M25 J5-7 - any improvement?

[wiggy001]

So after a cost of £121m (was this the final figure) and a lot of disruption whilst works took place, has converting this section of motorway to a "Smart Motorway" made any positive difference?

I only ask as I averaged 20mph along most of the southern stretch of the M25 this morning. Admittedly I left later than I should (6.15am) but with no accidents or issues of note, why the hell did they bother?

Is this usual for this time of the day?

[Matt UK]

Use it every day and notice no difference to how it was.

Still, the contractors did well so I guess we can't complain...

[4lf4-155]

I travelled this section last Tuesday mid afternoon. Traffic would have flowed a lot better if people didn't hog lane 4 doing 40mph.

What the point in widening the thing if ignorant selfish fkwits end up making 3 lanes redunant?

[Atmospheric]

The road surface there is atrocious. Seems like the money was spent on contractor fees.

[vikingaero]

Atmospheric said:

The road surface there is atrocious. Seems like the money was spent on contractor fees.

Agree. Where some of the lanes have been repainted one or two of them have your right hand wheel run in the join which has broken up to buggery. Doesn't take a retard to work that one out, yet the HA have patched buy done sweet FA.

[Gixer]

Had a call out in Richmond on Friday. Thanks to the new 'managed' motorway it took ages because despite light traffic, most my journey was done at 50mph because endless speed restrictions for incidents that were never there.

Likewise on top side of the M25 on Sat night and Sun morning. Both ways between M11 and A10 were 40mph because of an invisible workforce in the road......


Complete waste of time and money. Four lanes are a waste of time, even half the HGVs now hog the middle lanes, and personally I thinks hard shoulder was better.

[sjj84]

Used it late Friday afternoon for the first time since the roadworks have been removed. Lanes 3 & 4 were doing about 50mph, I sailed through using lane 1 and 2 to overtake lorries at a steady 70mph. So pretty much a waste of time and money as people still stick to two lanes.

[wiggy001]

vikingaero said:

Atmospheric said:

The road surface there is atrocious. Seems like the money was spent on contractor fees.

Agree. Where some of the lanes have been repainted one or two of them have your right hand wheel run in the join which has broken up to buggery. Doesn't take a retard to work that one out, yet the HA have patched buy done sweet FA.

Yep. Feels seriously dangerous in places in my Z4 with runflats... tramlining is not the word!

[northwest monkey]

Matt UK said:

Use it every day and notice no difference to how it was.

Always the same.

The M60 J18 - J13 used to be 3 lanes & the traffic was st. There was a contraflow in place for about 3 years while they turned it into a 4 lane. Once finished it was just as st as before. Now it's down to 50mph for the next 3 years while they turn it into s "Smart" motorway. So it's st again right now, and I'm no fortune teller, but I'm going to stick my neck on the line and say it will be no better than it originally was once it's finished in 3 years time.