... this is the road to hell.
Forget rules of the road - the ONLY rule of the road in the UK is "Thou shalt get overstressed". I am more interested in talking about the state of our roads than obeying any rules.
For me, this weekend is a pretty good time to be talking about British roads. ... Read review
Advantages: There are NONE Disadvantages: Slow, unsafe and stressful
...hell.
Forget rules of the road - the ONLY rule of the road in the UK is "Thou shalt get overstressed". I am more interested in talking about the state of our roads than obeying any rules.
For me, this weekend is a pretty good time to be talking about British roads. You see I've just gone off to Brittany for a week's holiday with Mrs D and the dave27-ettes, which has involved a drive down the British road system ... ...slow, actually) ferry trip across the Channel to Cherbourg and then a four hour drive down to our cottage in Plusquellec.
Now a trip like that requires a real man to face up to it, but it does give you a bloody good idea of the state of roads on both sides of the Channel, which is certainly an eye opener.
We're regular holidaymakers in Brittany, and have been for the last couple of years while we were getting our cottage ... more
... this is the road to hell.
Forget rules of the road - the ONLY rule of the road in the UK is "Thou shalt get overstressed". I am more interested in talking about the state of our roads than obeying any rules.
For me, this weekend is a pretty good time to be talking about British roads. You see I've just gone off to Brittany for a week's holiday with Mrs D and the dave27-ettes, which has involved a drive down the British road system from Preston to Poole in Dorset, a quick (or very slow, actually) ferry trip across the Channel to Cherbourg and then a four hour drive down to our cottage in Plusquellec.
Now a trip like that requires a real man to face up to it, but it does give you a bloody good idea of the state of roads on both sides of the Channel, which is certainly an eye opener.
We're regular holidaymakers in Brittany, and have been for the last couple of years while we were getting our cottage up and running. It's done now and we'll be spending a lot of time over here/there (whenever you read it). During those trips one of the main things we've continually commented on as being different between France and the UK is the huge gulf in the relevant quality of the roads in each country.
If you've never been to the continent, let me just enlighten you on another way of life. Now it's probably because the continentals spend a lot on their network, and they've got stuff like toll bridges to raise the necessary, a development which seems to be becoming rather more likely in this country as well in the future. However, they certainly get their moneys worth over there. The autoroutes are uniformly good (as in pretty few other motorists around, the road surface being in excellent repair and there being absolutely no speed cameras in sight anywhere). Life is indeed blissful when you're driving on the continent and I'd heartily recommend it for reducing your blood pressure.
Contrast that experience with the five hours or so which I spent on the trip from Up North down to the south coast. Firstly, Lancashire has been swamped these last two years with a deluge of speed cameras on both motorways and other roads, and there is a strictly no tolerance zone throughout the county. I should know, I've copped six points on my licence already this calendar year and things are getting just the tiniest bit fraught in the dave27 household. Story is that if the Lancashire police can generate fines in excess of £8 million this year, then they'll get to retain about a million and a half for their own ends. They've been rubbing their hands with glee and are upposedly boasting that by the end of this year there won't be a motorist left in the county who hasn't gained either points or a fine.
Now I believe that speed cameras are a good idea ON THE WHOLE despite the suffering because they certainly do restrict the worst excesses of the boy racer rovers where they're in place, especially when combined with that no tolerance zone. The trouble is, however, that they do serve to remove any pleasure from driving and lead to stressful motoring.
Combine all that hassle with the inevitable roadworks, the horrific sight of endless miles of cones sectioning off one or two lanes is a pretty unavoidable sight, especially on Bank Holidays, and we've all known the terrible frustration of crawling along at five miles an hour while the sectioned off lane has absolutely no action going on. Sheer hell.
I used to live Down Sarf and regularly got the heebie jeebies from a drive home along the M25, but these days even sleepy old Lancashire is suffering from rush hour jams. I have to drive about ten miles home of an evening and come Friday night that journely regularly takes about 30 minutes, even though it's motorway literally from door to door. It seems to me that traffic on the motorway network goes even slowe rthan A roads. I bloody hate it, and regulalry cop a smacked ear from Mrs D from being home late and spoiling her marvellous dinner.
I'm not really sure why the British road network is so appalling when compared to that of our continental cousins. We're supposed to be the civilise dones, but you certainly wouldn't believe it if you took a look at literally any road anywhere in the country between four and six of a Friday night.
Advantages: Generally doing a good job Disadvantages: Room for more clarity. Safety of non-English speakers compromised
...in my head relating to rules of the road, and in particular, road signs. It also strikes me that if you passed your driving test many years ago like me, and have never been banned from driving (possibly requiring a re-test), that your knowledge of the UK Highway Code probably lies frozen at some distant point in time. Apart from being shown pictures of road signs along with a few other questions, you’ve also never had to sit the theory part of the ... ...copy of the Highway Code at home? Hmmm, thought so.
We all like to think that we know what various road signs mean, and to a certain extent, thanks to their pictorial nature this is at least partially true. However, the more I’ve thought about them, and the more I’ve questioned kids on them, the more I realise that the system is more flawed than it ought to be.
BASICS
Road signs fall into three basic shapes, circles, triangles and rectangles, ...
BNibbles 28.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rules of the road
Advantages: It can be quicker to get to where your going Disadvantages: People don't listen to whay you have to say
It's worrying to think that at any given time 25 % of road users aren't really sure where they're going. What's even more chilling is that when you stop for directions 90 % of people you ask haven't a clue where you're going but nevertheless give full instructions on how to get there !
Foreigners get lost easily and often ask for directions. They pull up, wind the window down and ask, "Where is Mercers Road ?", whereupon two things happen: you realise ... ...that they don't speak English. In an ideal world you would say "I don't know", they would say "I don't understand" and then they would drive off and everyone would be happy. Instead you give directions to anywhere you can think of that a foreigner would be likely to be going at that time of the day and they nod in a painful way and wonder what this "roundabout" is you mention so often. Finally, with much embarrassment all round they roar off up a ...
joeyhey2007 08.02.2009
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...stopped. There are a few rules you need to know in order not to get stopped.
Firstly motorway driving:
The rules on speeding are that no-one will take any notice of you if you are within 10% over the speed limit. ie 70mph + 7 = 77mph.
If you are in a group of cars that are, say, doing 85mph again we wouldnt take any notice.
But if you were on the motorway and doing 85-90mph on your own then we would be interested. Anything over 85-90mph and you ... ...old car doing 85mph+ will get stopped.
If you look really young and in a BMW for example, you will get stopped.
Weaving from one lane to another or staying in the outside lane all on your own, you will be stopped.
Having defective lights, indicators or a smoking exhaust, we will also have a chat with you.
City driving:
Same as the above as speed limit + 10% any over and your going to be pulled over.
Really slow driving, no lights etc.. youll ...
dorset 02.08.2000
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Advantages: no road crime ever escaped!! Disadvantages: no police to make our community safe
...this brings me to the rules of the road, and more importantly how they are upheld. The authorities spend millions on creating new ways to make revenue from motorists. The amount they spend on patrol cars alone is rediculous, they all drive round in mecedes or range rovers and volvos, anything as long as its top of the range and costs at least £40000. It seems that more money is spent patrolling our roads than our streets. The area that I live is ... ...only time I have ever seen any police is on the roads in their cars. If you were to walk around the local shops you would find gangs of drugged up kids but no police. And when you drive around the corner you see someone pulled up on the way back from the weekly shop, probably getting 3 points for doing 35mph in a 30 zone, oh and £60 for the govenrment. This doesn' sound like making the area safer to me.
As I said the amount of money spent on speed ...
craig911gt2 10.09.2005
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Advantages: Lifes Lessons Disadvantages: Costs a lot...
Life is full of suprises.
I've owned a Ford Puma for the last 18 months. Excellent little car, fun to drive, and totally impractical.
Last week I decided I needed something more practical, so I decided to trade the Puma in for a Focus. By all respects, the Focus is the benchmark for many cars.
So I sign the deal, got a good price for the Puma, and only have to wait for the 1st of March for delivery.
Two weeks to go, and I'm driving to work. TEN ... ...out of a side road straight into the front of mine.
Because the main road bends to the right and the side road joins at the bend, the other driver automatically assumed that they had right of way. They had seen me start the manouvre to the right and had put their foot down.
After a brief conversation where the other driver accused me of not even indicating, their passenger piped up that I was in the right. I then showed the driver the white lines ...
steve.toplis 16.02.2003
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