M4 and M3 Road Works, how does it affect you?

[bridgland]

Just amazed at the fact that 2 main traffic arteries, bringing people to and from similar parts of the country both have significant road works, with 50 MPH limits length and excessively long stretches with work in only small parts. My journey to and from Surrey to Reading (where the office is) has become a 2 hour slog each way, from 1 hour, unless I leave at "stupid" o'clock. I am now trying to find ways around, without touching these at all, if possible.

If you regularly use these roads, how is it affecting: -
- Your journey?
- Morning/evening routines?
What routes work for you
Do you think they are doing this on purpose, or are they just uncoordinated?
How can they justify the excessive distances of the roadworks with such a small section being worked on at any one time? (is it really any better this way?)

[SimonD]

bridgland said:

Just amazed at the fact that 2 main traffic arteries, bringing people to and from similar parts of the country both have significant road works, with 50 MPH limits length and excessively long stretches with work in only small parts. My journey to and from Surrey to Reading (where the office is) has become a 2 hour slog each way, from 1 hour, unless I leave at "stupid" o'clock. I am now trying to find ways around, without touching these at all, if possible.

If you regularly use these roads, how is it affecting: -
- Your journey?
- Morning/evening routines?
What routes work for you
Do you think they are doing this on purpose, or are they just uncoordinated?
How can they justify the excessive distances of the roadworks with such a small section being worked on at any one time? (is it really any better this way?)

I'm exactly with you. I go into the office 2/3 days a week (Live in Newbury, office in Surrey) and am staggered at the same thing. You're only in Reading, so will be up the M3 at junc 3, but the stupidity continues down the M3 further. This comes only a couple of months after the central reservation work at junc 5 M3 finally finished. It's just stupid.

FWIW I always get in early (prefer to get in the office at around 6am, so leave home at 5am), so my morning routine hasn't changed. Going home I make sure I leave the office at 4pm sharpish to avoid the worst of the traffic. There's still definitely a knock-on, even then, but I tend to chop and change between M3-->Basingstoke--> Newbury and M3-->Bracknell-->M4-->Newbury depending on my 'feel' for the traffic. Have you tried coming off at M25 junc 11 and cutting up through Virginia Water?

Simon

[andy-xr]

Just get Waze and let it sort it out for you

[3ananaPie]

Recently I have been going up and down the M3 on a daily basis and the road works are quite annoying - Especially since no work is actually being done, a;ways empty.

[BrabusMog]

It's driving me nuts at night, I have started going all the way to Guildford to get on the A3 now. The traffic there is more bearable than sitting in traffic to get to the M25, then traffic on the M25 getting to the A3 and then traffic all the way to Wandsworth on the A3!

[bridgland]

My routine is now leave home at 6 to 6.30am. join A3 at Esher/Oxshott junction - Straight down to Guildford - Hogs Back - A331 up to Frimley - M3 1 junction west, Hartley Wintney and then turn right up to Reading and join the A33 all the way to Green Park in Reading. Only one junction of the M3 (2 miles max). Same route home.

It adds 10 miles to the journey and keeps me relatively sane.

Now I have to find where do I send the additional fuel bills to.

[TimS2000]

I commute from Basingstoke to Frimley (will be to Lightwater from next week), and these roadworks are a pain in the backside.

[rant mode]
1) From my experience with "smart" motorways, this will be a downgrade not an upgrade, and we have 2 years of roadworks for the pleasure

2) Why the hell can they not put the cones, speed limit, etc on one section at a time (ie one mile) rather than an entire 10 mile section bearing in mind they never appear to be working on the whole lot at once

3) The sign posting has been absolutely diabolical:
a) Three weeks ago I joined at J4 on my way home in the dark, traffic was relatively free flowing, I got up to ~70 mph in the middle lane when I suddenly spotted out of the corner of my eye one of the small 50 mph repeater sign on the central reservation (for the previous month all the cones, specs cameras, etc had been in place but no speed restriction) - I am adamant there was no large 50 board on the slip road to tell me I was entering a 50 zone (and several colleagues agreed). Cue a nervous 2 week wait to see if a NIP landed on my doorstep
b) This morning they have put in a contraflow starting between Fleet services and J4a (London-bound) - I was in the outside lane and so ended up in the contra-flow. I am positive there were no signs advising either the length of the contra-flow (until you were in it) or that you would not be able to exit at junctions 4a or 4. As a result I had to go up to Lightwater and back again. I wouldn't have taken the risk if I wasn't working my notice and hence not as concerned of my timekeeping as I would otherwise be, but I wrongly assumed that they surely they would have advised people that junction access would be restricted, how wrong I was...
[/rant mode]

[liner33]

Went to Heathrow (T5) and back yesterday from north of Newbury leaving at 920am and was back by 11am so despite queuing traffic from J12 and into the 50mph section it didnt have a great deal of impact at all, 10-15 mins if that.

I imagine peak times might be different but an average speed of 50mph is going some anyway for the M4 in the rush hour

[Matthen]

bridgland said:

My routine is now leave home at 6 to 6.30am. join A3 at Esher/Oxshott junction - Straight down to Guildford - Hogs Back - A331 up to Frimley - M3 1 junction west, Hartley Wintney and then turn right up to Reading and join the A33 all the way to Green Park in Reading. Only one junction of the M3 (2 miles max). Same route home.

It adds 10 miles to the journey and keeps me relatively sane.

Now I have to find where do I send the additional fuel bills to.

Don't do the junction on the M3 - stay on the 331, fly over rackstraws and down the 329m to winnersh.

[BrabusMog]

TimS2000 said:

I commute from Basingstoke to Frimley (will be to Lightwater from next week), and these roadworks are a pain in the backside.

[rant mode]
1) From my experience with "smart" motorways, this will be a downgrade not an upgrade, and we have 2 years of roadworks for the pleasure

2) Why the hell can they not put the cones, speed limit, etc on one section at a time (ie one mile) rather than an entire 10 mile section bearing in mind they never appear to be working on the whole lot at once

3) The sign posting has been absolutely diabolical:
a) Three weeks ago I joined at J4 on my way home in the dark, traffic was relatively free flowing, I got up to ~70 mph in the middle lane when I suddenly spotted out of the corner of my eye one of the small 50 mph repeater sign on the central reservation (for the previous month all the cones, specs cameras, etc had been in place but no speed restriction) - I am adamant there was no large 50 board on the slip road to tell me I was entering a 50 zone (and several colleagues agreed). Cue a nervous 2 week wait to see if a NIP landed on my doorstep
b) This morning they have put in a contraflow starting between Fleet services and J4a (London-bound) - I was in the outside lane and so ended up in the contra-flow. I am positive there were no signs advising either the length of the contra-flow (until you were in it) or that you would not be able to exit at junctions 4a or 4. As a result I had to go up to Lightwater and back again. I wouldn't have taken the risk if I wasn't working my notice and hence not as concerned of my timekeeping as I would otherwise be, but I wrongly assumed that they surely they would have advised people that junction access would be restricted, how wrong I was...
[/rant mode]

My presumption with contra flows is that you're skipping past a few junctions and that they are so people who are continuing further can do so a bit quicker.

Agreed on all other points and the traffic for me getting to Camberley this morning from Clapham was a nightmare. I would be WFH every day but I can't because of meetings at the moment!