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My nomination is the M60 J18 anticlockwise off the M60 onto east bound M62. Traffic lights on an inter-motorway inter-change and very little advance warning i.e. one sign too close to the lights - or did I miss something earlier. Most inter-motorway inter-changes have dedicated slip roads where you merge with other traffic. (Cue several dozen instances proving the opposite.) M60/62 you have to be ready to come to a halt - fine if you're a regular user of this junction. My first use of this junction so was rather surprised to have to stop (:-o IMHO this junction needs either more advance signage and/or reduced speed limit on the M60 exit slip. Any other suggestions for badly designed junctions??
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A127, London/Southend road. NSL two lane dual carraigeway for most of it's length, but some of the entry slips are a nightmare. They assume everyone drives a very narrow Formula 1 car, the slip roads are so short and narrow. Merging with 80mph traffic at busy times is a floor the gas and shut your eyes job, spare pants in the back seat optional.
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I would second the A127 (Southend Arterial Road).
In particular the turn off/entry slip road for Cranham.
Is not far from the M25 junction - about a 1/4 of a mile - so traffic comes belting down the slip from the M/way towards London, joins the A127 doing 70, and then see a car appear on the entry slip joining the A127 from Front lane.
This is 30 metres in length (no joke) and there always someone in the offside blind spot.
2 choices - either cary on regardless and hope joining car has seen you, or slam on the anchors to let him out, causing the bloke behind you to gesticulate thankfully.
The exit slip from A127 to Front Lane is the same, and its a 90* turn after the 30 metres to get from 70 to 20, so no room for error!
copy:
www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=557470&y=188749&z...f
into internet explorer to see.(M25 is a click to the right)
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I would second the A127 (Southend Arterial Road). In particular the turn off/entry slip road for Cranham. Is not far from the M25 junction - about a 1/4 of a mile - so traffic comes belting down the slip from the M/way towards London, joins the A127 doing 70, and then see a car appear on the entry slip joining the A127 from Front lane. This is 30 metres in length (no joke) and there always someone in the offside blind spot. 2 choices - either cary on regardless and hope joining car has seen you, or slam on the anchors to let him out, causing the bloke behind you to gesticulate thankfully.
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Escort man,
That's one of the the junctions I had in mind when I posted. It is on a driving test route from Hornchurch test centre, and trying to get some nervous middle aged lady to rev the nuts off the car to build up speed and find a gap in the traffic leads to a buttock clenching few moments. Every now and again that particular route disappears from tests after a driving examiner has returned white faced and shaking from a near death experience at that junction. I once took a pupil there about four times on a lesson when they just could not master it, and when I finally got her to come on to the slip with sufficient speed and foot on the floor, there was some prat parked on the slip reading a map! The skid marks were there for weeks.
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The new Marriot intersection just off the M27 at Cosham (Portsmouth) used to be a roundabout, but now >80 sets of traffic lights at a crossroad. Has slowed up everybody's journey in every conceivable direction and now causes queues back on to the motorway sliproad, often starting on a corner ! Apparently a 'blackspot' but it cost millions.
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Anyone who has been into the centre of Wigan. The rounabout at Robin Park - my sister could design a better system. From whatever way you enter the roundabout, the signs and markings on the road would indicate that 2 lanes take you into the centre. Great...until you realise once you get around that someone's painted a hatched marking and you're in the wrong lane. You brake obviously because the lane stops dead and indicate left. Of course, everyone thinks you've tried to jump the queue (which you haven't) and so never let you in.
Fantastic design.
--
Adam
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That's no roundabout, thats 'The Saddle'
It does take stupidity to new levels to have two lanes on one side of a set of lights, and then a chicane narrowing it down to a single lane within, what, 12, 15 ft of the other side of the lights.
Whats' the point of sending two lanes of traffic in that direction - the railway bridge just after limits everything to a single lane, and the trains will run on time before they ever get to widening the bridge
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The northward slip onto the A12 at Hatfield Peverel.
The A12 is on a shallow left hand bend and the slip is short, so you can't get a good view of what's on the A12 and can't get up enough speed to merge smoothly.
Normally ends up with a queue of vehicle at stationary at the end of the slip trying to work out how to get from 0 to 70 in 1.5 seconds.
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Multimap aerial shot would be handy.....anyone got the co-ordinates, post code etc.
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All roundabouts where with 'safety' in mind, the local council deliberately lets grass on the approach grow tall to block an otherwise clear view.
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The Blisworth turn on the A43 between Towcester and Northampton. This is a fast section of dual carriageway but to take the Blisworth turn you have to slow down in the outside line and join a short slip road in the MIDDLE of the dual carriageway. You then have to turn against the traffic coming up the hill at you fast and accelerating as they pass the scamera some 150 yards back. Just getting on to the slip road can be a nightmare as those who don't know the area are up your flagpole wondering why you are slowing down in the outside lane of a dual carriageway. Crossing the other carriageway is dangerous and can take up to 10 minutes with people behind you hooting and pushing up to encourage you PLUS in rush hour some cars DO hang off the back of the queue in the outside land of the dual carriagway just over the brow of a hill. Dangerous enough during the day but lethal at night (no lighting). Two deaths already at this spot (new road) and no doubt more to come. I go down to M1 J15a round the roundabout and back up, its just not worth it.
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The Blisworth turn on the A43 between Towcester and Northampton.
Seconded, wouldn't even consider it in peak time. Access via Shutlanger from the A5 or take the Tiffield turn left from the A43 then through the lanes.
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Grid reference is (I think) 579500.212500
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My vote goes to that ghastly 'magic roundabout' east of Swindon. It doesn't work, especially in heavy traffic. Let's hope there are never any more like it - or are there?.....
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My vote goes to that ghastly 'magic roundabout' east of Swindon.
Nothing wrong with that roundabout. It's a doddle to negotiate. Simply you look to your right (as well as what's in front of you) and just go for it when there's nothing coming.
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I've recently moved to Swindon and encountered the Magic Roundabout a couple of times. After discussions with locals it seems that the way to navigate it is to simply point the car towards the exit you want and drive straight across.......it might help if you shut your eyes whilst doing so.
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The dual carriageway outside the Reebok Stadium has just been widened to three lanes - when you get to the roundabout at the end, LH lane is signed left only, centre lane is straight on, RH lane is straight on and right.
But they haven't change the roundabout - there are still only two lanes !
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In this situation you don't need three lanes on the roundabout as the left hand lane is for left turn only. On two roundabouts I regularly use the left hand lane of a three lane road has been made left turn only for precisely the reason that the roundabout can only acocmmodate two lanes of traffic. Works fine until the arrogant one who can't be bothered to queue uses the left hand lane to go straight on and causes an accident on the roundabout - seen this three times.
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but theres still only room for two lanes of traffic on the roundabout, and three into two doesn't go
be bothered to queue uses the left hand lane to go straight on and causes an accident on the roundabout - seen this three times.
exactly
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Borasport - here's a good one for you.
Poolstock - need I say any more?
--
Adam
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Adam - could you be a bit more specific, 'cos if the world was a body, Poolstock is where haemorrhoids would be
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Hahaha. Agreed.
Never before has my mum had to race from the lights but you need to in order to be in the right lane. In fact, I don't think there is a "right" lane at the start - I think it's simply pot luck.
Incidently, watch out for that red light camera because it's playing tricks. It flashed 10 times when we were stopped at the lights the other night.
--
Adam
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Incidently, watch out for that red light camera because it's playing tricks. It flashed 10 times when we were stopped at the lights the other night. -- Adam
is that the one near the police station, going out of Wigan ?.
If so, it's been on the blink (ha ha) for several weeks. I was home early a few weeks ago, and the junction was blocked with traffic - the lights went to red, then three lanes of cars that were stuck well in the middle of the junction and had gone through on green all moved forward and got flashed - If they got tickets, I hope they all fought them
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In this situation you don't need three lanes on the roundabout as the left hand lane is for left turn only. On two roundabouts I regularly use the left hand lane of a three lane road has been made left turn only for precisely the reason that the roundabout can only acocmmodate two lanes of traffic. Works fine until the arrogant one who can't be bothered to queue uses the left hand lane to go straight on and causes an accident on the roundabout - seen this three times.
Solution: install an island so traffic in the left lane can ONLY go left.
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