The Longest You've Been Stuck In A Traffic Jam?
Discussion
Reading about some recent gridlocks and motorway closures I wonder what's the longest you've spent in a jam and did you know what caused it?
I once spent 5 hours trying to get past a shed load of hay on the M62. As cars were making their way through the bales somebody's cat/exhaust set fire to the hay and we were stuck until the fire brigade and police declared the road safe.
I once spent 5 hours trying to get past a shed load of hay on the M62. As cars were making their way through the bales somebody's cat/exhaust set fire to the hay and we were stuck until the fire brigade and police declared the road safe.
Many many many years ago it took my 9 hours to drive from London to Leigh on Sea. It was during a heavy snow storm and at the time the A13 wasn't even a dual carriageway in some places. I had a Ford Scorpio 4x4 V6 on a manual box, horrendous car! The journey used to take around an hour.
The next morning I set off again back to London and around Grays the clutch disintegrated. The AA couldn't get out to me, so I left the car on the side of the road and hitched a lift to the nearest town. The car was recovered the next day, without the alloys, radio and drivers leather seat ! Always a thief around no matter what the weather. I gave up on that car and changed to a Sierra 4x4. Oh sorry we was talking about traffic jams !
The next morning I set off again back to London and around Grays the clutch disintegrated. The AA couldn't get out to me, so I left the car on the side of the road and hitched a lift to the nearest town. The car was recovered the next day, without the alloys, radio and drivers leather seat ! Always a thief around no matter what the weather. I gave up on that car and changed to a Sierra 4x4. Oh sorry we was talking about traffic jams !
Left for Newquay from Hook in Hampshire one Saturday morning about 15 years ago.
Jumped in the car at 0930 and didn't get to the campsite until gone 1630.
Its one of the only times I've ever actually got out of a car in a traffic jam, and sat on the central reservation.
Edited to add: It was just sheer weight of traffic and the A30 around Indian Queens before they sorted the road out there, that was the culprit.
The following year we left at 0600 and were there by 9 :-)
Jumped in the car at 0930 and didn't get to the campsite until gone 1630.
Its one of the only times I've ever actually got out of a car in a traffic jam, and sat on the central reservation.
Edited to add: It was just sheer weight of traffic and the A30 around Indian Queens before they sorted the road out there, that was the culprit.
The following year we left at 0600 and were there by 9 :-)
Edited by forks on Monday 11th June 09:00
A10 in France.. Spent my entire life (or so it felt at the time) crawling along at the bottom of 2nd gear. Hours and hours of misery...
Or, the M6 before the toll road... Queued from the M42 all the way to about Manchester. Only apparent cause was someone's suitcase had fallen off the roof, and was spread all over the carriageway.
I suspect that was more of a result of the queue rather than the cause though
Or, the M6 before the toll road... Queued from the M42 all the way to about Manchester. Only apparent cause was someone's suitcase had fallen off the roof, and was spread all over the carriageway.
I suspect that was more of a result of the queue rather than the cause though
No one jam specifically stands out in my mind but I have to give special mention to the motorways around Holland, specifically around Rotterdam and Amsterdam, as being places I've spent a lot of time sitting in traffic, normally in baking heat in the summer!
I go to a number of car shows in Holland and Germany and we invariably end up getting the ferry that spits us out right into rush hour in Holland.. and then ALWAYS get caught in traffic. It's hateful.
I go to a number of car shows in Holland and Germany and we invariably end up getting the ferry that spits us out right into rush hour in Holland.. and then ALWAYS get caught in traffic. It's hateful.
I used to work up by the Team Valley near the Metro Centre off the A1. I left work at 6:30pm one night for my journey home. It takes 25 minutes to get to my old house from there but normally 45 minutes in rush hour. I got home after 9pm! High winds had forced the bridges over the Tyne to shut, filtering all traffic in the area on the A1. It took me an hour just to pull out of the office car park! The extra traffic caused a few old bangers to overheat which didn't help either. It's a good job I didn't have a cat. It would have been kicked by the time I walked in the house ;-)
About 15 years ago, I spent 8 hours getting from Redhill to Dorking. It's about 7 miles!
It was December and the rain froze on the ground in the afternoon. Then as darkness fell, it turned to heavy snow, that settled really well on top.
We were sitting still long enough, for every car to get snowed in each time it stopped.
I had a new stereo in the car, but only one CD!
It was December and the rain froze on the ground in the afternoon. Then as darkness fell, it turned to heavy snow, that settled really well on top.
We were sitting still long enough, for every car to get snowed in each time it stopped.
I had a new stereo in the car, but only one CD!
I was stuck on the M11 a few years back when it was closed over night.
I left work near st pauls at 1900 and walked indoors in Dereham Norfolk at 1400hrs the next day.
The shut the entire motorway,the southbound was gritted but they ran out of money to pay overtime for the northbound so it was left.
We had to wait for the army and council to turn up the next day.
In all that time there was just one patrol car that came past and he did not stop for anything.
When it became light in the morning local villages appeared with tea coffee and biscuits for people that was the only assistance from anyone. Several women with babies were left all night in their cars. There were some builders who cut the crash barriers so people could get onto the southbound carriageway,but that cant be done now as they have put a concrete barrier in now.
They were still giving out traffic news in the morning saying the road was open when it had been shut all night.
There was not even that much snow.
I left work near st pauls at 1900 and walked indoors in Dereham Norfolk at 1400hrs the next day.
The shut the entire motorway,the southbound was gritted but they ran out of money to pay overtime for the northbound so it was left.
We had to wait for the army and council to turn up the next day.
In all that time there was just one patrol car that came past and he did not stop for anything.
When it became light in the morning local villages appeared with tea coffee and biscuits for people that was the only assistance from anyone. Several women with babies were left all night in their cars. There were some builders who cut the crash barriers so people could get onto the southbound carriageway,but that cant be done now as they have put a concrete barrier in now.
They were still giving out traffic news in the morning saying the road was open when it had been shut all night.
There was not even that much snow.
Stood for 6 hours on the M25 after a truck crashed on a bridge over the carriageway, its load of sheet steel was blowing down onto the M25 below.
Everyone got out of their cars, a chap produced a football, we jiggled the cars around till we'd got some space and had an awesome kickabout.
Everyone got out of their cars, a chap produced a football, we jiggled the cars around till we'd got some space and had an awesome kickabout.
markmullen said:
Stood for 6 hours on the M25 after a truck crashed on a bridge over the carriageway, its load of sheet steel was blowing down onto the M25 below.
Everyone got out of their cars, a chap produced a football, we jiggled the cars around till we'd got some space and had an awesome kickabout.
Similar thing. Years ago we were off to goodwood FOS and ended up stationary for about 3 hours. Had heard on the radio that a 'sports car' which turned out to be a 911 had clipped a car and flipped over the central reservation an struck a lorry. This caused both sides of whatever road we were on (i guess m25) to close. So after hearing this a football appeared and about 20-30 of us had a kick about on the other side of the road. Much later got joined by a police car which drove down and asked us to get off the road as they were then about to open it. Everyone got out of their cars, a chap produced a football, we jiggled the cars around till we'd got some space and had an awesome kickabout.
Quite nice of him really otherwise that could have been quite an exciting end to the match.
Dunebasher said:
Many many many years ago it took my 9 hours to drive from London to Leigh on Sea. It was during a heavy snow storm and at the time the A13 wasn't even a dual carriageway in some places. I had a Ford Scorpio 4x4 V6 on a manual box, horrendous car! The journey used to take around an hour.
The next morning I set off again back to London and around Grays the clutch disintegrated. The AA couldn't get out to me, so I left the car on the side of the road and hitched a lift to the nearest town. The car was recovered the next day, without the alloys, radio and drivers leather seat ! Always a thief around no matter what the weather. I gave up on that car and changed to a Sierra 4x4. Oh sorry we was talking about traffic jams !
Must of been in the 80s, I was a van courier that day, driving a Honda Acty van and as soon as I had struggled into London my controller gave me a job to Southend. I remember the traffic just stopping so I hit the side roads and a couple of fields. Got stuck a few times but had a shovel in the back and let my tyres right down. Took me about 6 hours all for £20 plus an extra fiver for making it to the client.The next morning I set off again back to London and around Grays the clutch disintegrated. The AA couldn't get out to me, so I left the car on the side of the road and hitched a lift to the nearest town. The car was recovered the next day, without the alloys, radio and drivers leather seat ! Always a thief around no matter what the weather. I gave up on that car and changed to a Sierra 4x4. Oh sorry we was talking about traffic jams !
Last year's Olympic cycle race test, that split West London in half, made my journey of 5 miles from Bayswater to Wandsworth take 5 or more hours. After a couple of hours I dumped the car, went to a pub for a couple of pints, went to the cinema then sat in my car for another 45 mins or so.
About 5 years back I stuck on the m40 for a little over 5 hours. Truck had caught fire and the fire crew were struggling to put it out. 100 yards back from us a burger van decided after an hour to start selling cold drinks and snacks, he must have made in a killing, but despite all the begging he refused (sensibly) to do any burgers as it would have been an issue if the traffic started moving again.
During the yorkshire floods in 2007
Left Doncaster at 7am, got stuck in traffic in Newwark at 9am due to the A1 being closed.
Managed to get on the northbound carriage way at 10am to head home by which time that had been closed and got diverted down a countrylane, which was solid with traffic.
After a good few hours I finally reached the end of the road to find a massive puddle, so only one car could pass at a time.
Got home at 3pm
Left Doncaster at 7am, got stuck in traffic in Newwark at 9am due to the A1 being closed.
Managed to get on the northbound carriage way at 10am to head home by which time that had been closed and got diverted down a countrylane, which was solid with traffic.
After a good few hours I finally reached the end of the road to find a massive puddle, so only one car could pass at a time.
Got home at 3pm
Left Newquay at 9am, arrived Bournemouth 5pm - a days' work. Average speed of 20mph. Basically a 170 mile long chain of traffic jams, in the summer heat, in a 21 year old Vauxhall Viva.
I've never been to Cornwall again.
When I used to live in Manchester I used to have quite a lot of meetings in Oxford on a Friday, which ended just in time for me to spend hours getting around Birmingham.
Also, I once left a meeting in Aston, Birmingham and *just* caught the travel news about the M6 being closed because someone was threatening to jump off a gantry before I drove into what was huge pile of stationary traffic. They had literally just closed it so there was nothing stopping you driving in to a massive jam at the end of the Aston Expressway.
It was pre-sta nav so I just turned off as soon as I could and headed in what felt like a northerly direction, picked up a few signs for places I recognised and eventually bought a road atlas somewhere near Telford and made my way back home on A and B roads. It was a lovely drive, but it took ages. It was much more fun that being parked on the M6 would have been though. I had BBC West Midlands on (or whatever it's called) for as long as I could - the M6 was closed for hours and took many more hours to clear.
EDIT to add that a colleage that was supposed to be at one of those Friday meetings did worse than me. He left his home in Leeds, did about 10 miles of the M1, got stuck in a jam caused by a dropped lorry-load of bricks and then went home. It took him over 9 hours to do 25 miles.
I've never been to Cornwall again.
When I used to live in Manchester I used to have quite a lot of meetings in Oxford on a Friday, which ended just in time for me to spend hours getting around Birmingham.
Also, I once left a meeting in Aston, Birmingham and *just* caught the travel news about the M6 being closed because someone was threatening to jump off a gantry before I drove into what was huge pile of stationary traffic. They had literally just closed it so there was nothing stopping you driving in to a massive jam at the end of the Aston Expressway.
It was pre-sta nav so I just turned off as soon as I could and headed in what felt like a northerly direction, picked up a few signs for places I recognised and eventually bought a road atlas somewhere near Telford and made my way back home on A and B roads. It was a lovely drive, but it took ages. It was much more fun that being parked on the M6 would have been though. I had BBC West Midlands on (or whatever it's called) for as long as I could - the M6 was closed for hours and took many more hours to clear.
EDIT to add that a colleage that was supposed to be at one of those Friday meetings did worse than me. He left his home in Leeds, did about 10 miles of the M1, got stuck in a jam caused by a dropped lorry-load of bricks and then went home. It took him over 9 hours to do 25 miles.
Edited by blugnu on Monday 11th June 11:09
Last winter, around 10 hours to travel about 2 miles through the snow on the M80 outside of Glasgow, traffic backed up due to jacknifed trucks further up the road.
People were out building snowmen on the central reservation, I could have walked home and back several times whilst I waited.
The car was exposed to the cold for so long that the next day it refused to start, the diesel had been slowly going slushy whilst I sat the day before then had frozen in the fuel filter!
People were out building snowmen on the central reservation, I could have walked home and back several times whilst I waited.
The car was exposed to the cold for so long that the next day it refused to start, the diesel had been slowly going slushy whilst I sat the day before then had frozen in the fuel filter!
Around 20-30 mins for me.
Would imagine most people on here have this on their daily commute.
When we went to pick my car up Newcastle-London we were on a dual carriage way and hit crawling traffic.
Basically a truck was reversing up lane 2 inside cones picking them up after road works had finished and everybody had to filter past him in lane 1 - we went through as he had about 3 cones left.
Would imagine most people on here have this on their daily commute.
When we went to pick my car up Newcastle-London we were on a dual carriage way and hit crawling traffic.
Basically a truck was reversing up lane 2 inside cones picking them up after road works had finished and everybody had to filter past him in lane 1 - we went through as he had about 3 cones left.
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