Can anyone on here explain why there are so many crashes on the A14 specifically involving HGVs? I was returning towards Bury St Edmunds (i.e. eastbound) at about 7pm yesterday when there had been yet another crash on the westbound carriageway near Newmarket involving 2 artics. The result was loads of backed-up traffic and police having to divert vehicles off the road at the earlier exit.
At one time, such crashes used to feature on the local news - but not any more - they seem to happen every week on this straightforward (but busy) piece of road.
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Probably because the A14 is the route between the container port at Felixtowe and the rest of the country. So a constant stream of HGVs.
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The A14 between Cambridge and the M1 junction has a very large number of junctions with either very short or non existent entry slip roads so I imagine that there's a fair number of people pulling into the traffic when a safe gap doesn't exist. Combine this with the fact that there are loads of HGVs travelling to and from Felixstowe make accidents more frequent.
I don't like using that section of the road anymore and often exit on the A1198 towards Papworth and then pick up the M11 using the A428 when heading south.
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The A14 between Cambridge and the M1 junction has a very large number of junctions
with either very short or non existent entry slip roads so I imagine that there's a fair number of people pulling into the traffic when a safe gap doesn't exist.>>
I was asking a friend about this yesterday evening and he also thought that slip-roads were the problem. The situation is compounded by the fact that some of them are two-lane slip-roads and we then have the problem of two lines of traffic trying to get onto an already crowded road with traffic being unable to move over as new joinees try to force their way onto the road. His way of overcoming this problem, when joining the A14, is by taking the right-hand lane on the slip-road.
Edited by Waino on 10/06/2008 at 17:41
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Horrible piece of road especially from Huntingdon to Cambridge. I always take ultra extreme care on this stretch (I was on it yesterday).
Problems: Only 2 lanes for much of the stretch (the lanes seem narrower than standard no hard shoulder or decent kerb. As mentioned above, loads of HGVs often pulling out to take several miles to overtake each other at 60 mph max causing frustration etc. Lots of minor roads and old fashioned roadside caffs joining and exiting with little or no joining runways. The whole thing needs redesign and rebuilding.
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"Horrible piece of road especially from Huntingdon to Cambridge"
My feelings also - I don't use it that often but if going between M11 and A1/A14 or vice versa I avoid it by exiting M11 at J 13 (A 428?) then A 1198 via Papworth (nice new bypass) to Huntingdon. Some congestion on A428 at rush hours but nothing like A 14 Cambridge - Huntingdon.
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Thanks PhilW, I'm going back tomorrow (from Norwich). I'll give the A428/A1198 a try.
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RtB,
Looking at map, I guess you would carry straight onto A 428 at J 14 of M11/A14 junction - hope it works!
Phil
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Phil, worked a treat thanks, the A428 was deserted! Will use this again.
Interestingly, rejoining the A14 at Huntingdon highlighted the issues above - almost no slip road and wall to wall HGVs leaving very little margin for error.
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RtB,
Good! I can uncross my fingers now - had a horrible thought that I might have been lucky when I used it and you would find it totally clogged!
Phil
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"Horrible piece of road especially from Huntingdon to Cambridge">>
When I first moved to East Anglia, 30 years ago, it was just being developed and was wonderful ...... and when the M1 link to Huntingdon arrived - it was fantastic! Alas, it now needs upgrading to 3-lane motorway spec :-(
Goodness only knows, with its two lanes, what will happen if major road repairs are needed.
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Yes trucks can do 60mph on a MOTORWAY according to the statute book,but they are limited to 56mph,and have been for years.
And on dual carriageways,trucks are legally supposed to do 50mph.So the estimation that they do 60mph,could be slightly wide of the mark.My guess is they are actually sat on the limiter.
Edited by helmet on 10/06/2008 at 22:40
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I've mentioned before that 07 may bank holiday driving to Great yarmouth, on the return journey, dropping down from Thetford to Bury St Edmunds, and between the roundabout where the factory is and the A11(M11) junction being OVERTAKEN by a Scottish based lorry even though I was doing a steady 80.
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Indeed. I do Cambridge<->Coventry on the A14/M6 every week and yesterday I was bemused/horrified at one of the non-junctions of the A14 to see someone directly in front of me pulling out perpendicularly across two lanes of very heavy 70/80mph traffic to get to the opposite carriageway.
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