Because you're in England, have to make them the most disruptive most expensive road works in the world
Had the unfortunate pleasure of ‘nipping’ down the M1 to Heathrow today.
Load of roadworks between J13 and 10, which looks to be the installation of a concrete central reservation.
What I can’t get my head around is why they have to close off one lane and introduce speed restrictions for all 10+ miles of the upgrade scheme.
Anyone have a reasonable explanation why they can’t just work on a small section at a time, say a mile, then onto the next mile, thereby minimising disruption? Apparently these roadworks are going to be running for at least another year!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Because you're in England, have to make them the most disruptive most expensive road works in the world
We live in London and have family in Leicester so have done the M1 more times than I could count. I probably don't need many fingers to count the years when some large stretch or another has not had large scale roadworks on it!
Yeah, I think it was ‘smart’ motorways last time. Same approach, close off 10 miles for years.
I think there a big stretch around Sheffield at the moment, restrictions for several junctions for no good reason.
Cost to the transport sector in unnecessary delays must run into millions.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Motorists are the problem.
They insist on using the road network.
They are putting in safety areas that should have been put in when it was upgraded a few years ago but never were.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Same down on M27. They just about finished the so called “smart” motorway when they then decided to do some bridge work, so coned off a lane at back to 50 mph. That was done a few weeks ago and still a lane cordoned off for no apparent reason.
They have now decided to tarmac the concrete section so we are now going to have to put up with contraflows for months.
Why they couldn’t have done everything at the same time only they know why!!
Been like that on the M1 at Sheffield/Rotherham since I can’t remember. Looking like it will never end!
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
And you have to be super careful with the speed restrictions, they are making the margins finer and finer, they leave them in much longer than necessary to gain more revenue
One of the key considerations is safety.
Having traffic management operatives out on the live network is a risk.
Having them put one long section of TM out is less risky than multiple TM relocations.
Then there's driver safety.
Having one long section of TM out is less risky than multiple TM relocations for them too, as it's consistent and they become acclimatised to it.
Frequent changes of layout appears to confuse some drivers and accident frequency increases.
Some drivers also like to vent their frustration verbally and also physically on TM ops during change overs - trust me, in a previous life I've witnessed this first hand.
Giving the contractors the full works site to go at (or as much as possible) also introduces efficiencies and should lower costs as a new work area can be opened up if there is an issue with a current one.
The ability to resequence work and keep all that very expensive labour and plant operational rather than standing is powerful.
But don't let this get in the way of a good rant.
Drivers will certainly be confused if there's a clear road with no works.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
So what is a reasonable distance? I would think that after say a mile any driver would be acclimatised, why don't they do this in other counties? Why do the speed restrictions stay for months after they have finished? There is no excuse for ten miles of barriers and restrictions when the actual length of the work at any time is about 100 metres
Most drivers haven’t a clue what’s happening 30 yards in front of them never mind knowing they’re on a clear road.
Motorway road works are the pain of my life, the closures at Leicester last week were taking an hour and a half to get through so we were all told to go up the M6 then back across the M42 to save time and fuel.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Well that is certainly the rationale behind the thing. But it's a UK-specific thing, so it cannot be the only rationale. I have never seen so many cones on such a long distance for such a small work area anywhere else in Europe (and I used to be Marketing manager for a company that traded across Europe, so I've done my share of miles and seen my share of roadworks in that time...)
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
West is spot on with his explanation.
Other than IED disposal, working on live Motorways is the most dangerous occupation in the UK.
Imagine having thousands of impatient, self obsessed numpties driving through your office/place of work, and have some consideration for those stuck outside at your mercy.
There’s a good 11 mile section on the M6 past Haydock racecourse. If we’d managed 50 mph I’d have been over the moon, 11 miles at 20 mph was torturous.
Exactly this.
In Norfolk, we had five miles of the A11 down to one lane for two and a half years for resurfacing. I mentioned this to a German friend and he almost dropped his beer.
"They do a mile overnight on the Autobahns".
As aggravating as the massive, lengthy, inconvenience was the fact that the first time we received heavy rain, part of the new section flooded within minutes - the older sections (early 90s) were dry as a bone.
But hey, this is the UK; onwards and downwards.
If y'all are so good at other people's jobs, how come you ain't better at your own?
Given that folk on here spend tens of thousands on watches, I'd say they probably are.