A31 accident management - views?!
Discussion
I didn't have quite the night I was expecting - at least I should be grateful I wasn't involved in the accident. I have just got home having been stuck for well over 5 hours. Zero information from anyone and the most emergency vehicles I have ever seen went past. I think there were ten ambulances (some estate car type) and a similar number of police cars. Looking on the net it seems that a horse escaped onto the A31 which was then hit by two motorbikes - I guess the riders' injuries are life threatening, hence the road closure. Hope they make a full recovery.
No idea why there were so many emergency vehicles at the scene but I think the police or traffic wombles (a Jezza Clarkson term of endearment) should have given some information to the thousands of drivers stuck in their cars. I called 101 after 4.5 hours and was told that the road was closed and there was no timescale for reopening it! After about 4 hours some people did 3 point turns and drove the wrong way down the centre of the carrigeway that had originally been vacated to allow emergency vehicles through - though by this point none had passed for a couple of hours.
The number of cars doing this gradually increased and it wasn't clear whether this was directed by the police at the front of the queue. You would imagine they would start from the back of the queue, but who knows?
There was a police reception waiting for the drivers as they tried to turn off the A31 at Stoney Cross and I'd be interested to know if the police took any action against any drivers? If they did I think there will be an uproar.
I imagine there may still be hundreds of drivers trapped. I've just managed to get home having been stuck since about 5.30.
I think there must be a better way of managing such an incident - police or wombles walking down the queue or even driving and using a loud hailer would have been useful. Obviously protecting people's safety has to be their priority but after 5 hours more should be done for those stuck in my opinion. It was getting very cold and I'm very glad I didn't have children with me. Also be interested to know whether the police approve of driving the wrong way in the circumstances... Hope everyone else gets home soon.
No idea why there were so many emergency vehicles at the scene but I think the police or traffic wombles (a Jezza Clarkson term of endearment) should have given some information to the thousands of drivers stuck in their cars. I called 101 after 4.5 hours and was told that the road was closed and there was no timescale for reopening it! After about 4 hours some people did 3 point turns and drove the wrong way down the centre of the carrigeway that had originally been vacated to allow emergency vehicles through - though by this point none had passed for a couple of hours.
The number of cars doing this gradually increased and it wasn't clear whether this was directed by the police at the front of the queue. You would imagine they would start from the back of the queue, but who knows?
There was a police reception waiting for the drivers as they tried to turn off the A31 at Stoney Cross and I'd be interested to know if the police took any action against any drivers? If they did I think there will be an uproar.
I imagine there may still be hundreds of drivers trapped. I've just managed to get home having been stuck since about 5.30.
I think there must be a better way of managing such an incident - police or wombles walking down the queue or even driving and using a loud hailer would have been useful. Obviously protecting people's safety has to be their priority but after 5 hours more should be done for those stuck in my opinion. It was getting very cold and I'm very glad I didn't have children with me. Also be interested to know whether the police approve of driving the wrong way in the circumstances... Hope everyone else gets home soon.
notax said:
There was a police reception waiting for the drivers as they tried to turn off the A31 at Stoney Cross and I'd be interested to know if the police took any action against any drivers? If they did I think there will be an uproar.
You're kidding me right? I'd be interested to know what powers they'd be using, because that's exactly what I'd do if I was stuck there. On more than one occasion I've seen a broken down vehicle nicely tucked over to the left on the A31 and thought "thank god I passed here before the police arrived and turned this into a proper traffic jam."
Johnnytheboy said:
notax said:
There was a police reception waiting for the drivers as they tried to turn off the A31 at Stoney Cross and I'd be interested to know if the police took any action against any drivers? If they did I think there will be an uproar.
You're kidding me right? I'd be interested to know what powers they'd be using, because that's exactly what I'd do if I was stuck there. On more than one occasion I've seen a broken down vehicle nicely tucked over to the left on the A31 and thought "thank god I passed here before the police arrived and turned this into a proper traffic jam."
zed4 said:
I once watched one of those police fly on the wall programs on TV where they had closed the motorway due to a serious accident. People had started turning around the driving the wrong way down the hard shoulder. The policemen in the car did not take it lightly at all.
Well quite, but from the description above they were allowing something like this, but not allowing people to turn off down a side road.Hub said:
I don't understand that the Bournemouth Echo say "The crash happened just after 6pm, an hour after the escaped horse had already brought traffic to a standstill". How was the accident not prevented if they already knew about the horse?
I went through at about 530, the traffic had come to a standstill for a while at the top of the last rise before the Picket Post Turn. There was a police car there, we had wondered why. Traffic started up and flowed again. I suspect in hindsight and in a review of it they will decide they should have closed the road then until they found the horse.. Suspect it was likely caused by someone not shutting a gate I as the road is well fenced along there and a New Forest Pony is unlikely to jump it.
Johnnytheboy said:
notax said:
There was a police reception waiting for the drivers as they tried to turn off the A31 at Stoney Cross and I'd be interested to know if the police took any action against any drivers? If they did I think there will be an uproar.
You're kidding me right? I'd be interested to know what powers they'd be using, because that's exactly what I'd do if I was stuck there. On more than one occasion I've seen a broken down vehicle nicely tucked over to the left on the A31 and thought "thank god I passed here before the police arrived and turned this into a proper traffic jam."
notax said:
Yes, turning off at Stoney Cross, but having got there by doing a 3 point turn and driving the wrong way down the carrigeway for up to 6 miles... In the end so many cars were doing it that the police cant have prosecuted everyone, dont know what happened to the first couple of drivers who risked it... I found an alternative escape route eventually and avoided the BIB
Where was that then? Could be useful to know 
notax said:
Yes, turning off at Stoney Cross, but having got there by doing a 3 point turn and driving the wrong way down the carrigeway for up to 6 miles... In the end so many cars were doing it that the police cant have prosecuted everyone, dont know what happened to the first couple of drivers who risked it... I found an alternative escape route eventually and avoided the BIB
Ah, gotcha - I thought you mean people were turning in there from the normal way.
http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/10957455.Investiga...
From what I've read in the Echo, this sounds like a clusterf
k on many levels - seems the police were alerted to a loose horse, shut the road, looked for it, reopened the road and THEN the motorcyclists hit the horse.
From what I've read in the Echo, this sounds like a clusterf
k on many levels - seems the police were alerted to a loose horse, shut the road, looked for it, reopened the road and THEN the motorcyclists hit the horse.From the other thread:
I was about 20 cars back from the front of the queue last night. The horse incident was at about 5:40 and after closing the road they opened a single lane after about 45mins, there were still officers looking for the Horse along the stretch of road at this point. After clearing the single lane section toward the flat section toward Pickett Post everyone was getting up to motorway speeds and pretty much came to an abrupt halt opposite the lay by on the other side of the road. We were let through at about 8.30 by slowly weaving around the debris of the two motorbikes, given how slowly we had to traverse the accident scene, the guys at the back of the queue must have taken hours to clear if they weren't already sent back to J1 of the M27.
There didn't seem to be any evidence of Horse involvement in the accident other than obviously being the cause of the initial hold up and why the Motorcyclists were in close proximity once the road was opened up.
There was very little the police could have done, it was a fatal accident and procedures needed to be followed. They probably could have diverted the traffic earlier but it seems the public took that decision for them. By the account of my colleagues this morning the traffic and issues through Lyndhurst etc.. were worse than just waiting on the road, and I guess they would have preferred to contain the traffic on the A31 as it would be quicker to get them through as soon as possible and minimise the build up including the traffic already diverted from the M27.
The main issue is the A31 itself, without a hard shoulder, there is no way to get easily past the then scene of the accident or allow emergency vehicles quick access to it, there are no easily navigable routes (especially for HGV's) off it and around to Ringwood once your past Junction 1 (Stoney Cross isn't a solution). There is no quick fix for these types of issues and last night was 3rd in 5 years for me.
I was about 20 cars back from the front of the queue last night. The horse incident was at about 5:40 and after closing the road they opened a single lane after about 45mins, there were still officers looking for the Horse along the stretch of road at this point. After clearing the single lane section toward the flat section toward Pickett Post everyone was getting up to motorway speeds and pretty much came to an abrupt halt opposite the lay by on the other side of the road. We were let through at about 8.30 by slowly weaving around the debris of the two motorbikes, given how slowly we had to traverse the accident scene, the guys at the back of the queue must have taken hours to clear if they weren't already sent back to J1 of the M27.
There didn't seem to be any evidence of Horse involvement in the accident other than obviously being the cause of the initial hold up and why the Motorcyclists were in close proximity once the road was opened up.
There was very little the police could have done, it was a fatal accident and procedures needed to be followed. They probably could have diverted the traffic earlier but it seems the public took that decision for them. By the account of my colleagues this morning the traffic and issues through Lyndhurst etc.. were worse than just waiting on the road, and I guess they would have preferred to contain the traffic on the A31 as it would be quicker to get them through as soon as possible and minimise the build up including the traffic already diverted from the M27.
The main issue is the A31 itself, without a hard shoulder, there is no way to get easily past the then scene of the accident or allow emergency vehicles quick access to it, there are no easily navigable routes (especially for HGV's) off it and around to Ringwood once your past Junction 1 (Stoney Cross isn't a solution). There is no quick fix for these types of issues and last night was 3rd in 5 years for me.
2 of my staff were stuck in it for over 7 hours last night on there way back. It was reported that there was a bike on each carriage that was hit. The police are getting a lot of bad press but I don't see what else they could have done - can you imagine the uproar if they had kept the carriageway shut after the initial period and the horse had gone on its merry way, never to return. At what point to you give up and reopen it?
Feel very sad for the bikers involved and their families especially as it seems they went to work normally and one not to return
Feel very sad for the bikers involved and their families especially as it seems they went to work normally and one not to return
wonder if there is a damaged fence due a fallen tree of something
perhaps a fence post has gone wonky with the saturated soil
Horrific either way
I still cant believe that all horses are not fitted with reflective collars, i know they are not pets, but it could help save a few motorists from being killed
thoughts are with the bikers families
perhaps a fence post has gone wonky with the saturated soil
Horrific either way
I still cant believe that all horses are not fitted with reflective collars, i know they are not pets, but it could help save a few motorists from being killed
thoughts are with the bikers families
Gassing Station | South Coast | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff