Will you all please hurry up at Dartford

[Hammersia]

Nothing more irritating than watching someone in the rear view mirror as I drive North up out of the tunnel and you've let a gap of half a mile open up because you're unaware of the gradient or you just don't care that you're the reason there's a 3 mile queue on the approach. Utterly selfish.

[IJWS15]

Chill out, how much time did it really add to your journey and did it really matter.

If it did set off 10 minutes earlier next time.

[ChocolateFrog]

Utterly selfish to leave a bit more of a gp than you would.

OK then.

[ChocolateFrog]

Hammersia said:

Nothing more irritating than watching someone in the rear view mirror as I drive North up out of the tunnel and you've let a gap of half a mile open up because you're unaware of the gradient or you just don't care that you're the reason there's a 3 mile queue on the approach. Utterly selfish.

QFP

[Terminator X]

I tend to leave a gap to the car in front generally to stop the stop/start business that happens 99% of the time if traffic is busy enough to queue. What annoys me more is people zooming up to the car ahead of them and braking to a stop over and over.

TX.

[Hammersia]

Terminator X said:

I tend to leave a gap to the car in front generally to stop the stop/start business that happens 99% of the time if traffic is busy enough to queue. What annoys me more is people zooming up to the car ahead of them and braking to a stop over and over.

TX.

Fine, but do you maintain that gap when the car in front changes speed. That is the point.

[Monkeylegend]

Hammersia said:

Nothing more irritating than watching someone in the rear view mirror as I drive North up out of the tunnel and you've let a gap of half a mile open up because you're unaware of the gradient or you just don't care that you're the reason there's a 3 mile queue on the approach. Utterly selfish.

You would hate to be driving behind me then.

I dislike tailgaters so I always l leave a bigger than necessary gap between me and the car in front.

This almost always stops the car behind me getting to close to me, it seems to act as a calming influence, the downside being that there are now three cars occupying enough road for probably at least ten cars, based on how close most people seem to drive to the car on front.

How selfish is that

[Hammersia]

Monkeylegend said:

Hammersia said:

Nothing more irritating than watching someone in the rear view mirror as I drive North up out of the tunnel and you've let a gap of half a mile open up because you're unaware of the gradient or you just don't care that you're the reason there's a 3 mile queue on the approach. Utterly selfish.

You would hate to be driving behind me then.

I dislike tailgaters so I always l leave a bigger than necessary gap between me and the car in front.

This almost always stops the car behind me getting to close to me, it seems to act as a calming influence, the downside being that there are now three cars occupying enough road for probably at least ten cars, based on how close most people seem to drive to the car on front.

How selfish is that

Not what I'm referring to, please reread the OP.

[Monkeylegend]

Hammersia said:

Monkeylegend said:

Hammersia said:

Nothing more irritating than watching someone in the rear view mirror as I drive North up out of the tunnel and you've let a gap of half a mile open up because you're unaware of the gradient or you just don't care that you're the reason there's a 3 mile queue on the approach. Utterly selfish.

You would hate to be driving behind me then.

I dislike tailgaters so I always l leave a bigger than necessary gap between me and the car in front.

This almost always stops the car behind me getting to close to me, it seems to act as a calming influence, the downside being that there are now three cars occupying enough road for probably at least ten cars, based on how close most people seem to drive to the car on front.

How selfish is that

Not what I'm referring to, please reread the OP.

Don't need to re read the OP, just saying you would hate to drive behind me based on your reaction to something which is very insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

You need to relax and chill out a bit more before you burst a blood vessel

[Hammersia]

Monkeylegend said:

Hammersia said:

Monkeylegend said:

Hammersia said:

Nothing more irritating than watching someone in the rear view mirror as I drive North up out of the tunnel and you've let a gap of half a mile open up because you're unaware of the gradient or you just don't care that you're the reason there's a 3 mile queue on the approach. Utterly selfish.

You would hate to be driving behind me then.

I dislike tailgaters so I always l leave a bigger than necessary gap between me and the car in front.

This almost always stops the car behind me getting to close to me, it seems to act as a calming influence, the downside being that there are now three cars occupying enough road for probably at least ten cars, based on how close most people seem to drive to the car on front.

How selfish is that

Not what I'm referring to, please reread the OP.

Don't need to re read the OP, just saying you would hate to drive behind me based on your reaction to something which is very insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

You need to relax and chill out a bit more before you burst a blood vessel

It is hugely significant because it is the main reason for the huge queues going North at Dartford. And it is why the queues are better going South, because people are more aware of keeping up with the car in front going up over the bridge.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Hammersia said:

It is hugely significant because it is the main reason for the huge queues going North at Dartford. And it is why the queues are better going South, because people are more aware of keeping up with the car in front going up over the bridge.

In my experience, the thing that causes queues most frequently is when an overheight vehicle is detected and everything has to come to a stop in order to find the vehicle, filter it out using a million traffic lights and barriers, and work its way into the diversion area by the control room. Likewise when they release the escorted tankers at 30mph or however fast they go. The tankers get a head start, the lights turn green for everyone else and it's like the start of the Monaco Grand Prix, all racing as fast as they can up to the escort vehicle to then sit impatiently at the escorted speed for about a mile, then it's foot down again to sit in the natural territory of the idiot driver: the middle lane of the M25.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4557803,0.246139...

[sleepezy]

So no impact of all the junctions in the area - traffic streaming in from the A2 and cars joining from the A296 (including those who've just come off to try to skip the queue) and the A206 - and the idiots who go in the right tunnel despite intending on coming off at the A13, or even worse Thurrock, and pretty much stopping in lane to try to join the queue as late as possible.

[Mr Miata]

Hammersia said:

It is hugely significant because it is the main reason for the huge queues going North at Dartford. And it is why the queues are better going South, because people are more aware of keeping up with the car in front going up over the bridge.

I was under the impression that traffic congestion was caused by the fact we now have more cars than ever on the same roads.

Is tailgating the car in front going to make that much of a difference to how busy roads are?

Outside of the Dartford tunnel, on a motorway, the gap between traffic will be ACC maintaining a safe distance.

[Hammersia]

Mr Miata said:

Hammersia said:

It is hugely significant because it is the main reason for the huge queues going North at Dartford. And it is why the queues are better going South, because people are more aware of keeping up with the car in front going up over the bridge.

I was under the impression that traffic congestion was caused by the fact we now have more cars than ever on the same roads.

Is tailgating the car in front going to make that much of a difference to how busy roads are?

Outside of the Dartford tunnel, on a motorway, the gap between traffic will be ACC maintaining a safe distance.

Again, I've said nothing about tailgating. It is frequent (including this morning) that a gap of well over 100m opens up behind cars as they go up the gradient out of the tunnel. It is obvious this reduces potential traffic volume hugely in both left and right tunnels.

Reading the replies ITT, it is also clear that people don't realise they are the problem.

[oyster]

Terminator X said:

I tend to leave a gap to the car in front generally to stop the stop/start business that happens 99% of the time if traffic is busy enough to queue. What annoys me more is people zooming up to the car ahead of them and braking to a stop over and over.

TX.

This.

The biggest cause of frustration and jams at the tunnel is people NOT leaving sufficient gaps and over-braking - leading to the concertina effect further and further back.

Apart from very extreme circumstances, if you touch your brakes on a motorway then you've fked up. You've got st anticipation, and you're a cause of congestion.

[Mr Miata]

Hammersia said:

Again, I've said nothing about tailgating. It is frequent (including this morning) that a gap of well over 100m opens up behind cars as they go up the gradient out of the tunnel. It is obvious this reduces potential traffic volume hugely in both left and right tunnels.

Reading the replies ITT, it is also clear that people don't realise they are the problem.

Is leaving a gap between you and the car in front illegal?

[Monkeylegend]

Hammersia said:

Monkeylegend said:

Hammersia said:

Monkeylegend said:

Hammersia said:

Nothing more irritating than watching someone in the rear view mirror as I drive North up out of the tunnel and you've let a gap of half a mile open up because you're unaware of the gradient or you just don't care that you're the reason there's a 3 mile queue on the approach. Utterly selfish.

You would hate to be driving behind me then.

I dislike tailgaters so I always l leave a bigger than necessary gap between me and the car in front.

This almost always stops the car behind me getting to close to me, it seems to act as a calming influence, the downside being that there are now three cars occupying enough road for probably at least ten cars, based on how close most people seem to drive to the car on front.

How selfish is that

Not what I'm referring to, please reread the OP.

Don't need to re read the OP, just saying you would hate to drive behind me based on your reaction to something which is very insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

You need to relax and chill out a bit more before you burst a blood vessel

It is hugely significant because it is the main reason for the huge queues going North at Dartford. And it is why the queues are better going South, because people are more aware of keeping up with the car in front going up over the bridge.

The fact that you were able to open up a large gap between you and the car behind suggests there was very little traffic in front of you so no congestion issues

[sleepezy]

Mr Miata said:

Is leaving a gap between you and the car in front illegal?

To be fair to the OP that's not his point - excessive gaps can contribute to traffic (but I also agree that insufficient gaps and the resultant excessive breaking do contribute far more, as in my view do the junctions on the anti-clockwise direction)

Must say though, I don't think I've ever seen anyone leave a 100 mtr gap on that stretch of road in any level of traffic - in my experience leave 5 mtrs and someone normally in a 5.5mtr transit van is trying to get in between you and the car in front (I know the tunnels themselves are double white line so less so)

[Hammersia]

sleepezy said:

Mr Miata said:

Is leaving a gap between you and the car in front illegal?

To be fair to the OP that's not his point - excessive gaps can contribute to traffic (but I also agree that insufficient gaps and the resultant excessive breaking do contribute far more, as in my view do the junctions on the anti-clockwise direction)

Must say though, I don't think I've ever seen anyone leave a 100 mtr gap on that stretch of road in any level of traffic - in my experience leave 5 mtrs and someone normally in a 5.5mtr transit van is trying to get in between you and the car in front (I know the tunnels themselves are double white line so less so)

I shall video it later in the week the next time I have to drive this way. I guarantee it will happen. I often feel I'm the only one driving properly.

[Mr Miata]

Hammersia said:

sleepezy said:

Mr Miata said:

Is leaving a gap between you and the car in front illegal?

To be fair to the OP that's not his point - excessive gaps can contribute to traffic (but I also agree that insufficient gaps and the resultant excessive breaking do contribute far more, as in my view do the junctions on the anti-clockwise direction)

Must say though, I don't think I've ever seen anyone leave a 100 mtr gap on that stretch of road in any level of traffic - in my experience leave 5 mtrs and someone normally in a 5.5mtr transit van is trying to get in between you and the car in front (I know the tunnels themselves are double white line so less so)

I shall video it later in the week the next time I have to drive this way. I guarantee it will happen. I often feel I'm the only one driving properly.

When both vehicles are moving at the same speed, does the size of the gap between them matter? You’ can only be as fast as the vehicle at the very front of the queue, no matter how much you tailgate them.

And after the tunnel, if the average speed around London is less than 20 mph and you have to stop at dozens of traffic lights. Does the tunnel make much difference to your overall journey time? You’re still not going to get there significantly quicker.