Traffic news on the radio - do we really need it?

[dowahdiddyman]

Spare tyre said:

When I did a certain commute, if it said avoid xyz, I'd head for xyz as the news was usually old and everyone would follow the radios advice leaving the area empty

Did this last year at the Dartford crossing, Sally kept saying the bridge was closed due to high winds,avoid at all costs,blah blah blah.Kept going cause I needed to come off at first junction, never seen the 25/crossing so quiet.

[joebongo]

northwest monkey said:

joebongo said:

I get to hear about all the mess on the roads that I've left behind now I live oop north.

Not just me that does this then - I have a little chuckle when I hear "Accident at the M5/M6 Junction with stationary traffic & 7 mile tailbacks" at 5pm on a Friday

I used to dread heading back home on Fridays!

Hehe not at all. You can't beat a big glass of schadenfreude with a Friday evening meal. For me it's all the M1 to A12 jams that bring a smile of pleasure at other's misery. Oh and the Dartford tunnel jams as well.

[silverfoxcc]

The traffic info is so far behind real time. Some years ago after a massive downpour in London, i was pootling around he Norfsirk,and to my horror heard that the flyunder at the Ace Cafe had several feet of water and it was closed and will be for some time. The reason i was a bit distrurbed was i was going through a bone dry NC at that particular moment

Also i did make the lead announcement some 4 years ago after my going off road, caused total gridlock on the A322/M3/A30.Part of me wanted to tell he guy behind me i was the cause, i was coming back from Frimley hosp after seeing Mrs Fox cut out the car, but thought better of it.

Now i ue Waze, its up to the second and drivers input direct to it, Does the lot Roadworks, sneaky Pol cars breakdowns. The more people get on it, and its fee, the better it will become. when we had the mini tornado acouple of weeks ago i was going through Hurst and the road was closed by plod due to a fallen tree. Hour later comes the first report!!! It was on Waze in seconds and got a quick thanks from a guy that usually goes that route and changed well in time.
So you takes your choice

[JimmyTheHand]

I use a TomTom Live with HD traffic - however I still listen to local BBC radio traffic (one covers all my commute), especially when something major is causing issues. When I go out of area I know it becomes less useful

I also check traffic before leaving - the other day decided to work from home as traffic sites were showing gridlock around work (it colleagues over an hour more than normal to get into office)

[All that jazz]

Bullett said:

It's too early, too late or irrelevant.

Local is even worse as they tend to use local landmarks and designations, ok if you are a local rubbish if you don't know where the pig's whistle roundabout is.

That is so true. I am a local to Leeds/M1 area round here and even I struggle with the landmarks on the traffic reports : "M1 queueing from Dyker(?) to Flushdyke/Lofthouse". WTF. It was only a couple of years ago I discovered that Lofthouse is in fact the M1/M62 junction. Still not sure what/where Flushdyke is, presumably either J40 or 41. And I've no idea what/where "Dyker" is.

Ingram Rd is another one regularly referred to on Radio Aire. Where the actual fk is that?! Googlemaps shows it as some dead end back street in Hunslet. I've since discovered it's actually the A643 from Elland Rd to the gyratory.

Radio 2 traffic reports are utterly hopeless. Back in the days when I used to listen to it I phoned in with traffic problems on a few occasions but on the rare occasions you could actually get through, they weren't reported in the bulletin until at least an hour to and hour + later, by which point the problem had often been cleared up, or you'd already been sat in it for an hour, so completely useless either way.

[iva cosworth]

I have found it useful at times.

There was a lorry fire last week on A40 London bound,just where i was heading [Greenford]

So i came off M25 and used M4,A312 to get to A40....

I actually saw a burnt out unit being carted away at the 1st roundabout south of A40

so guess it had only recently been removed.

[buachaille193]

I have the radio set to pick up Radio Scotland. It doesa decent job, though obviously depends on folk contacting them. Frequently has info on it that my Gamin doesn't have. Using the 2 together is handy. I'd use local commercial radio but there isn't one that covers my main drives for work.

[V8 Fireworks]

Roo said:

The only thing that annoys me about R2 traffic is their constant insistence on saying that the M20 goes north/south.

It doesn't, it's east/west or London/coast.

The M20 from Folkestone goes pretty much direct North-West so what they are saying is hardly that odd - not odd enough to get wound up about anyway.

[B'stard Child]

Radio...... That'll be the thing I never use.....

Luckily it's just over a mile from home to work and I have 3 different routes I can take dependent on traffic

When Mrs BC gets her way and has the radio on it's always playing rubbish....

[mike80]

NiceCupOfTea said:

really useful to know about Blackwall Tunnel, Dartford, M25, etc. in advance.

It's crap.

Print that out and take it with you, then you can do away with the traffic news.

[A900ss]

It's too late at picking up incidents as they happen and too slow to advise when they have cleared.

As others have mentioned, if you spend an above average amount of time on the road I don't think the TomTom HD traffic can be beaten.

I have it on my iphone (subscription service) and worth every penny. I genuinely trust the information it gives me.

[Daniel1]

In and around london it's very useful. Even if just to tell you that the queue for the blackwall tunnel is normal or because it's been closed.

[wazztie16]

I pay attention to it, but then I am a delivery driver. Most of the time though, my route tends to avoid roads closed or jams when they occur, which is obviously completely down to luck ( I have a preset route each time)

[TTmonkey]

Its useful to listen to the radio before you leave - perhaps when you're having breakfast - then you can choose your route accordingly.

makes a big difference to me, as it means I can choose to go either M4 or M3 to get to work. exact same distance both ways so if one is heavy I can take the other. Need to know this BEFORE I leave the house though.