I refer to the truck drivers who have the bizarre and misguided belief that on the approach to traffic works, that 2 trucks side by side speedmatching and letting a small gap grow ahead will make the traffic magically flow better.
all that happens is it bunches up behind them, and so there’s LESS gaps to get in when the cones constrict the carriageway and so its slower still as peple have to create gaps that would have been there as a matter of course in normal traffic flow!
or is it some sort of jealousy - trying to prevent smaller nippier vehicles getting ahead of them in a queue, where they SHOULD be in the natural order of things anyway - pace considered.
left me fuming as on 3 occasions I’ve gone toward the works northbound just above newark on the A1 and while a slow and steady pace, a nice even 20-25mph was easy, as people let in 2 or 3 cars each as the cones narrowed things down. no stopping and starting. today, I’d seen it happen as I went southbound and there was a half mile of clear tarmac ahear of two orange trucks (simpsons, I think, flatbeds) creeping along, and clearly conversing between cabs. behind, it was chocker! that half mile of 2 clear lanes would cuta half mile or more off the back of the tailback with normal flow!
on the way northward an hour later, it was flowing reasonably, about 20mph and a quarter mile ahead some plonker in a christian salveson truck pulls out, nearly having a car collide with his rear, and speed-matched the truck in lane 1 at 20ish and slowing down… the concertina happened, and before long I’m in 2nd gear tick-over trying to keep a truck length ahead in case of people whipping back and forth between lanes for turn-offs etc.
abslutely mental.
what on earth makes them do it? I really am confused! they surely can’t believe it helps, seeing as its the basic manouver used to bring the motorways to a standstill during the fuel blockades ■■
I agree with you el gordo and on a couple of occasions I’ve ended up having a row with another driver when they wanted me to perform this little stunt and I wouldn’t play ball.
Cant understand it, dont they realise its the best oportunity to letch at the lovely ladies
Anyway if your paid by the hour or even on salary, who cares about the odd hold up.
as an agency driver who needs to get back to the farm for the next load before the warehouse staff go home, its pretty important, otherwise I’d actually lose 3 hours work. no load = no run = no cash
if salary or hours is the attitude, why not park it in a layby and just creep forward 10 feet every 10 minutes or so and claim traffic jam when getting back to base? (i know it isn’t really the attitude, or not likely anyway, but for the few it may be the outlook on their career for, then they’d be better off doing that and letting everyhone get on with their jobs and journies )
el gordo 78:
if salary or hours is the attitude, why not park it in a layby and just creep forward 10 feet every 10 minutes or so and claim traffic jam when getting back to base?
What I’m saying is, if your pocket isnt getting effected then just sit back and chill I’m not claiming to practice what i preach all the time,that but when i can it just seems that i enjoy the job again,
I think the only people it helps are the two drivers at the front of the queue because they are not for ever stop starting and slipping clutches, while everyone else behind is having to.
It is certainly easier to creep along on tickover behind a truck than it is to follow a car driver.
What would help more is if every driver let just one driver in front of him instead of trying to force them out into the cones.
Wheel Nut:
What would help more is if every driver let just one driver in front of him instead of trying to force them out into the cones.
I agree Wheel Nut, works just like a zip fastner then and everybody keeps moving but trucks won’t let cars in, cars won’t let trucks in and everybody gets delayed as a result.
I knew this was going to be a good thread and TC will no doubt generate many more replies tomorrow.
I have to disagree with this
From my experience whenever there is a lane coned off idiot drivers rush to pass everything else. cutting in at the last moment, this causes others to brake which then causes a tailback. When drivers stop those idiots passing the trafic moves much quicker through the gap. It is just the same over here.
Last week I was on the Masspike and comming up on a single lane section due to road works, a guy in a BMW (what else) shot up the lane to be closed ignoring every warning sign and got by at the last second, he was not speeding, however a watching cop saw him and pulled out in front of me with a big grin on his face about 2 miles along the BMW was on the shoulder and the cop was walking up to it
If people actually got over to the correct lane when the warning signs told them there would be no need to block them
amen to that pat,the reason trucks will double up on the approach to road is to stop just such prats causing a jam at the start of the cones,i’m all for it,sometimes you gota treat car drivers like sheep and heard em in! some have said that the traffic would flow more freely without any trucks taking control which in theory is true but unforunately our roads are full of mister sales rep man who beleaves he’s got a god given right to get to front of any que so no matter how many signs are put up lane clossed, get in lane etc he/she will always drive in the clossed lane as far as physically possible and then try and force his/her way in causing all those at the front to brake which in turn causes the stop start routine.
just my humble opinion.
paul
I’m afraid, that I am with Pat and Paul on this. Yes, I openly admit that I do this and am not ashamed of it.
During the Summer, Cornwall becomes a magnet for inconsiderate drivers, on the Goss Moor, where the dual cariageway goes from 2 lanes to 1 lane, I used to sit in lane 1 patiently waiting, however would find myself getting irate, over the numbskulls racing down lane 2 and not just pushing but forcing themselves into the head of the queue. Result - everyone brakes causing traffic to stop again. So, I took to blocking lane 2, allowing the traffic to slowly but surely move. It works everytime, all though I have had several threats from car drivers behind me, wishing to pass to push in.
I’m sorry in advance, if this upsets anyone on here.
Wheel Nut:
What would help more is if every driver let just one driver in front of him instead of trying to force them out into the cones.
I agree Wheel Nut, works just like a zip fastner then and everybody keeps moving but trucks won’t let cars in, cars won’t let trucks in and everybody gets delayed as a result.
I knew this was going to be a good thread and TC will no doubt generate many more replies tomorrow.
It’s called zip-merging, and the powers that be have been trying to persuade road users that it is the best way to handle the situation. But of course, few can see the benefits because few allow it to happen.
As has already been said; why not chill out and keep everyone moving allbeit slowly
Well im sorry i totally 100% DISAGREE with blocking the road i think its just plain [zb]ing stupid all your doing is pushing the traffic jam further back for example
last summer there were some road works on the A55 at st asaph im heading in the opposite direction and i notice one lane of standing traffic on the other carriageway and 3 km’s back theres two truckers side by side chatting away and behind them there is a further 7 km’s of traffic waiting to get past these two clowns
Now what if theres an emergency vehicle trying to get through at the back of que■■?
Why not have the congestion AT the roadworks instead of 3k’s before them■■?
It causes more [zb]ing hassle more tempers flare then people start to do stupid things
i dont double up, least not now any way. to much grief really. BUT i can see the benefits of this practice. better to do that than have the numpty car drivers swerving in at the very last minute causing more rows and stress. had a dhl artic do it last week couldnt believe it… there u go my two penneth…
the whole point of the cones, is that IS the point by which they want you in.
They DO have a god given (or should I say DSA given) right to merge in there - as do you… license + vehicle + tax = right to use the road.
If you were supposed to merge in 1km earlier the cones would be 1km earlier or a sign as mentioned above saying MERGE NOW!! would be placed.
The braking ahead at the cones wouldn’t occur but the selfish idiots in lane 1 think “I’ve sat in this lane doing 40 for ages why should they come in?” and close the gap. If they opened a gap for a couple of cars there’s a seemless merge. If I’m on the motorbike there’s no way I’m sitting pootling at 40mph for the sake of it when I can nip through, spot a gap and gun it in.
If this rolling roadblock truly worked, then I’d have no opposition to it.
Maybe I’ll scan yesterday’s tacho to demonstrate the effect it had on me though. a 1 hour journey took nearly 3. Several times I’d be sat on tick-over in 1st just trying to keep the whole thing at least rolling so gaps can be made to let people in (which seemed to work to an extent and SOME zip effect took place). but there’s only so much can merge into a queue rolling at 2mph, and so it had to keep stop-starting.
I was in the 2 mile queue for Sutton Bridge which has had roadworks on it, Mr clever trevor decided he knew a short cut and forced his way down the outside and turned off down a country lane. About 30 minutes later I got to the traffic lights on the bridge and the Audi was there trying to force his way out. I closed up the gap and as the lights went to green, he was still sat there. maybe he still is
I’m not claiming to practice what i preach all the time,that but when i can it just seems that i enjoy the job again, 
