Jammed up motorways

[william c]

How many people would agree that HGVs and cars towing should only be allowed to use the inside lane on the motorway? Have noticed that when you get to slow, heavy traffic on the motorway you always discover that, at the head of it, there are two lorries side by side, one going 10 miles an hour faster than the other. It takes the overtaking lorry about two miles to pass the other and in the meantime they have cut the motorway down to one lane only.

[martin t]

It's not only LGV's & Trailers, some problems arise when you get lane hoggers sticking to the middle lane.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Well, I'm not a particularly fast driver most of the time, and I like to think I move across into the inside lane whenever it is free.

The trouble is that some people (disporportionately BMWs, for some reason) seem to think that a car driving in the middle lane at seventy miles an hour, consistantly passing traffic in the inside lane is a 'lane hogger' because they want to drive at twenty miles an hour over the speed limit in the middle lane and believe it's acceptable to tailgate people to force them over, rather than use the outside lane themselves.

The number of times I've wanted to touch the brakes just to make 'em ruin their pants...

Needless to say, these people only use the inside lane to undertake, a practice far more dangerous than someone driving in the middle lane.

[Reverandfunk]

I think it should be law that when you drive through roadworks u should actually see someone working on the motorway or at the very least several men all smoking standing around pointing at a hole.

[Dassie]

I agree with william although there are sometimes they do need to overtake so I guess it should be decided by speed - e.g. MINIMUM speed in middle lane for lorries 60mph.

I personally think all longdistance "logistics" lorries should be regulated on motorways so they are only allowed to travel on them between 6pm and 8am. This should create plenty of space for businessmen/local delivery vans who have to work office hours.

[Octavius]

If a driver is able to undertake on a motorway, then doesn't that mean the middle lane driver is able to pull over?

People who sit in the middle lane when not taking over irritate the pants off me, as do drivers who tailgate when there is no possibility of going faster or moving over. This causes the concertina effect (when there is a jam for no reason) as they are constantly speeding up and braking.

Lorries need to overtake too at some point, and because they are doing so and not exceeding the speed limit, does not make them criminals.

[horsestache1]

I might be an idea to introduce "crawler lanes" like they have in France, every time there is an uphill bit, they have an extra lane so lorries and other slow moving traffic use the crawler and slow lane.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Octavius, I see your point, but in my experience, they take advantage of a tiny gap in the inside lane and the fact that you're driving 20 miles an hour slower than they are - i.e. if they were driving sensibly and below the speed limit, they wouldn't risk weaving in and out of such a small gap.

[Octavius]

Some sections of the M25 have crawler lanes, which is fine, but just causes the same problem a few miles up the road when they have to pull back onto the motorway.

There was some rumour of limiting the driving times of HGVs etc so that they could only drive on motorways outside of rush hour or between the hours of 7pm and 6am or something � I could be wrong. I don�t see how that could ever work though, and would make the job of haulage drivers undesirable and unworkable and thus cause a national rise in the cost of goods.

[Dassie]

Octavius.

Hopefully it might even get freight back onto the railways and we'd all benefit from less congestion. Have you noticed the ever-increasing amount of Polish and other foreign articulated lorries on our roads.

[Octavius]

About 75% of HGVs are foreign hauliers. The highest being, unsurprisingly, French and Dutch.

It is cheaper (because of fuel prices and wages) for a business to appoint a foreign haulier to bring goods over and return. When you consider that a lot of the commodities we use are imported, food, drink, building materials etc. Then it makes sense for the originating country to load it up and send it here, rather than a more costly UK haulier to go over there and pick it up � although it does of course happen.

I think the main problem lies in the safety of the vehicles and rules governing cabotage and driving tolerances.

[chakka35]

There was a question in The Times some time ago asking "What is wrong with driving at 70mph in the middle lane of a three-lane motorway?"
Despite the predictable huffs and puffs of indignation no-one was able to give a satisfactory answer. Neither can I (though I wouldn't dare do it!).
Such a driver cannot even be approached from behind, let alone overtaken, by another driver without that driver's breaking the law.
Discuss.

[jake-the-peg]

Such an attitude ignores the fact that whatever the situatuion should be the fact of the matter is that the majority (or at least a sizable minority ) of drivers do drive above 70MPH.

Sitting in the middle lane at 70 therefore increases the likelihood that some idiot will overtake on the inside - which I'm sure we all agree is dangerous and illegal.

There's scant reward in being 'on the side of the angels' if you're playing with them.

(please don't jump in and tell me there's no law against overtaking on the inside or I'll have to dig out my link about it being used as evidence to support a charge of careless driving)

[Panic Button]

I just call myself a lane of faster moving traffic and motor on through

[Panic Button]

(not at 70 though. My artic will only do 56. I can't go in the right lane to go past, and if they are leaving the left lane clear for lorries I will use it)

[sddsddean]

I am stunned at the ignorance of some people on here. So here goes my bit.
Dassie - The max legal speed for an HGV on a motorway is 60mph, so how can you make that a minimum?, but due to the joys of the EU we are limited to 56mph anyway.
There are a fair few crawler lanes in the UK, but there are not that many more on the continent. Of course, in Germany and France they just build the roads wider rather than pandering to all the tree huggers and not building it wide enough.
So we put all the trucks on the road at night. I bet all the people who work at depots, shops etc will be really glad to work through the night receiving deliveries. This would make no difference anyway. There are about 450,000 trucks on the UK roads and over 40 million cars! Thats almost 100 cars (carrying one person mainly) to every truck (that is providing a service to you). Only about 3% of trucks on UK roads come from overseas (where did you get 75%?). As to putting more freight on the rails; don't know about you, but my Tesco doesn't have a railhead! If you were to double the amount of railfreight, do you know how many trucks would come off the road? Less than 2%. The basic problem is we just do not have a decent rail infrastructure in this country since Dr Beeching did his thing in the 60's.
I regularly drive on the motorway with lanes 2 and 3 full of cars trying to get round each other whilst I trundle up lane 1 and can just about see another truck 500 yds ahead. Why won't car drivers pull over? I do when I'm driving. Its just plain ignorance. And don't get me started on 'slip road slammers', non use of indicators by cars, and the rule in the Highway Code that says "You must overtake the truck at all costs with no thought for anyones safety" (Must be in there somewhere, 'cos thats what everyone does!
Remember, if you bought it, a truck brought it, so try and be a bit more tolerant and grateful!

[PortlandBill]

dean... take your point but around much of the infra the most annoying thing is the 5 mile elephant race between the less responsible of your ilk. 56mph rev limiters agianst each other and the gradient with a two mile queue in train. Not all of you 450,000 drivers are as diligent as you, i was nearly swiped only on friday by a guy driving as if he was in F1 on the M25. sadly, brit plates so no excuse to blame the left hookers this time.

[sddsddean]

Know what you mean Bill. It really annoys me when you have finished going up a hill (or even on the flat) and are just creeping by the guy inside you holding everyone up. All it takes is to let off the accelerator about 2 mph and you will be past in 30 seconds, but very few seem to bother. It seems to be the attitude of most drivers (whatever they are driving) that they must not give way. If someone is creeping by me, I just slow down for a bit and clear the problem/hazard. What have I lost...a few seconds. I really think it is driving attitude that is the problem rather than what you are driving.

[william c]

I have travelled a lot on the motorways, both here and in Europe and I find that there are very few traffic jams in Europe (except when the Netherlands are going on holiday ofcourse, then it's mayhem). The main difference between us and them is that there are only certain areas on the motorways when lorries can overtake. I also have to point out that, when our lorries deliver over in Europe they have to pay tolls on a lot of the motorways. This provides funds for the upkeep of those roads which can become very damaged by heavy freight (ever got your plastic pig front wheel stuck in one of them ruts?), but continental lorries do not have to pay tolls when they come here. Not fair on our British drivers really.
I also am concerned about the health and safety as a friend of mine was side swiped by a continental lorry on our motorway. She was passing at the legal speed limit when the lorry began to indicate to come out, the lorry that was behind her flashed his lights (presumably to say don't go) but the other lorry took that as a "pull out". My freind was cartwheeled down the road, coming to rest on the pillar of a bridge. Luckily she got out but two months later discovered a lump which turned out to be breast cancer. This was put down to the shock.

[lilminxlou]

could i just add a bit to ask why lorrie drivers find it necessary to overtake just to be able to drive 2 miles faster, as they are mostly all limited anyway arent they?

[william c]

As was said by someone else "the 5-mile elephant race". Thought that was a really good description!