and irritating. But many of these 'inferior' drivers arn't in pissing contests. They are distracted, unsighted, unable to anticipate and match speeds, scared stiff or in some cases, just pig ignorant. The fact that I have 'right of way' (whatever that is) and can see exactly what's going on doesn't entitle me to a free heart attack. Lift off, let them sort themselves out, chose your window and blast past. Life's too short. If you can avoid being on top of a situation to start with, all the better - but not always possible.

Driving is a component of reaching your destination on time and undamaged. Those who live for thrill and skills of driving per se and think everyone else can learn from them are, in my experience among the worst drivers on the roads. They'd probably be very good on closed tracks though. It goes without saying of course, that present company is excepted.

Cheers

Harry

[This message was edited by HTK on FRIDAY 23 January 2004 at 20:38.]

Posted on: 23 January 2004 by Steve Toy

quote:
It probably has something to do with your preferred, sensible route passing his front door.......
You know how some of these people work!

Not at all. My diversion route not only follows A roads throughout, it also avoids the unnecessary U-turn that brings you back to the same place: Instead of going straight on at the Tyburn island, doing a U-turn further down to come back up to the SAME ISLAND before turning left, it would be simpler just to turn right at the Tyburn Island in the first place.

Regards,

Steve.