M3 Nightmare Continues!

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Discussion

Mr Tidy

Original Poster:

22,065 posts

126 months

Friday 19th January 2018
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Mr Tidy said:
It's not Carillion doing the work is it?

They're apparently about £1.5 billion short from balancing their budget! eek
Oops - I said that a bit tongue in cheek!

But I'm sure I read somewhere that they were monitoring the "Smart" motorways. eek

Still, the sooner the staff stop turning up the better! laugh

anonymous-user

53 months

Monday 22nd January 2018
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Trevatanus said:
CoolHands said:
Honestly, if I lived closer I am the type that is sad enough to go there overnight and observe to see what they actually do. I bet they'll do half an hour of litter picking on the central reservation or something.
I am told that a big problem was that they would book a slot say 20th January for an overnight closure.
Then, come 20th January, if the work could not be done (lack of staff, plant broke down etc), rather than open the motorway, they just leave the closure in place.
Look back through the thread and you'll see my post regarding info from steways England.....
The closures are carried out by one contractor whilst the actual digging-up-the-road bit is done by another contractor.
At 21:00 Contractor B might realise they haven't sufficient staff, the big digger isn't working or the weather's rubbish so they cancel.
Unfortunately it takes several emails, lots of phone calls and a note from Matron to cancel a closure, so.....
Contractor A still turns up and closes the motorway at 22:00 and isn't contracted to open it again until 05:30.
It's in the contract ok? The contract dammit. The contract says close it.

Mr Tidy

Original Poster:

22,065 posts

126 months

Tuesday 23rd January 2018
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I went from the M3 to the M25 and it had no silly limit for the first time in years - maybe the collapse of "Tarmac - rebranded" is just what we needed! woohoo

What a cunch of bunts! laugh

Trevatanus

11,109 posts

149 months

Tuesday 23rd January 2018
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Drove back from Heathrow to J4 about 1130 last night..
Lane closures in place, decided to call HA to see if they finally got a date when it will all end.
They apologised and confirmed that "one lane was closed due to drainage works"

I pointed out that "two lanes were closed"
They thanked me for the information and wished me a safe journey.....
rolleyes

Frimley111R

15,535 posts

233 months

Tuesday 23rd January 2018
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I am sure this has been asked before but why does no-one seem to monitor any of this?

Trevatanus

11,109 posts

149 months

Tuesday 23rd January 2018
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Frimley111R said:
I am sure this has been asked before but why does no-one seem to monitor any of this?
We do smile

Mr Tidy

Original Poster:

22,065 posts

126 months

Wednesday 24th January 2018
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Trevatanus said:
We do smile
Just as well - I'm sure those monitoring don't! (Well they probably do, but aren't ever going to share it). frown

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 25th January 2018
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Another two-lane closure tonight, west bound, 3-4, with the usual gaggle of maintenance vehicles and hi-viz wearing shovel technicians standing around "discussing" something.
Although the night time lane closures are bearable due to light traffic, their frequency and regularity does make one wonder how "finished" the project really was when it was declared complete.
rolleyes

Trevatanus

11,109 posts

149 months

Thursday 25th January 2018
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Crossflow Kid said:
Another two-lane closure tonight, west bound, 3-4, with the usual gaggle of maintenance vehicles and hi-viz wearing shovel technicians standing around "discussing" something.
Although the night time lane closures are bearable due to light traffic, their frequency and regularity does make one wonder how "finished" the project really was when it was declared complete.
rolleyes
They told me when I called that it was finished, so it must be right? smile

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 25th January 2018
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If you want to believe them, you go right ahead.
Anything that Highways England, Balfour Beatty or Colas Construction have to say about the whole thing ceased to be relevant, reliable or even ball-park accurate very long time ago.

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 26th January 2018
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And again tonight.
Access from the M3 to the M25 clockwise.....Closed.

silverfoxcc

7,683 posts

144 months

Friday 26th January 2018
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Get onto BBC south.
Paul Clifton would love this. all that OB from bridges

alock

4,224 posts

210 months

Friday 26th January 2018
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j4ck100 said:
Does anyone else keep encountering broken down vehicles in the outside two lanes?

Absolutely fking ridiculous. Clapping along nicely and all of a sudden there's a stationary Mercedes in lane 3. How difficult is it to move over when you realise you've lost power or run out of fuel?

Happened twice now. Not enough emergency pull over areas either, 1.5 mile intervals apart, what a joke.
Smart motorways now raise an interesting question about where it is least dangerous to get hit when broken down. Without a hard shoulder, you are relying on the 'smart' lane being closed. Do you want to risk getting hit by:
1. A 40 ton truck at 56mph
2. A 2 ton car at 80mph


Mr Tidy

Original Poster:

22,065 posts

126 months

Saturday 27th January 2018
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Still a mess!

I joined the M3 Northbound at J4 around 14.30 today and all went well until a few miles past J3.

50 limit displayed with "Queue Ahead" so I slowed down, the next gantry had 40 limit displayed and "Queue Ahead" but the one after that just showed the NSL. rolleyes

As they obviously aren't monitored properly how can you possibly call them "Smart" FFS?

Anyway at J2 I joined the M25 going anti-clockwise and joined the inevitable queue caused by lowered speed limits from J12 to J11, after which by magic there was suddenly no congestion - as always! banghead

FurryExocet

3,011 posts

180 months

Saturday 27th January 2018
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Mr Tidy said:
Still a mess!

I joined the M3 Northbound at J4 around 14.30 today and all went well until a few miles past J3.

50 limit displayed with "Queue Ahead" so I slowed down, the next gantry had 40 limit displayed and "Queue Ahead" but the one after that just showed the NSL. rolleyes

As they obviously aren't monitored properly how can you possibly call them "Smart" FFS?

Anyway at J2 I joined the M25 going anti-clockwise and joined the inevitable queue caused by lowered speed limits from J12 to J11, after which by magic there was suddenly no congestion - as always! banghead
I think it's fine automatically, so when traffic bunches up, the system adjusts the speed and puts up the signs, this is supposed to slow everyone down and the bunching up clears, then you get the national back, so in this case, looks like it worked??

Mr Tidy

Original Poster:

22,065 posts

126 months

Sunday 28th January 2018
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FurryExocet said:
I think it's fine automatically, so when traffic bunches up, the system adjusts the speed and puts up the signs, this is supposed to slow everyone down and the bunching up clears, then you get the national back, so in this case, looks like it worked??
That may the theory, but my experience suggests that the system bunches up the traffic with a lower limit and as soon as you get the NSL back it all clears.

It happens every time I use the M25 from J12 to J11 - lower limit and bunched up. After J11 back to NSL and by J10 all is working properly - so where exactly did that queue go? It certainly didn't all get off at J11. banghead

anonymous-user

53 months

Monday 29th January 2018
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Agreed, it's bks.
Last week I was going to work around 5am and traffic was, needless to say, light.
Even so, between 3 and 2, "50mph - Queue Ahead" then "40mph - Queue Ahead" then NSL, on consecutive gantries, so close in fact it was possible to see the NSL from the 50 sign.
So all those night closures for "Testing and Calibration" appear to have been a waste of time.

Frimley111R

15,535 posts

233 months

Monday 29th January 2018
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Crossflow Kid said:
And again tonight.
Access from the M3 to the M25 clockwise.....Closed.
And Saturday night M3 shut northbound at the M25 although you could get on the M25

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 30th January 2018
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All four lanes closed London-bound this evening.....all because of a broken down Transit.
They'd done well and almost got to a refuge, but opted instead to try and drive on to the grass verge before the van died completely.
Unfortunately this left the rear offside wheel just encroaching on lane 1, and I mean by less than a foot.
Still, an obstruction is an obstruction. Close all lanes and deploy Wombles!
rolleyes

SVTRick

3,633 posts

194 months

Tuesday 30th January 2018
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Crossflow Kid said:
All four lanes closed London-bound this evening.....all because of a broken down Transit.
They'd done well and almost got to a refuge, but opted instead to try and drive on to the grass verge before the van died completely.
Unfortunately this left the rear offside wheel just encroaching on lane 1, and I mean by less than a foot.
Still, an obstruction is an obstruction. Close all lanes and deploy Wombles!
rolleyes
Think its fair to take out the adjacent lane given the idiots that plough into stationary vehicles on a normal motorway with hard shoulder.

Saw a pickup and trailer London bound about 16:00hrs today (30th Jan) problem was the trailer was some 200 metres back from pickup minus its drawbar and one axle with the load (a large hydraulic breaker in lane two.
If not a failure or driver lost it, maybe some dozy car driver swapping lanes and not making allowances for the trailer being behind vehicle. (seen that a few times)

HATO had shut the whole four lanes, instead of just halting traffic, dragging the offending heavy lump back to lane one would help. But no stand there like fking statues and block off all four.

Easy to have two lanes clear and get traffic moving as even ambulance could not get through as no hard shoulder.
Lane 1 closed but too late full of vehicles anyway.

When will these muppet designers and planners forget about loosing the safety lane - fk wits