M3 Nightmare Continues!
Discussion
What I found a bit disconcerting last night when travelling towards London is that the electronic signs are not yet working to tell you if a lane is blocked. Now that all lanes are open there is no coned off lane 1 that you could have potentially pulled into if your car broke down, you've got to hope that you can limp far enough to get to the nearest emergency lay-by.
My two pennies worth, having driven from J4a to J2 most working days in the last 13 years.
1. It is not finished, M25 junction prime example with 2 lanes merging into to go to LHR - this needs to be fixed ASAP, otherwise whole purpose is pointless.
2. Based on yesterday and today, it is an improvement, J3 most notably. Still people piling into lane 2 from the slip road but will get better. Secondly holiday season has started so traffic maybe a bit less.
IF the speed limit is increased and LHR exit returns to 2 lanes, then it will be an improvement but jury is still out.
1. It is not finished, M25 junction prime example with 2 lanes merging into to go to LHR - this needs to be fixed ASAP, otherwise whole purpose is pointless.
2. Based on yesterday and today, it is an improvement, J3 most notably. Still people piling into lane 2 from the slip road but will get better. Secondly holiday season has started so traffic maybe a bit less.
IF the speed limit is increased and LHR exit returns to 2 lanes, then it will be an improvement but jury is still out.
Edited by Smithy99 on Tuesday 4th July 13:10
Many issues up near the LHR turn are caused by the daily morning 'two car and a van' shunt that is (was) in the hard shoulder. Hopefully the new layout reduces the occurrence as I doubt we can expect drivers to be more careful. Stingers on the cross hatching is an idea.
Mid morning today, when relatively quiet, still many last minute (<25m to split) swerves from LHR lane to LGW. As there was no advantage from using the wrong lane I assume the morons are just blindly following Sat Nav. This is for sure the case when 200m further back they cut you up in the LHR lane only to move to LGW lane at last minute.
Mid morning today, when relatively quiet, still many last minute (<25m to split) swerves from LHR lane to LGW. As there was no advantage from using the wrong lane I assume the morons are just blindly following Sat Nav. This is for sure the case when 200m further back they cut you up in the LHR lane only to move to LGW lane at last minute.
Smithy99 said:
DJT - totally agree re lane swapping. A BMW swapped lane 3 times in 200 metres, before they decided they wanted to go to LGW rather than LHR this morning. Those big blue signs are clearly too complicated for some people. Stingers would be interesting!!
Doesn't help that one of those big blue signs has a tree in front of part of it, needs cutting down ASAP
Smithy99 said:
IF the speed limit is increased and LHR exit returns to 2 lanes, then it will be an improvement but jury is still out.
I doubt we'll ever see a 70 limit again to be honest! I never do on the M25 J12 to J11 even in the middle of the day!Edited by Smithy99 on Tuesday 4th July 13:10
It would also be good if the J12 M25 to M3 junction got a decent slip road!
I really can't see any of it being an improvement, but having taken so long it's hard to remember what it was like before interference - maybe that is why it has taken/is taking so long!
50 limits by the back door maybe?
Mr Tidy said:
Melman Giraffe said:
My Mrs said all lanes open yesterday - 55 limit still in place
I use J2 to J4 every week and have never seen a 55 limit posted - presumably it is somewhere between J4 and J4A?
A f***king farce.
Went out in London last night, wanted to get home to bed.
M3 closed between 3-4a
Called the HA, as I always do, just to find out if they, for once, have an excuse.
"Ah yes sir the Woodlands Bridge works are continuing, this is not part of the original project"
To which I replied I knew about the Woodlands Bridge, but that is between 2-3, which is the bit I am calling you from, which is open.
"we've had a few calls on that this evening sir".... no s
t... I thought
On top of that, despite there being signs saying it was closed between 3 and 4, it actually wasn't. There was no coning to to take you off as usual, and could you have been inclined, you could have carried on.
However, you could not access the M3 Southbound at J3 as the gates were closed.
Went out in London last night, wanted to get home to bed.
M3 closed between 3-4a
Called the HA, as I always do, just to find out if they, for once, have an excuse.
"Ah yes sir the Woodlands Bridge works are continuing, this is not part of the original project"
To which I replied I knew about the Woodlands Bridge, but that is between 2-3, which is the bit I am calling you from, which is open.
"we've had a few calls on that this evening sir".... no s
t... I thoughtOn top of that, despite there being signs saying it was closed between 3 and 4, it actually wasn't. There was no coning to to take you off as usual, and could you have been inclined, you could have carried on.
However, you could not access the M3 Southbound at J3 as the gates were closed.
Kinky said:
Mr Tidy said:
Melman Giraffe said:
My Mrs said all lanes open yesterday - 55 limit still in place
I use J2 to J4 every week and have never seen a 55 limit posted - presumably it is somewhere between J4 and J4A?I joined at J4 heading to Basingstoke today. All the extra lane seems to have created is an additional lane for MLM's to sit in and also an extra lane for bell ends to swerve from the right hand lane to the left hand lane to exit at 4a at the last minute.
I hope part of the closures overnight involves them doing some resurfacing as there are some nasty ruts and troughs between lanes around 4a - although that's technically where the managed section ends so no doubt that's why that's been left untouched
Loads of chippings / detritus / tarmac damage on the left hand entry slip lane at J4 southbound, in the area that used to be coned & barriered off. Not quite sure why that's been left like that and not resurfaced whilst everything else was being done.
I hope part of the closures overnight involves them doing some resurfacing as there are some nasty ruts and troughs between lanes around 4a - although that's technically where the managed section ends so no doubt that's why that's been left untouched
Loads of chippings / detritus / tarmac damage on the left hand entry slip lane at J4 southbound, in the area that used to be coned & barriered off. Not quite sure why that's been left like that and not resurfaced whilst everything else was being done.
FredAstaire said:
Having two on-slip lanes at jn4 seems like a bad layout to me, esp southbound where people will want to move across to exit at 4a.
Similarly, as I witnessed today, you also get the daydreamers that join at J4 in the left lane, stay in said lane all the way to 4a (ignoring the massive big blue sign(s) telling them that the left lane is an exit only lane for 4a) and then swerve into lane 2 at the last minute to avoid being forced to exit and then rejoin I used it from J4 to J2 yesterday afternoon and it was quite a treat to have 4 lanes to choose from - even if people only seem to use 3 of them!
But when I came home around 21.00 the gantries on the A3 said the M3 was closed from J2 to J4a (just for a change) so it really isn't finished is it?
So I stayed on the A3 heading for the A31 only to discover that as a special treat someone thought it was a good idea to close one lane of the A3 from the Guildford turn-off up to just past the cathedral - WTF! I'm guessing the guy with more than half a brain cell is on holiday this week.
But when I came home around 21.00 the gantries on the A3 said the M3 was closed from J2 to J4a (just for a change) so it really isn't finished is it?
So I stayed on the A3 heading for the A31 only to discover that as a special treat someone thought it was a good idea to close one lane of the A3 from the Guildford turn-off up to just past the cathedral - WTF! I'm guessing the guy with more than half a brain cell is on holiday this week.
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