FFS This is what we have to share our roads with.
Discussion
Did I say FFS already?
The Telegraph is running a series of extracts from a book "Are we nearly there yet?" a book about a family tour of Britain in an Astra.
Aside: wonders which forum the mods will move this thread to?
Found this
The Telegraph is running a series of extracts from a book "Are we nearly there yet?" a book about a family tour of Britain in an Astra.
Aside: wonders which forum the mods will move this thread to?
Found this
extract about merging onto M42 said:
Normally I’m at the wheel because when Dinah drives she presses her face against the windscreen like Mr Magoo and cannot look round when you talk to her – or else she gets lost, swerves into somebody else’s lane or, scariest of all, tugs her hair while nervously chanting, "Concentrate, Dinah. Concentrate." But this morning she’s driving meaning it’s she who must merge onto the M42. Dinah’s merging panics her. Her merging panics me. If we’d know there was merging, I’d have driven.
She breathes in.
"Go for it."
She breathes out.
"Go for it," copies Phoebe, laughing in the back.
"Phoebe, Mummy’s merging so…"
And as I once, controversially, taught her, Phoebe crosses herself.
"Please, don’t make fun of me, Ben," says Dinah.
“PHOEBE!”
After several minutes stationary near the end of the slip-road being hooted at by other drivers, who swerve around us staring in to see who can be this incompetent, Dinah begins her mantra, "Concentrate, Dinah! Concentrate!"
I offer encouragement. "Remember, oncoming traffic doesn’t want to smash into you just as much as you don’t want to smash into it."
Dinah revs, releases the handbrake and edges forward, each time stopping because of some speck on the horizon. Finally, when she begins reversing, ‘because I need a run-up’, I yank on the handbrake. “It’s those lorry drivers who don’t give a s***,” she says, shuffling across to the passenger seat, as I reach her side. “They wouldn’t let me in. You saw them."
Did I say FFS already?She breathes in.
"Go for it."
She breathes out.
"Go for it," copies Phoebe, laughing in the back.
"Phoebe, Mummy’s merging so…"
And as I once, controversially, taught her, Phoebe crosses herself.
"Please, don’t make fun of me, Ben," says Dinah.
“PHOEBE!”
After several minutes stationary near the end of the slip-road being hooted at by other drivers, who swerve around us staring in to see who can be this incompetent, Dinah begins her mantra, "Concentrate, Dinah! Concentrate!"
I offer encouragement. "Remember, oncoming traffic doesn’t want to smash into you just as much as you don’t want to smash into it."
Dinah revs, releases the handbrake and edges forward, each time stopping because of some speck on the horizon. Finally, when she begins reversing, ‘because I need a run-up’, I yank on the handbrake. “It’s those lorry drivers who don’t give a s***,” she says, shuffling across to the passenger seat, as I reach her side. “They wouldn’t let me in. You saw them."
kambites said:
CBR JGWRR said:
She has a driving licence?
You don't need to go near a slip-road to get a driving licence... Definately from a rolling start of 20 odd. This is a vehicle where having breakfast noticably affects 0 to 60 time (A loaf of bread can easily add 0.2-0.5 seconds to a average start, dependant on position on the bike.)
Powerful car should have absolutely zero problem with getting up to speed, and even a basic Astra has a similar power to weight ratio to a little bike weighed down with all the stuff that either couldn't fit in the car, or I wanted to take myself.
Interesting technique for getting past trucks was required - slipstream for as long as possible, full racing tuck, mirror check, lifesaver, unleash all of its 12 bhp, after around 15-20 seconds, your past. Bit quicker if you time the pulling out to be just after a car conducting an overtake on the truck as well...
Lane one otherwise is quite relaxing.
(125cc motorcycles are a lot cheaper to insure in a city than a big bike, which meant the little four stroke stayed with me, and entailed either getting horrendously lost in the countryside, or a trip down a motorway. The second option was chosen so that I could slipstream my parents, and arrive at the same time.)
Although, you are correct that you don't need to go to a slip road to get a licence. You can still practice them - some dual carrigeways have slip roads etc.
Back on topic, if this is a genuine example of somebody's ability to join a motorway, then it isn't just bad, it is dangerous. For them, the people having to go round her, the people in the distance who don't know what she is doing...
Hopefully it is just an exageration.
CBR JGWRR said:
kambites said:
CBR JGWRR said:
She has a driving licence?
You don't need to go near a slip-road to get a driving licence... Definately from a rolling start of 20 odd. This is a vehicle where having breakfast noticably affects 0 to 60 time (A loaf of bread can easily add 0.2-0.5 seconds to a average start, dependant on position on the bike.)
jimxms said:
CBR JGWRR said:
kambites said:
CBR JGWRR said:
She has a driving licence?
You don't need to go near a slip-road to get a driving licence... Definately from a rolling start of 20 odd. This is a vehicle where having breakfast noticably affects 0 to 60 time (A loaf of bread can easily add 0.2-0.5 seconds to a average start, dependant on position on the bike.)
A speeding ticket in a NSL is an achievement...
The do handle well, which in my mind, makes up for the lack of speed. That and the fuel costs, it managed 60-70 odd mpg in the above situation. (Considering that it needed around 9000 rpm to keep up with the truck to start with...)
After about 6 miles, I gave up overtaking trucks, and treated the rest of the journey as a fuel efficiency run, at 57/58 ish.
It was an example of a situation where getting up to speed is very difficult in comparison with the car used by the family in question, being an Astra.
It came from a real world situation where I had to join a fairly fast flowing motorway, from a short slip road.
Rawwr said:
People who stop at the end of sliproads should be executed.
Not according to the book:Driving on the motorway
259
Joining the motorway. When you join the motorway you will normally approach it from a road on the left (a slip road) or from an adjoining motorway. You should
- give priority to traffic already on the motorway
- check the traffic on the motorway and match your speed to fit safely into the traffic flow in the left-hand lane
- not cross solid white lines that separate lanes or use the hard shoulder
- stay on the slip road if it continues as an extra lane on the motorway
- remain in the left-hand lane long enough to adjust to the speed of traffic before considering overtaking
this is the worst kind of plank on a slip road, but it still amazes me the amount of people who don't change or regulate their speed to merge. they stay at the speed they want and expect you to move over. hence why i had to brake hard the other night as a proton of some sort was coming out whether i liked it or not, irrespective of the fact 2 cars were passing me in the outside lane.
ibliviot
ibliviot
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff