...including mine. Lots of the usual stuff - people waddling down the outside lane at 45 and staying in the way because they think they're at the limit, all that.
But for those who know the Box Hill roundabout on the A24, which is slow going south but negotiable at any speed going north now the A24 northbound has right of way there... I was hurrying down the outside lane towards it out of Dorking, somewhat over the NSL, when I noticed a red Mk1 Golf GTI had come up even faster and was behind. There was as always on Sunday a lot of scattered traffic of variable ability and speed.
Just before the roundabout the 2-lane carriageway sprouts a third, right turn lane. People aren't too clever about nipping into it. There was a slow Micra or something ahead, signalling right, and some more traffic ahead of it in the NS lane. It started, rather slowly, to edge into the right-turn slip lane. I realised the roundabout had been ruined for me - don't entirely trust it anyway especially on Sundays - so I started to back off and ease into the NS lane. Then the Micra got out of the way and I started to ease back into the outside lane (I know! I know! Don't say it!) and come back on the loud pedal, speed 60ish by this time. Big horn noise, OS door mirror suddenly full of red Golf, so I gave it best with a curse. As the Golf went by, just about as we reached the roundabout, a cyclist wobbled slowly from the hidden NS of the road across both lanes heading for Box Hill. A very silly and lucky cyclist.
I was furious with the Golf whose driver was of course wearing a baseball cap. But if I hadn't got in its way there was every chance it would have collected the cyclist at high speed. And if the Micra hadn't got in my way, I might have... Shudder.....
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you should have come to ikea with me today lud,the customers and their irresponsible trolleys made me abandon ship halfway round through the staff only doors to the peace and tranquiity of the car park,only thing here was i noticed that indicators in the multi storey car park are definately a non use option
roll on work tomorrow
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Yup, some moron wrote my Dad's van off today by the look of it, came steaming out of a junction without a glance, spun a VW Transporter with a motocrosser in the back round and into a ditch backwards.
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I tend to find the ruthlessness of trolley-pushers in the average Tescos a lot more scary than anything that happens on the roads too. Those women who are able to block an entire 8 foot aisle with a single trolley have my admiration for their tactical skills but do nothing for my blood-pressure. Give me the cut and thrust of the A3 any day.
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"Those women who are able to block an entire 8 foot aisle with a single trolley have my admiration for their tactical skills but do nothing for my blood-pressure"
I honestly thought it was just me.......Tesco is the new village green, where people go to shop and talk to their friends (and block the aisles i doing so), I dodge my ex and not so ex clients and the odd marauding off duty Copper and his/her family.
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">to ikea<"
I've never experienced the pain that is Ikea, long may that continue. I drove into Bluewater car park several years ago, and then straight out again. How can visiting a shopping mall (sic) be viewed as anything but purgatory? And yet it's the highlight of the week for many shallow, feeble-minded types. Defies belief!
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Did you load up with Surrey Gold at Denbies?
The A24 from Box R/bout has been a racetrack and scene of many a death for year. Mostly bike sit has to be said. Something about the road brings out the worse in one.
It had an album named after it, and a sign on the southbound carriageway - Deceptive Bends by 10cc
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Something about the road brings out the worse in one.
>>
You're right TVM, there are very uncomfortable bits of that dual carriageway, not improved of course by all the speed limits, lane closures etc., including the stretch I describe rather badly in the OP... And I have seen bits of bike and biker scattered down stretches of it once or twice over the years.
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Anticipation Lud, anticipation.
Whilst Surrey may well be the centre of the civilised world, any weekend driving must be completed by 0900hrs to avoid mimsers, maniacs and motley monbiot types.
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Thinking about Surrey, thgere's nowhere quite as fraught with danger as Guildford. Half the population seems to be 80 in the shade, and as many will know Guildford is built on the sides of a steep hill. The hill start is an art that many of them learnt in the 1940s and have forgotten.....
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Just to add to your carp driving, I was cut up by an old trout in a Micra yesterday, and nearly shunted by a couple of travellers {edit by DD} in a white van.
Good cod - what's it all coming to? :-)
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Trust the swear filter to remove a reference to large fresh-water fish as a reference to our Romany friends.
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Yes, I know this 'roundabout' very well, and the risks of driving through at (or thereabouts) NSL. I do hope the junction isn't sanitised in the future.
And the (really rather good) 10cc album was of course named after the Mickleham bends a little further north. I was actually discussing these bends with a member of the local constabulary on Saturday at the kid's school May Fair just up the road from there. A 'safety' camera has been erected there (and torched many times over!) to persuade people to slow down. Surprisingly the PC actually warned me about their other favorite hide-out for a mobile camera just beyond the bends (which I knew of anyway). He was firmly infavour of speaking to speeding drivers and educating them rather than churning out remote tickets through the post, which was good to hear.
As an aside, he also said Honda were in a right state at the moment because of the instability of their big patrol bikes when loaded up, at high speed. Not a nice experience, I can imagine! The bikes (not 750s, maybe 950s/1100s?) have had to be withdrawn from use while they try and work out how to fix them. Strangely it doesn't affect all the bikes.
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oh yes I know this road well and the roundabout, as last year returning from Worthing one Fri night to Weybridge, I had crossed the large roundabout up by F.provident, heading towards the hotel roundabout, not even exceeding the NSL , when a vertical challenged,senior citizen of the female persuassion, managed to miss altogether a LARGE BLUE ESPACE hurtling down the round when pulling out on the main carriageway.
Fortunately with skill, luck( no cars fortunately on the inside lane) a lot of serving and screeching on two wheeels I somehow managed to miss her before ending up facing the wrong way around on the grass verge- I now expect the unexpected especially at this junction
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And the (really rather good) 10cc album was of course named after the Mickleham bends a little further north. >>
That's right, they are deceptive because of the way they tighten.
I used to be a Sunday regular at Box Hill, yes there were bike accidents occasionally though probably below the national average due to the sheer number of bikes.
As an aside he also said Honda were in a right state at the moment because of the instability of their big patrol bikes when loaded up at high speed. Not a nice experience I can imagine! The bikes (not 750s maybe 950s/1100s?) have had to be withdrawn from use while they try and work out how to fix them. Strangely it doesn't affect all the bikes.
It is the Pan European ST1300's.
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