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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-22700170
So why not chain them all together, and call them a train, then there is the problem of all those trucks traveling close together how are motorists going to enter and exit the various offand on slip junctions.
It hasnt been thought out has it.
well for an outlandish idea, how about banning cars? buses, trains and bikes that gets people to and from work so why the need for cars getting in the way and preventing hauliers getting produce from a to b?
Why not just ban stupid people?
Seems like a mad idea and obviously the truckers will hate it, but they do this for fairly long stretches in some parts of Europe, and at the end of the day, even if they do get stuck behind a car doing 50mph, they are only talking 6mph.
Why not just ban stupid people?
that'll make the roads a wonderful place if my experience of the ability of the average driver is anything to go by.
ok, so a lorry is overtaking and slowing you up cos you can't pass.
As soon as he has overtaken there is a freakin' great big stretch of clear road ahead to accelerate into.
'delays' like that make sod all difference to average speeds on a journey - completely pointless.
Probably thought up by someone who moans about cyclists slowing them down.
I saw an Argos lorry on the motorway today proudly proclaiming that its maximum speed was limited to 50mph, instantly I thought of the other unfortunate HGV drivers limited to 56mph who will have to go through all the bollox of overtaking it, and the congestion it's likely to cause on 2 lane carriageways. Idiotic idea imo.
No way are argos trucks limited to 50.
Tescos are the slowest, about 52.
driving a truck is very boring.....
Conservatives on Essex County Council claim lorries in the outside lanes are contributing to congestion.
I think the clue is in this sentence. Just the latest of a long line of things that aren't well thought out, but probably one of the less disastrous when compared with the impact of many of the others.
[i]So why not chain them all together, and call them a train,[/i]
That'd work. In fact, why not pull all the stuff they're carting about...on a train.
My lorry was limited to 55 and was a pain in the arse on dual carrage ways.
I did get 85 out of it down Shap though. 😀
Can you imagine a train backing into the local Tesco superstore, or craning a bag of gravel onto my front lawn? Nah, neither can I!
No way are argos trucks limited to 50.
Well I need to go back to specsavers then. Thanks for the tip 8)
Conservatives on Essex County Council claim lorries in the outside lanes are contributing to congestion.
Trucks in any lane are doing something important. Its the cars on the road, including the ones with councillors in that cause the congestion.
If trucks were, on their own, a cause of congestion then the roads would be congested all day and most of the night as truck are on the road all day. As it is roads are typically congested at breakfast and teatime.
The sticker says fifty, but...... 😀
The truck I drive is limited at about 56, I get overtaken on the flat by argos trucks.
Companies put the stickers on to say, "look at us, we're saving the enviroment"
Quite ironic on a 10 year old, fume belching shitheap.
Although I do tend to take the more enlightened view that the without the trucks the country would grind to a halt I do find that difficult to reconcile when stuck behind yet another +1mph overtaking truck on the A14.
TurnerGuy - Member
ok, so a lorry is overtaking and slowing you up cos you can't pass.As soon as he has overtaken there is a freakin' great big stretch of clear road ahead to accelerate into.
'delays' like that make sod all difference to average speeds on a journey - completely pointless.
As above; you must have never had this happen to you for mile after mile on the A14....my longest was 6 miles. Then just as you get back up to speed another lorry pulls out and you repeat the whole tedious process.
A14 has to be the worst road for this; guess it's all the lorries from Felixstowe?
Even the stretch west of Spittal's where they've put the restrictions to vehicles >7.5t in the outside lane, they just all ignore it.
Can you imagine a train backing into the local Tesco superstore
Tesco actualy do run trains, they sub contract the the work to Eddie Stobart plc,a huge transhipment depot at Widnes in Cheshire.Trains on one side and a huge depot the other side of the road, and the Transpennine trail goes right past.
How about we drop the speed limit to 50mph Mon-Fri 630 - 930 and 430 - 730 and then cover the road in yellow vultures that only work at that time. Take away all the incentive to speed at the busiest periods.
Would quite happily see that done on my local motorway. Vultures are currently on their perches and lo and behold people are not driving like prats on that part of the road.
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Then just as you get back up to speed another lorry pulls out and you repeat the whole tedious process.
Relieve the tedium by turning it into a game of hoof it before the truck catches up with the one in front. Perfectly doable unless you're (the generic you, not this specific correspondent) is the sort of driver who can't see beyond the end of his/her bonnet.
The futility play is that rare one where there's a slow wide load occupying two of three lanes and everyone moves into the fast lane (non-PC term) about six miles back to get round it creating a lane that is growing longer and becoming slower than the obstruction itself. Divs. And then you get the big bad stares when you whizz down the slow lane to overtake somewhat closer to the obstruction.
Get rid of the speed limiters? Probably cause more accidents than they prevent.
It didn't help allowing larger trucks from the continent into UK roads twenty years ago, now home based trucks have grown in size.
[i]Seems like a mad idea and obviously the truckers will hate it, but they do this for fairly long stretches in some parts of Europe, and at the end of the day, even if they do get stuck behind a car doing 50mph, they are only talking 6mph. [/i]
I agree with the first part, but its mainly on hilly duals' and its also in operation on parts of the A34 in Oxfordshire, the hilly bit north of the M4.
But each minute they take longer is extra cost, which we pay.
I drive a horsebox that is speed-limited to 50mph on single carriageways. Rarely held up by lorries (probably got more accurate speedo than me), but am by bloody cars. Does usually worry them though when you overtake 🙂
stuck behind yet another +1mph overtaking truck on the A14
A14 has to be the worst road for this
There is a ban on trucks in the outside lane on the 'hilly' stretch between Kelmarsh and Catthorpe, which is nice!
Cheers,
Jamie
Jamiea...doesn't work in my experience. Last time I was on that stretch it was business as usual with hgv's using both lanes...
M42/A42's bad but they also have an 0700-1900 trucks in single file stretch at the southern end.
I'd welcome a "no immediately attempting to overtake the lorry that's just spent the last fortnight passing you on a two-lane carriageway" law.
I did get 85 out of it down Shap though.
Clutch in and let it roll? 😀
Ahh, I'm on that stretch later on in the evening usually when going away for the weekend!
The problem with the A14 is it was done on the cheap. If it was built like the A1M upto Peterborough (that was built around the same time) there would be plenty of room for the lorries to crawl past each other and others to bomb past them.
Cheers,
Jamie
As soon as he has overtaken there is a freakin' great big stretch of clear road ahead to accelerate into.
Not so convenient if you're stuck behind two jousting juggernauts for all of the three junctions you're on the dual carriageway on the way home!
Cheers,
Jamie
4 laning the a14 it's never gonna happen. Too many junctions to sort out. That stretch of the a1 up to Peterborough used to be only 2 lane, but was widened...
I question the accuracy of these speed limiters and also of the speedometers on many trucks.
Example, M62 J25-J30 is restricted to 50mph with average speed cameras the whole of the way in both directions.
So you sit in the inside line at exactly 50, cruise control on and what do you see looming up in your rear view mirror? yes, a truck. his idea of 50 certainly is not the same as yours...
and of the almost daily accidents on that stretch, how many involve only cars?
I've done the A14 today, the elephant racing is so tedious especially coming out of Cambridge.
They could do it like the continent and restrict the HGV's from the outer lane in the rush hour periods.
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I'd hazard a guess that the amount of freight carried on the a14 beats 3 lane motorways. I'm generally not an advocate of widening roads but in the a14s case it's justified
Us lorriests have a right to overtake slower vehicles aswell you know. The road doesn't belong to "you" or "us". I see why people get frustrated though mind you. I tend to wait until there is a decent gap before I pull out to overtake a slower lorry, it makes a huge difference if some gonk is doing 50mph and I want to sit on my limiter at 56mph, I have a job to do and a home to get to aswell.
Chances are we have been up and at work long before you stirred from you slumber, and we will STILL be working when you finish your day and are heading for home to be with your family, most HGV drivers will spend the week away from friends and family, sleeping in cabs and being served some truly gruesome food.. All to keep this country going and bring "things" to the shops for folk to buy.
Tesco swines sit at 50mph on the motorway.. Just a bloody nuisance if you ask me. Who cares if your doing 50, all your doing is slowing everybody down with your incessant doddling.
However as I have said before I see far worse driving from car drivers than HGV drivers.. Hoofing it up the outside lane then 100 yards before your junction cut across all 3 lanes into the slip road... That is just bloody dangerous and down right thoughtless. If something happens I have a very slim chance of hauling 44 tonnes to a stop without wiping out the car in the process.. Or jacknifing and endangering my life.. If they want to play suicidal games, go do it elsewhere.. Out of my way. If you really can't wait -10 seconds to get on the slip road... Leave earlier or be late!
Also cars crawling along at 45-50mph.. Think your being a good, safe driver?? Well your not so get up to speed.
Without lorries you get nothing!
Oh and ps.. When did people stop flashing lights when the rozzers are up ahead with a speed gun or camera van? Not that I have been done.. But just wondered as nobody seems to do it anymore.
I reckon:
- Ditch road tax
- Stick a GPS in every car and charge per mile
- Charge per mile is dependant on time of day travelled, more at peak times
- Price it so it's dirt cheap outside of peak times (e.g. night time and mid morning / mid afternoon)
Et volia, congestion is reduced, lorries only drive on the roads at night / non busy times and people are priced into car sharing.
Everyone's a winner (even lorry drivers who'd presumably get paid more for working anti-social hours)*.
* Assuming the 'market' works.
You could even penalise short journeys and force people onto bikes / walking...
Us lorriests have a right to overtake slower vehicles aswell you know.
No arguments here, but some could pick their moments better. I've followed pairs overtaking each other in turn for bloody miles, it's really frustrating.
YOu are molgrips and I claim my caravan
Without lorries you get nothing!
Unless money was invested in a network better suited to mass transportation, say, for instance, a train? They seem quite good at carrying lots of stuff:
[img] http://www.nationalpost.com/4353467.bin?size=620x465 [/img]
Thread needs more Molgrips.
Thread needs more Molgrips.
Indeed - imagine the 'queue' there could be behind this:
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Lorryist here, problems not actually with us wanting to overtake its with the 'king of the road' nuggets who won't click off the cruise control for the whole ten seconds it takes to let another wagon slide past and back in. Any time I have someone taking more than a minute or so or when there is traffic building up I just slow down so everyone can get on their way. Unfortunately the attitude and road craft of some LGV drivers is as poor as most car drivers 😆
Ewan.. You presume wrong about working at anti-social hours, what about the city centre store deliveries at 3am.. There was a thread about this bit long ago.
I agree that some could pick the overtaking moment a bit better, as I said I always wait for a good gap in the traffic before pulling out, and same as mnmng I knock off the cruise control to let the quicker lorries past. No point holding everybody up.
Zokes.. Agree that trains are good at carrying stuff, but where are all these tracks going to go? There is always the "not in my back garden" attitude when these things are suggested. And how do you plan to get all that freight to the shops?
I drive trucks and cars and ride a bike I hate myself and try to run myself over all the time getting my own way making me late 🙄
In Germany on the autobahns, the last time I drove on one, I noticed these signs on gantries:
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When traffic volume on a two-lane autobahn reaches a certain level, they get switched on. Apparently, if they break the rules, they get photographed and the penalty is quite severe (this is just anecdotal, I don't know what the actual penalty is). Also, anecdotally (this from my friend who lives there), the wagons have to park up on Sundays and leave the roads to the cars. Only medical supplies and certain fresh goods can be transported by road on Sundays. This seems to work quite well and most folk in German seem quite happy with it.
At a certain volume of traffic on a two-lane DC or motorway, an overtaking lorry will create congestion. Of course, car drivers should not get frustrated and realise that their journey time won't be that badly affected, but unfortunately, that's not going to happen.
Zokes.. Agree that trains are good at carrying stuff, but where are all these tracks going to go? There is always the "not in my back garden" attitude when these things are suggested.
Well, tell them it's either a train line and free triple glazing or a motorway and none?
And how do you plan to get all that freight to the shops?
Smaller trucks from distribution hubs. The train lines would free up the motorways and NSL dual carriage ways that way.
Do u really think people will say.. " well seeing as I'm getting triple glazing.. Knock yourself out and whack a massive great railway line right through our countryside so close to my house".
Good idea but It would never get the go ahead.
Smaller trucks.. That's even more congestion though surely? They are fitted with speed limiters aswell. How many small truck do you think it would take to empty a whole train?
The Germans appear to have a good system.. I'd be up for that!
Unless money was invested in a network better suited to mass transportation, say, for instance, a train?
Theres a school of thought that, in retrospect, the beeching report happened just a few years too early. Just as the decision was taken to close down large swathes of the rail network the ISO shipping container was born. And they are perfect for sending round the country by train.
They already have this system elsewhere: HGVs not allowed to overtake on the A34 to Oxford.
[i]I question the accuracy of these speed limiters and also of the speedometers on many trucks.
Example, M62 J25-J30 is restricted to 50mph with average speed cameras the whole of the way in both directions.
So you sit in the inside line at exactly 50, cruise control on and what do you see looming up in your rear view mirror? yes, a truck. his idea of 50 certainly is not the same as yours...[/i]
My vote is that their speedo is more accurate than yours, it needs to be as its linked to their Tacho (and calibrated AFAIK).
Do u really think people will say.. " well seeing as I'm getting triple glazing.. Knock yourself out and whack a massive great railway line right through our countryside so close to my house".Good idea but It would never get the go ahead.
And what's the alternative? Progressively stick another and another lane on the already congested road arteries?
Smaller trucks.. That's even more congestion though surely? They are fitted with speed limiters aswell. How many small truck do you think it would take to empty a whole train?
It would help if you'd read my post. Train moves stuff most of the way, a fleet of smaller truck moves stuff from local goods transfer depots to where it needs to go. Goods on train = no goods on roads for most of the distance. And the smaller, local delivery trucks would be a bit more suited to mixing it in town centres which were built before the car, never mind the 40t juggernaut was invented.
One train would take what, about 200 trucks off the road for most of the goods' journeys?
They already have this system of HGVs not being allowed to overtake elsewhere: on the A34 to Oxford.
I had occasion to be on that stretch quite a bit for a few weeks last year. Good idea, but many LGVs seemed to take their chances and just ignore it.
I did read your post Zokes... 🙄
But like I said, more smaller vans = more vehicles on roads. This isn't about "mixing" it with other traffic, it's about lorries overtaking... Maybe "it would help" if you read the original post.
As for trains taking HGV's off the road, It would need to be a big train to take 200 trucks off the road, it would work to a point but it would need another 4-6 smaller trucks per HGV, and probably 10+ vans to empty 1 fully loaded 44 tonner, would it be as reliable or as frequent as required? Who would buy the trains? Government? Your tax would then probably go up to pay for all this infrastructure and machinery required.
I'd say fair enough to trucks overtaking numpties in cars that can't keep up with the flow of traffic on the motorway and have a reporting system so they can flag deliberate slow motorway driving by cars(slower than trucks limiter) so the offenders can be banned.
Having said that trucks overtaking trucks should be banned outright especially on dual carriageways. Either that or a "you must yield" law comes into place where the overtakee must drop a few mph to let the overtaker pass and pull in.
Actually why don't trucks drop an mph or two when being overtaken? These 2 mile overtakes really boil the p*** of pretty much everyone who encounters them - is it some kind of in joke?
It does only mention one stretch of road and without reading all of it I notice the A14 has been mentioned which also has blocks on lorries overtaking for periods.
Understandable when they will all just be crawling up the hill and does keep the road flowing better for other road users.
But like I said, more smaller vans = more vehicles on roads.
No there won't be - that's what the train is doing - replacing the trucks for the long haul stuff. Fewer truck on the arterial roads = fewer trucks to overtake. The smaller trucks would have to do a fraction of the mileage, as the train has done most of it.
Who would buy the trains? Government? Your tax would then probably go up to pay for all this infrastructure and machinery required.
It's called a modernised integrated transport policy. Don't worry, I'm sure it will never actually happen though because it would require investment that extends well beyond the five year election cycle.
Actually, all those millions of unemployed people could build it. Net result - a rail network that wasn't last seriously upgraded in Victorian times, and a road network that might have a few years lefty in it after all. It's called building your way out of a recession - something the USA did quite a good job of in the 30s. It seemed to work.
You come across as very patronising Zokes. I'm well aware what its called and I'm all up for getting the unemployed back to work... This would be a great way to do that, but as you said it will never happen.
I know what your saying about the trains bit those trains still have to be unloaded and the goods delivered.. Yes the trains will do the majority of the mileage but the smaller vehicles would still have to deliver the goods. Therefor.. More vehicles on the road and more congestion.
Speedster.. Not an in joke, just the usual selfish and thoughtless attitude of most drivers on the roads. I can see why people get frustrated, doesn't condone the stupid and dangerous driving I see daily to try and get past slower vehicles on approach to junctions and roundabouts etc.
Therefor.. More vehicles on the road and more congestion.
But if those vehicles do far fewer miles than all the trucks the train replaced, there would be fewer miles travelled by fewer goods vehicles. Presumably this would result in less congestion?
As maccruiskeen highlighted though, this would have been a lot closer to reality had Beeching been later, and the obvious use of trains to carry ISO containers realised. Before Beeching, the majority of goods were carried by the railways. Beeching decided the roads were the future and there was no use for railways. It doesn't seem to have played out too well compared to countries that didn't take that approach (most of Europe being an example).
The train v truck discussion reminds me of my final year university project, 15 years ago, which was for a company was looking to use smaller truck like trains on the rail system - a TruckTrain. It didn't go anywhere.
Not surprising really as the handling time and costs of transferring from the train to small delivery trucks was just too much for the relatively small distances involved in the UK.
what's the alternative? Progressively stick another and another lane on the already congested road arteries?
It won't work, because if you built a thirteen-lane carriageway everyone would sit nose-to-tail in lane twelve whining about all the congestion.
I'm totally in favour of making them stop overtaking.
Selfish gits.
All of em.
Fine by me.
I'll earn more money.
Do you mind paying more for everything, you buy?
I'm totally in favour of making them stop overtaking.Selfish gits.
All of em.
In contrast your obvious generosity of spirit radiates from that comment.
What they need is a truck KERS where it has a 1400hp 5800nm boost for 30 seconds every 20 minutes...
Like this...
Worst one I've ever had is on the M50, lorry pulled out to overtake another just after we joined the motorway and they then sat side by side all the way to Tewkesbury! 21 miles!