I am awaiting 2 email responses from the relevant Control Area Managers to justify to me why their office monkeys can’t perform simple tasks such as providing me/us with information that is actually of use.
Case 1 : Starting at Northampton late last night heading for Stoke. A quick look at the google traffic overlay shows no closures or disasters on the M6 - all good. As I get past the M69 (J2) that’s the point they decide to inform me that the M6 is in fact shut J14-15. Why the ■■■■ couldn’t they show this ON THE M1 BEFORE J19■■ At least then you are forewarned, and in my case could run up to Donny Park and go across the A50 which adds about 5 mins driving time. No, that’s too simple for the monkeys.
Case 2 : Heading out of Stoke for Wakefield, all looking good up the rest of the M6 and M60/62 except some minor slowing for the roadworks sections. Got past J19 and J20 on the M6 and then they decide to inform us that the M60 is closed J19-20 . Why the ■■■■ couldn’t they show this BEFORE J19 on the M6 then you can nip up the A556 and go the other way round the M60 avoiding the closure? Time wise there’s virtually nothing in it yet I get stuck behind all the clowns that don’t know how to follow diversion symbols and so we creep along in a conga doing at best 25mph while they’re ■■■■■■■■ themselves being out of their motorway comfort zone.
And while I’m having a good old rant, why the ■■■■ is newly open 4 lane section of the M1 between 29 and 28 still set to 50mph when all the cones have been removed and the road is finished?
Can’t speak for your first two points, but the 50 mph limit on the M1 has had me pondering too - only logical conclusion I could reach is that although this section is physically finished, it actually hasn’t been signed off/handed over?
First point,it adds virtually no time at all on your journey if you come off jct 14 and run up the A34 to stoke so that’s probably why they didn’t fell the need to make it a breaking news story on sky news and send a reporter to the location or indeed call you directly to inform you.
Do you seriously expect them to be answerable to you?
I hope they ignore you email just to wind you up
I assume you mean Highways England
These kind of signals are set by the national control centre, who I sometimes think they don’t know alternative routes. It is a constant source of frustration for us, let alone drivers. I post on here a lot defending my colleagues on road but some things are just not defendable !! If M^ is closed, set signals on M1 so drivers can go M1, M62, as you say.
As for J28 roadworks, my mate was TCSO for that section and I believe that it hasn’t been signed off and handed over from the contractor yet.
Carl Usher:
I am awaiting 2 email responses from the relevant Control Area Managers to justify to me why their office monkeys can’t perform simple tasks such as providing me/us with information that is actually of use.
Case 1 : Starting at Northampton late last night heading for Stoke. A quick look at the google traffic overlay shows no closures or disasters on the M6 - all good. As I get past the M69 (J2) that’s the point they decide to inform me that the M6 is in fact shut J14-15. Why the [zb] couldn’t they show this ON THE M1 BEFORE J19■■
Probably because it wasn’t closed when you passed it. They only put up the closure signs when they close the motorway or at the time its scheduled to, not before.
Case 2 : Heading out of Stoke for Wakefield, all looking good up the rest of the M6 and M60/62 except some minor slowing for the roadworks sections. Got past J19 and J20 on the M6 and then they decide to inform us that the M60 is closed J19-20 . Why the [zb] couldn’t they show this BEFORE J19 on the M6 then you can nip up the A556 and go the other way round the M60 avoiding the closure? Time wise there’s virtually nothing in it yet I get stuck behind all the clowns that don’t know how to follow diversion symbols and so we creep along in a conga doing at best 25mph while they’re ■■■■■■■■ themselves being out of their motorway comfort zone.
And who the hell uses Google Maps for anything other than live traffic updates? It is by far the most useless thing for finding roadworks closures. Put the Highways Agency App on your phone and use that instead. It tells you current live and future roadworks.
I bet they’re having right laugh at the Highways Agency and thinking what a dumbass.
Rumour has it , the M1 J28 > up roadworks, though looks finished and complete , is being phased in gradually section by section to allow the road users/drivers to get accustomed to its physical presence and lanes layout , before fully opening up and taking off the speed restrictions,
giving it All Lanes Running with NO Hard-shoulder.
Rather than just open fully up and let everything whizz through , tease them to what will be
As for Stoke , +1 M1/A50 every time, knowing how often they -repair/upgrade the M6
.
You may want to invest a tad of your pocket money in a Truckers Atlas for the future, so you see clearly on a map for alternate routes.
Once this Winter is finished and spring kicks in, it will be open season for night time roadworks and tarmac re-surfacing.
There`s a big pot of cash investment cough waiting to throw at those abundant numbers of Pot-holes and dated/splitting /wobbly road surfaces.
xichrisxi:
First point,it adds virtually no time at all on your journey if you come off jct 14 and run up the A34 to stoke so that’s probably why they didn’t fell the need to make it a breaking news story on sky news and send a reporter to the location or indeed call you directly to inform you.
Do you seriously expect them to be answerable to you?
I hope they ignore you email just to wind you up
In fairness, you are right about the A34 - it did run okay and in the grand scheme of things it probably only added 5 maybe 10 mins on as there was half a mile of queueing at the lights at J14. In the past when it’s been closed around there (J13?) it’s been a complete nightmare as the town traffic light sequence doesn’t get changed and it backs up for miles, so the point still stands that advance warning on other trunk routes where traffic has a strong likelihood or routing towards the closure would be a great help.
Carl Usher:
I am awaiting 2 email responses from the relevant Control Area Managers to justify to me why their office monkeys can’t perform simple tasks such as providing me/us with information that is actually of use.
Case 1 : Starting at Northampton late last night heading for Stoke. A quick look at the google traffic overlay shows no closures or disasters on the M6 - all good. As I get past the M69 (J2) that’s the point they decide to inform me that the M6 is in fact shut J14-15. Why the [zb] couldn’t they show this ON THE M1 BEFORE J19■■
Probably because it wasn’t closed when you passed it. They only put up the closure signs when they close the motorway or at the time its scheduled to, not before.
It was around 2330 leaving Northampton so the closure would’ve already been in place at that time.
Case 2 : Heading out of Stoke for Wakefield, all looking good up the rest of the M6 and M60/62 except some minor slowing for the roadworks sections. Got past J19 and J20 on the M6 and then they decide to inform us that the M60 is closed J19-20 . Why the [zb] couldn’t they show this BEFORE J19 on the M6 then you can nip up the A556 and go the other way round the M60 avoiding the closure? Time wise there’s virtually nothing in it yet I get stuck behind all the clowns that don’t know how to follow diversion symbols and so we creep along in a conga doing at best 25mph while they’re ■■■■■■■■ themselves being out of their motorway comfort zone.
And who the hell uses Google Maps for anything other than live traffic updates? It is by far the most useless thing for finding roadworks closures. Put the Highways Agency App on your phone and use that instead. It tells you current live and future roadworks.
I bet they’re having right laugh at the Highways Agency and thinking what a dumbass.
Vitriol Turton the TruckNet overlord is here to tell me “learn to drive, noob!” while frothing into his keyboard. You were that busy frothing that you forgot to slip in the phrase “IR35” into your reply. Tsk tsk, your standards are slipping.
Of course, M60 was a typo for M62 which very much affected my route as there’s an 18t weight limit one side and the other way - the diversion route - takes you through Heywood and Rochdale. Had there been a warning BEFORE J19 on the M6 then I could’ve completely avoided it and taken the A556/M56/M60/A627 to the M62.
Googlemaps traffic works just fine to see where the hold-ups are and has served me well for the most part, which is unfortunately not something I can say about Highways Agency App which shows roads closed when they’re open and roads open when they’re closed, proving to be incredibly unreliable.
Anyway, whilst on the subject, the M1 was shut again southbound at J18 tonight and not a single warning about it on any of the boards all the way down from Wakefield . Another complaint to add to the other two.
Good luck getting a reply from HE. I’ve been waiting three weeks for one about the a14. Two consecutive days I checked their website and saw only lane closures, nothing on the matrix signs yet it was fully closed when I got there.
Incompetent and answerable to no one.
And don’t get me started on the m62 J28-32. Twenty miles of cones this morning, multiple lane closures and continual 50 limit, including the stretch that was recently declare as completed.
Captain Caveman 76:
Good luck getting a reply from HE. I’ve been waiting three weeks for one about the a14. Two consecutive days I checked their website and saw only lane closures, nothing on the matrix signs yet it was fully closed when I got there.
Incompetent and answerable to no one.
And don’t get me started on the m62 J28-32. Twenty miles of cones this morning, multiple lane closures and continual 50 limit, including the stretch that was recently declare as completed.
I have a log number which I will use to slap them round their fat heads with if they don’t reply in a timely manner!
What’s the betting that IF I do get a reply, it will be the usual buck passing : “ah well Mr Usher, what it is right, it’s actually nothing to do with us, the problem is with the contractor(s)… yada yada”
Carl Usher:
Anyway, whilst on the subject, the M1 was shut again southbound at J18 tonight and not a single warning about it on any of the boards all the way down from Wakefield . Another complaint to add to the other two.
Think yourself lucky. Tonight I’m doing Howden to Lockerbie like last night.
M62 westbound closed J36-34, can’t go up the A19 to York and that way because the A64 is closed. When I find a way around that lot the choice is then A1 with a closure from J50 to Scotch Corner or M62, M61, M6 with a J36 closure on the M6 and coming back I’ve got both of those as an option to contend with. Last night I did that run with the A1 closure which added 30 minutes on to be met by the A66 closed at Barnard Castle with no notification because they were recovering a tanker some ■■■ decided they couldn’t manage to keep on a perfectly good dual carriageway so it was back to the A1 and up the A68. Instead of getting to Lockerbie by 1.30am I ended up rolling in there at 4am.
Tomorrow I’m doing Radlett. My choices are M1 with the closures at J19, 18-16 and J11 or the A1 where its shut northbound 34-35. Just a typical nights work as a night trunker.
As for a decent website to use, for long term roadworks like M1 J19, J16-18 and the A1 Scotch Corner projects the Highways Agency website is better. Go to this page:
Select the road project from the map on the right and when it opens the page for it select the Journey Impact tab where it shows the scheduled closures and gives diversion maps. Its not definitive and sometimes they don’t close when that says it does when stuff has been held up but its better than nothing.
I’ve got the [zb]ers on speed dial at the moment . I rang up last night to check for any closures or planned closures on the M6 northbound as I was leaving Lodge Farm so I could go via A50 instead if there was. “Oh no Mr. Usher, I’ve checked our systems and there are no closures showing tonight between J1 and J15. There’s just an RTC between 10 and 11 which is causing some delays but that’s being cleared away now and should be OK when you get up there.”
OK great. I got onto the bottom of the M6 about an hour later and soon as I got past M69 “M6 CLOSED J14-15” I phoned them up again to have a rant and the guy said to me “yes, I’ve just checked our THREE different systems and that closure is not showing on any of them . The only reason I know it’s actually closed is because I took a call from another trucker half an hour ago who told me.” We got into a long discussion about how the system and operation is not fit for purpose and should be scrapped and he actually AGREED with me . He said that they themselves are sick of raising the issues and complaints with the higher echelons and absolutely nothing changes. So there you have it : they don’t even know that the roads are closed themselves from their THREE different systems at their disposal so what hope do the rest of us have? I asked him to check the cameras to see if the RTC at 10-11 had been cleared - “oh we don’t have access to that information from here.” WTF? Turns out that the info line you ring doesn’t actually have any info except what’s posted on their website. If you want to know what the CURRENT state of the road/traffic is, they have to make a separate call to the regional centre (in this case I was ringing Birmingham info line and their regional centre is “just across the road in the other building” ) for them to then look at the live cameras, tell the info line operator and them to relay it back to you. What a complete farce.
You’re in the wrong job! You seem to get stressed up about things that are beyond your control just chill and accept! Your posts some years ago used to be good to read but now anyone would think you have been driving all your life
As I was going to Radlett on Friday night down the A1 I got to thinking about this thread.
Carl is complaining about the lack of information but when they were building the 4 lane stretch of the A1M south of Peterborough to the A14 in the mid 90s there were no overhead matrix signs, no Highways Agency or any website at all and no smartphone apps, no Google Maps, no realtime traffic information. In fact the only notification we had of any overnight closures were on the metal signs put up and unless you went down that route prior to the roadworks and took a note of the closure you were completely unaware of anything untowards until you got to the “Roadworks 1 mile” sign. And we just used to get on with it. Whilst we may seem to have had overhead motorway information signs forever, they’ve only in fact been on the go maybe 10 years or so?
I think had Carl been driving trucks back then he’d have had a heart attack from all the rage going on how much he’s flipped his lid over what he’s posted in this thread.
Whilst what we have now may not be ideal and always work and leaves a lot to be desired with some of the choices of message put up or not, it is infinitely better than what we had before.
Why the ■■■■ couldn’t they show this ON THE M1 BEFORE J19■■ At least then you are forewarned, and in my case could run up to Donny Park and go across the A50 which adds about 5 mins driving time. No, that’s too simple for the monkeys. 
M1/A50 every time, knowing how often they -repair/upgrade the M6 
