Prompted by the the lorry graveyard thread and the statement
"why the speed of the traffic seems to get faster as you approach London on any of the motorways."
Its true It does, it does.. I was musing this very point last night. M6 from j20 down to M6 toll, very nice steady crusing at 70 mph in the middle lane, lorries nicely toodling along at 65 in the inside lane, the BMW lane nosing along at 75-80. All very civilised. People flashing to let you out when needed, everyone going back to the correct lanes....
M6 Toll (dont count I was the only one on it)
M42, roadworks - 50 mph limit, everyone toodling along at 50, BMW lane at 60 slowing sedately for the cameras... Again all civilised.
Slight feelings of deja vu start at High Wycombe on the M40, slight bunching, aggression, middle lane now up to 80, BM lane now 90.
And then the m25. The three ring circus much beloved of maximus Suicidal speeds, inches of bumper space, everyone rushing along nose to tail at 70mph in the 40 mph limit slamming on anchors millimetres before the cameras........
My teeth bare, the fur raises and I reach for my mace and sheild, don my armour and the right foot twitches downwards to "close that gap before some tig cuts me up"
Why?
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"Why"
Why not.
The rest of the road system down south is so appalling that as soon as there is any chance of speeding up people take it, regardless of the consequences.
Doesn't only happen on the M25, take almost any main road in London, nose to tail, largely stationary. As soon as any gap opens up someone rushes into it at 40+.
If the pathetic "traffic engineers" put their minds to keeping traffic moving rather than dreaming up new restrictions half the unsafe manoevures and accidents would dissapear as well.
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I was always staggered just how fast my uncle from London drove whenever he came oop North for a visit. Now I live in London myself I can see why. It's just they way life is here, not just in motoring, but everything. Though, I guess it makes itself most obvious in people's driving habits.
If you don't jump at any chance that comes your way, someone else will, and then you've lost it. This is perhaps something of a generalisation, but there we go.
As an example, whenever I've needed to rent a flat down here, I've always had to take a week's rent with me in cash on viewings so if I see a flat I like I can hand it to the estate agent on the spot to secure the place. Take a night to think about it and it'll be gone by the morning.
When you live like that all the time, it's bound to show itself in your driving style. Our road network is already possibly the most agressive arena available without the "London weighting".
Sometimes it's funny to take a step back and watch the Londoners rushing around everywhere, grabbing at everything they can. They remind me of the seagulls in Finding Nemo. "Mine".
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It has always been the case that Londoners are the most aggressive drivers - I had an uncle from London who visited us up North in the 50's ( in his Jowett Javelin )and he was always in a tearing hurry even when the only thing he was likely to encounter was the odd tractor.
I used to travel regularly to London from the North in the 60's and it was always noticeable how speed and aggressive behaviour increased.
Indeed on one memorable occasion in 1966 I drove through North London at 2 am with hundreds of people hooting horns and waving scarfs aggressively at each other.... eat your heart out Beckham and Co - that was when we had a good football team and not a bunch of overpaid prima donnas who cant hit the back of the net from a penalty.
Sorry about the rant but I have just returned from Portugal... :{
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Its called the scarcity menality - prelavent in high denisty areas
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You need a completely different driving style in London.
The usual question 'what's the definition of a split second?' 'the time between red lights going green and the car behind pipping you' is even truer here, except the car behind will probably rear-end you instead. Gaps are for going into, amber lights are for going through, spaces are for filling.
If we didn't do this, London would be even more clogged up than it is.
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"They remind me of the seagulls in Finding Nemo. "Mine" "
I like that, I am going to change my handle to reflect my southern driving style.
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