M3 Nightmare Continues!
Discussion
DJT said:
In taxi to LHR mid afternoon yesterday. We were in lane 1 at 60-70mph on the straight to J2. All of a sudden lots of brake lights, frantic lane changing, near stationary in lane 1 and 2 with 3 and 4 still at full speed. Lorry bearing down on our back window. Then we see a car stopped in lane 1. No lane closure or any other warning signs! We were effectively running at full motorway speed in the hard shoulder with no visibility of trouble ahead. To make it worse occupants of stranded car had doors open, were milling around and not over behind the armco. Only a matter of time......
We saw a car stop in the middle of lane 2 (to a halt) just because they didn't know which lane they should be in!!!The f
kwittery that goes there is really scary at times.I've now heard from two sources that the closures will complete at the end of this month.
Here hoping!
"Thank you for your email and additional comments.
As you are aware we have delivered most of the additional and extensive maintenance work in parallel with the smart motorway works, the work to reconstruct Woodlands Lane Bridge and other minor works unconnected with the smart motorway upgrade are continuing during overnight closures just for a little longer. This includes the drainage works on the M3 interchange with the M25 which remain on-going overnight, we are working as hard as we can to complete the works in this area and hope to re-open the junction by the end of October.
Highways England and ourselves are also working very hard to carry out the remaining additional and extensive maintenance work under overnight lane closures and only use overnight full closures when it is absolutely necessary. Highways England expects to open the new Woodlands Lane Bridge by winter 2017/18 and full overnight closures are expected to stop by end of October 2017, however lane closures will continue for bit longer.
We attach a copy of our current planned overnight closures which you may find helpful. We also offer to send this to some members of the public on a weekly or in cases a daily basis. Would you like to be added to our notification list so you are kept up to date with our planned closures?
Best Regards
Community Relations Team
Balfour Beatty, M3 Jct 2-4a Project Office, Cody Technology Park, Building A2, Ively Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 0LX"
Here hoping!
"Thank you for your email and additional comments.
As you are aware we have delivered most of the additional and extensive maintenance work in parallel with the smart motorway works, the work to reconstruct Woodlands Lane Bridge and other minor works unconnected with the smart motorway upgrade are continuing during overnight closures just for a little longer. This includes the drainage works on the M3 interchange with the M25 which remain on-going overnight, we are working as hard as we can to complete the works in this area and hope to re-open the junction by the end of October.
Highways England and ourselves are also working very hard to carry out the remaining additional and extensive maintenance work under overnight lane closures and only use overnight full closures when it is absolutely necessary. Highways England expects to open the new Woodlands Lane Bridge by winter 2017/18 and full overnight closures are expected to stop by end of October 2017, however lane closures will continue for bit longer.
We attach a copy of our current planned overnight closures which you may find helpful. We also offer to send this to some members of the public on a weekly or in cases a daily basis. Would you like to be added to our notification list so you are kept up to date with our planned closures?
Best Regards
Community Relations Team
Balfour Beatty, M3 Jct 2-4a Project Office, Cody Technology Park, Building A2, Ively Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 0LX"
I used the M3 today heading from Camberley to St Albans. Nice to see that, even with all the large signed gantries detailing which lane is which for merging with the M25, morons still fail to get themselves into the correct lane in advance.
One chap in his blinged up Range Rover Sport decided he needed to go towards Heathrow at the last minute. His move involved him cutting from the outside lane, across the other M3 lane, into the Gatwick feeder and then over the painted hatchings / separation markings to get into the left hand lane
Quite lucky not to have cause a pretty big accident judging by the way he swerved, jumped on his brakes and forced his way into pretty small gaps, but then even if he had caused an accident, you got the impression he'd just have kept driving and left the carnage behind him
Coming back from St Albans you then had the amusement value of the overhead gantry for the M25 to M3 Southbound feeder lane brightly illuminating the national speed limit marker on it. This is of course the gantry that is just a matter of metres away from where the, rather obviously signed, 50mph restriction starts along with the average speed camera
Quite a few people planting their foot down and then anchoring on after seeing the 50 
One chap in his blinged up Range Rover Sport decided he needed to go towards Heathrow at the last minute. His move involved him cutting from the outside lane, across the other M3 lane, into the Gatwick feeder and then over the painted hatchings / separation markings to get into the left hand lane
Quite lucky not to have cause a pretty big accident judging by the way he swerved, jumped on his brakes and forced his way into pretty small gaps, but then even if he had caused an accident, you got the impression he'd just have kept driving and left the carnage behind him
Coming back from St Albans you then had the amusement value of the overhead gantry for the M25 to M3 Southbound feeder lane brightly illuminating the national speed limit marker on it. This is of course the gantry that is just a matter of metres away from where the, rather obviously signed, 50mph restriction starts along with the average speed camera
Quite a few people planting their foot down and then anchoring on after seeing the 50 Edited by AlexRS2782 on Tuesday 17th October 16:41
Frimley111R said:
Still not sure about these yellow flashing cameras, they seem quite random and are very bright. One flashed me a few weeks ago but nothing since...
I'm going past them at no more than 85 until I see more reports on who's getting done at what speed. They were flashing much more just after the 50 limit was lifted but the last few times I've been along there I haven't seen any flashing and there are plenty of other cars around me doing 80+.AlexRS2782 said:
I used the M3 today heading from Camberley to St Albans. Nice to see that, even with all the large signed gantries detailing which lane is which for merging with the M25, morons still fail to get themselves into the correct lane in advance.
One chap in his blinged up Range Rover Sport decided he needed to go towards Heathrow at the last minute. His move involved him cutting from the outside lane, across the other M3 lane, into the Gatwick feeder and then over the painted hatchings / separation markings to get into the left hand lane
Quite lucky not to have cause a pretty big accident judging by the way he swerved, jumped on his brakes and forced his way into pretty small gaps, but then even if he had caused an accident, you got the impression he'd just have kept driving and left the carnage behind him
Coming back from St Albans you then had the amusement value of the overhead gantry for the M25 to M3 Southbound feeder lane brightly illuminating the national speed limit marker on it. This is of course the gantry that is just a matter of metres away from where the, rather obviously signed, 50mph restriction starts along with the average speed camera Quite a few people planting their foot down and then anchoring on after seeing the 50
Give him a break! He was on an important phone call!One chap in his blinged up Range Rover Sport decided he needed to go towards Heathrow at the last minute. His move involved him cutting from the outside lane, across the other M3 lane, into the Gatwick feeder and then over the painted hatchings / separation markings to get into the left hand lane
Quite lucky not to have cause a pretty big accident judging by the way he swerved, jumped on his brakes and forced his way into pretty small gaps, but then even if he had caused an accident, you got the impression he'd just have kept driving and left the carnage behind him
Coming back from St Albans you then had the amusement value of the overhead gantry for the M25 to M3 Southbound feeder lane brightly illuminating the national speed limit marker on it. This is of course the gantry that is just a matter of metres away from where the, rather obviously signed, 50mph restriction starts along with the average speed camera
Quite a few people planting their foot down and then anchoring on after seeing the 50 Edited by AlexRS2782 on Tuesday 17th October 16:41
FurtiveFreddy said:
I'm going past them at no more than 85 until I see more reports on who's getting done at what speed. They were flashing much more just after the 50 limit was lifted but the last few times I've been along there I haven't seen any flashing and there are plenty of other cars around me doing 80+.
At the moment I would say you’re still okay and at that speed good anyway. Won’t be long now though.......Landshark said:
At the moment I would say you’re still okay and at that speed good anyway. Won’t be long now though.......
85 is my default speed for the M25/M3 cams.Certainly not had any unwanted post from the M3 in the past weeks since it opened semi-properly.
Imagine building a new 24/7 superstore, opening it, and saying it’s finished. But then closing it every night, as it’s not really properly finished. Sometimes you say it’s closed and it’s actually open, sometimes you close it for routine emergency works on a whim. Sometimes it’s open but half of it’s shut, and sometimes it gets shut when you’re half way through it.
Shambles.
My daughter got flashed (think it flashed twice) after getting off the M25 onto the M3 heading towards Bagshot, she said the 50mph limit appeared quickly and she was doing around 55mph.
Do they have fixed cameras (Hadex 3) on that section or are they average speed cameras?
She's only passed her driving test a few months ago and is now worried
Do they have fixed cameras (Hadex 3) on that section or are they average speed cameras?
She's only passed her driving test a few months ago and is now worried
Bikeracer1098 said:
My daughter got flashed (think it flashed twice) after getting off the M25 onto the M3 heading towards Bagshot, she said the 50mph limit appeared quickly and she was doing around 55mph.
Do they have fixed cameras (Hadex 3) on that section or are they average speed cameras?
She's only passed her driving test a few months ago and is now worried
M25 onto M3 southbound is average speed 50mph for the first mile or so to the top of the hill.Do they have fixed cameras (Hadex 3) on that section or are they average speed cameras?
She's only passed her driving test a few months ago and is now worried
It then becomes a variable speed limit motorway with fixed cameras.
Bikeracer1098 said:
My daughter got flashed (think it flashed twice) after getting off the M25 onto the M3 heading towards Bagshot, she said the 50mph limit appeared quickly and she was doing around 55mph.
Do they have fixed cameras (Hadex 3) on that section or are they average speed cameras?
She's only passed her driving test a few months ago and is now worried
Pedantry alert!Do they have fixed cameras (Hadex 3) on that section or are they average speed cameras?
She's only passed her driving test a few months ago and is now worried
The 50mph limit did not appear at any speed. Your daughter did. The speed limit signs are in a static location, and if she appeared at the limit change too quickly to alter her speed in good time then either a) she was travelling too fast for the conditions b) not paying proper attention, or c) the signage was poorly positioned.
Signage detailing a change of speed limit should be readable in plenty of time to adjust to the new (lower) limit safely, without undue braking, BEFORE a driver passes the entry point to the new limit zone. If that genuinely can't be done, then the signage is incorrectly positioned. If some drivers can do this, but others can't, then I'd suggest that the issue lies with the drivers who can't act on the information in time. Either they are driving too fast or they are paying insufficient attention to hazards on the road ahead.
It's the same issue with the idiots who need to cross three lanes of traffic at the very last moment to "make their exit". They are either doing it deliberately ("must be in fast lane at all costs" types), or they're failing to observe properly ahead of them, and not processing the lane destination information properly. Equally stupid and dangerous whichever it is.
If the variable speed limit signs light up, or change the speed they are displaying, there is a 60 second grace period before the HADECS3 cameras start enforcement.
At 70 mph that would give someone 1877 metres to see the signs and slow down.
I'd say that's plenty of warning myself, so either someone isn't looking ahead when they're driving or the camera was in "attract mode" (as it seems they have been there recently) and just flashing to let everyone know they're going to get it if they don't pay attention.
At 70 mph that would give someone 1877 metres to see the signs and slow down.
I'd say that's plenty of warning myself, so either someone isn't looking ahead when they're driving or the camera was in "attract mode" (as it seems they have been there recently) and just flashing to let everyone know they're going to get it if they don't pay attention.
Heads up!
Location : The M3 eastbound between junctions J3 and J2
Reason : Accident involving a vehicle that has left the carriageway
Status : Currently Active
Time To Clear : The event is expected to clear between 14:45 and 15:00 on 18 October 2017
Return To Normal : Normal traffic conditions are expected between 15:45 and 16:00 on 18 October 2017
Delay : There are currently delays of 30 minutes against expected traffic
Previous Reason : Following an earlier accident
Location : The M3 eastbound between junctions J3 and J2
Reason : Accident involving a vehicle that has left the carriageway
Status : Currently Active
Time To Clear : The event is expected to clear between 14:45 and 15:00 on 18 October 2017
Return To Normal : Normal traffic conditions are expected between 15:45 and 16:00 on 18 October 2017
Delay : There are currently delays of 30 minutes against expected traffic
Previous Reason : Following an earlier accident
Great - why do we allow these f*ckwits on the roads?
I was heading onto the M3 Northbound at J4 today at 12.20 - first gantry said 60, next one 50, next one said motorway closed from J3 to J2. So I sat stationary in a queue for 10 minutes or so, then suddenly it was all open again! But a sign before I got onto the poxy f*cked-up mess would have allowed me to find another route - it isn't that hard surely?
Then when I came home around 22.30 all was looking good, at least until I got past J12 on the M25. No access to M3 Southbound - why couldn't they have told me that before I got to J12. I could have got off there (or stayed on the A3)!
Still at least the posted diversion was M25 to J13 and back, rather than onto the M3 Northbound up to J1 and back!
But I left the M25 at J13 and used back roads through Windlesham to get to the M3 Southbound at J3. Then noticed that M3 Northbound from J3 was shut.
Glad it is finished - just can't wait for it to actually be open!
I was heading onto the M3 Northbound at J4 today at 12.20 - first gantry said 60, next one 50, next one said motorway closed from J3 to J2. So I sat stationary in a queue for 10 minutes or so, then suddenly it was all open again! But a sign before I got onto the poxy f*cked-up mess would have allowed me to find another route - it isn't that hard surely?
Then when I came home around 22.30 all was looking good, at least until I got past J12 on the M25. No access to M3 Southbound - why couldn't they have told me that before I got to J12. I could have got off there (or stayed on the A3)!
Still at least the posted diversion was M25 to J13 and back, rather than onto the M3 Northbound up to J1 and back!
But I left the M25 at J13 and used back roads through Windlesham to get to the M3 Southbound at J3. Then noticed that M3 Northbound from J3 was shut.
Glad it is finished - just can't wait for it to actually be open!
All the barriers and cones are gone at the M25 clockwise/M3 junction!
However, there are still the 2 SPECS poles and signs saying 50mph average speed check!
Amusing changes in velocity/lanes taking place...
The driving on the M3 is still shambolic and one of the HADECS3 cameras was flashing away but it looked like it was being worked on at the time.
Another exciting SMART adventure!
However, there are still the 2 SPECS poles and signs saying 50mph average speed check!
Amusing changes in velocity/lanes taking place...
The driving on the M3 is still shambolic and one of the HADECS3 cameras was flashing away but it looked like it was being worked on at the time.
Another exciting SMART adventure!
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