Are the roads and traffic really that bad in the UK?
Discussion
Putting aside our immediate reaction if we are held up or hit a pothole I'd like to put forward a case for Britains road network and traffic movement being a lot better than many give it credit for.
It's a generalisation that British people love to moan, whether it's about traffic, the price of shopping, the weather, house prices who knows what.
BUT.
I do an awful lot of driving, about 20,000 miles a year on UK roads and I've also visited many major cities in the world too.
In the UK I work to deadlines, I have to be somewhere at a certain time and, invariably I am. I can pretty much always get where I want to at a decent pace and park up relatively easily. The road signs are excellent and the condition of the roads, whilst far from flawless is pretty good too.
If I go to London I expect a lot of traffic but it's nowhere near the chaos you find in Bangkok, Paris, LA, Rome and others.
The motorways I find are normally free flowing and I can average 60 miles an hour, good and well signposted service areas open 24 hours, the regular A roads I find are pretty food too with again superb signposting that's mikes ahead of anywhere else I've been.
Are we a bit guilty of complaining when actually things aren't that bad?
It's a generalisation that British people love to moan, whether it's about traffic, the price of shopping, the weather, house prices who knows what.
BUT.
I do an awful lot of driving, about 20,000 miles a year on UK roads and I've also visited many major cities in the world too.
In the UK I work to deadlines, I have to be somewhere at a certain time and, invariably I am. I can pretty much always get where I want to at a decent pace and park up relatively easily. The road signs are excellent and the condition of the roads, whilst far from flawless is pretty good too.
If I go to London I expect a lot of traffic but it's nowhere near the chaos you find in Bangkok, Paris, LA, Rome and others.
The motorways I find are normally free flowing and I can average 60 miles an hour, good and well signposted service areas open 24 hours, the regular A roads I find are pretty food too with again superb signposting that's mikes ahead of anywhere else I've been.
Are we a bit guilty of complaining when actually things aren't that bad?
Edited by Thankyou4calling on Sunday 2nd August 16:12
Sushifiend said:
No. The quality of the road surfaces is awful, the motorways tell you that "tiredness kills" and yet there are only services every 50 miles, the roads are clogged with middle lane hoggers, roadworks with no work taking place, speed cameras and there just aren't enough roads. You only have to drive from France to England to see the night and day difference. Sure, other countries have speed cameras too, but not in the same way we do!
I'd say straight off you are falling into the trap of complaining about your perception but ignoring the facts. Where do you drive where services are 50 miles apart? Generally they are 15 or 20 miles I find. Speed cameras can only serve to slow the speed if traffic is exceeding the limit so you are contradicting yourself. On the ne hand you are saying the roads are clogged, on the other you're moaning about speed cameras, which, if the roads are clogged will be an irrelevance surely?
Roo said:
Really?
Yes.A couple of examples.
The M4 is 184 miles, there are 11 service stations. That's one every 17 miles.
The M6 is 217 miles there are 18 service stations.. That's one every 12 miles.
The M5 is 154 miles, there are 12 service stations. That's one every 13 miles.
These are the first I looked at, plenty of other examples.
I know you'll find places where they are further apart but I'm looking at the UK as a whole.
Edited by Thankyou4calling on Sunday 2nd August 15:34
Super Slo Mo said:
You sure about the population of Canada?
Ottawa alone isn't far off that, there's more like 35 million in the country as a whole.
Canada's roads are blissfully quiet, but like in many places where the population density is very low, the drivers are very hesitant and not very assertive by European standards.
Our roads are generally quite well designed considering the volume of traffic using them. I've seen plenty of poor junction designs in other places that would simply become gridlock with our traffic levels.
I think it's quite tiring to drive here compared to Canada where you can go for hours without seeing many cars, but then you're never far from anywhere here, which is a huge bonus.
I've driven a fair bit in Canada though mainly on urban roads and the overriding memory for me is the signposting. Ottawa alone isn't far off that, there's more like 35 million in the country as a whole.
Canada's roads are blissfully quiet, but like in many places where the population density is very low, the drivers are very hesitant and not very assertive by European standards.
Our roads are generally quite well designed considering the volume of traffic using them. I've seen plenty of poor junction designs in other places that would simply become gridlock with our traffic levels.
I think it's quite tiring to drive here compared to Canada where you can go for hours without seeing many cars, but then you're never far from anywhere here, which is a huge bonus.
It is ABSOLUTELY APOALING! Same as in the States. The signs on the freeways barely give you time to get n lane and if you are in the off lane you are going off no matter what. Leave Vancouver and see if you can pick up a sign to a decent size town 20 miles away. Nor a chance whereas in the UK the road signs are superb.
I've been across the channel on a car ferry a few times and the over riding memory ( bear in mind it may be better now) is driving off the ferry in France and being unable to get out of the port area because of the dreadful signposting, so different to arriving back into the UK where straight away you see good clear signs and are guided onto a main road very quickly.
As I say it may be different now but then, for me, France was a joke.
As I say it may be different now but then, for me, France was a joke.
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