Traffic Levels

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

It seems that the general public are not aware that traffic is already back upto normal levels, even as the Lockdown is not yet over…

However, I must question if the people making UP this “normal” level of traffic - are the same ones who were making up "“normal” traffic pre-lockdown?

I notice that there are more flash cars about than usual, more “leisure” traffic consisting of just a car and leisure-dressed driver than usual, and of course “people clearly not going to work” than usual, so this “NHS and Key Workers are the ones already out-and-about” argument - clearly doesn’t hold water.

To think I was driving along both of these roads yesterday, makes one wonder if our motorways are going to be the next “Herald of Free Enterprise - I woz there” kind of thing. :open_mouth: :open_mouth:

Best check your routes before you travel - like we normally do during normal times.
There’s even more idiots out there than normal.

2

You appear to be putting forward anecdotal evidence. How you could possibly come to the conclusion (from your evidence) that there are more idiots than normal escapes me. Surely idiots are idiots and there can’t be that much fluctuation day to day.

3

Oh FFS I’m reporting what I’m actually seeing going on.

Boy Racers out in force, loads of traffic, hardly anyone dressed “for work”, hardly any car “with more than just the driver in it”. Traffic speeding about, up each other’s arses…

I conclude that accidents are going to happen because of idiotic driving.

If you can’t post something constructive to the thread, - start another of your own.

If you’d like to contribute, try posting some obervations as to what the driving is like of late around your neighborhood.

“Get Involved, Contibute” rather than “Troll, and Criticize” anything I post.

From this photo, I conclude that the driver was a complete idiot here.
It MAY be the case that he’s no more of an idiot than usual, but I doubt if he has a fresh ferrari to trash every week.

4

Traffic isn’t at normal levels, that is the problem with your post Winseer. You can’t really expect the forums to agree with you if you post stuff like this. The posts get several hundred views and what you post is not correct information.

5

It has been at normal levels around in North Kent for a couple of weeks now.

It is the morning and evening rush hour traffic - that now appears as evened-out over any daytime hours.
It is BUSY out there, especially on the back roads! (Makes me wonder if some boy racers are driving unroadworthy cars about, and are trying to avoid the fuzz…)
Motorways and Trunk Roads are at what looks like “Normal Weekend Levels” of traffic - but I’m seeing it AT the weekend, so “Normal Traffic” as far as I’m concerned.

Here’s some recent vids taken around the country…

At the start of the vid, the trunk road traffic looks “normal”.
The guy then drives onto the M1, where there is “some” traffic, but it is clearly a lot quieter than normal, given the time of day.

…And yet people still manage to keep too close to the vehicle in front… :unamused:

A3…

(Very Busy… Busier than normal though?)

A23… Quieter than Usual, especially considering it’s a seaside trip late morning looking at the direction of the Sun…

Drone over Swindon … Clearly very quiet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLLYka0FCyY

Welwyn Garden City area <Deserted!>

Doncaster Area <Trunk roads look normal, Motorways look quieter>

So if it is commuters that are not out so much - is everyone else “out for a spin”?
If so, it kinda pales Dominic ■■■■■■■■■ so-called “Offence” into insignificance, since everyone and his dog seems “out for reasons other than commuting to/from work”… on what possible “Essential journeys” we can only guess at. Funny how the police and media scrum are not bothered about the general public’s behaviour at this time eh?

I’ve not found any presentable Kent Driving footage that is definitely during lockdown as of yet, hence my OP.

Got any dashcam footage of “Daytime UK roads during the lockdown” - post it on this thread… :slight_smile:

6

honestly, who cares? its good to see people out enjoying themselves after all the doom and gloom. People are allowed to travel where ever they want in England now so of course there will be more traffic.

I’ve been for a drive myself with a few friends after having our weekend cars not turn a wheel all year.

7

maga:
honestly, who cares? its good to see people out enjoying themselves after all the doom and gloom. People are allowed to travel where ever they want in England now so of course there will be more traffic.

I’ve been for a drive myself with a few friends after having our weekend cars not turn a wheel all year.

Sent while in furlough

8

Winseer:
Drone over Swindon … Clearly very quiet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUayPqG-ZRs

I think I know that place Winseer. It’s the car park & changing/social building for the sport facilities also visible. since they are closed it’s hardly surprising that there is no traffic.

From my own experience the car & van traffic is less than normal but there is a noticeable increase in bicycle use on the roads I’ve been using.

9

Wiretwister:
From my own experience the car & van traffic is less than normal but there is a noticeable increase in bicycle use on the roads I’ve been using.

Corona cyclists. There’s chuffin 100s of the [zb]s. None of them did a day’s exercise before CV19 hit, now they’ve all got themselves a bike and are clogging up the roads. You can spot them a mile off, cycling really slowly and wobbling all over the shop, no cycling gear, just normal clothes and often no helmet either. Sick to death of them - I do a lot of farms off a busy 50mph A-road but it has chevrons down the middle and islands every 200 yards or so. Every [zb] cyclist somehow manages to time passing the islands just as I need to be through and there isn’t enough room for both. The ones I’ve spotted early and eased off for so that they get past the island before I get there have ended up cycling slower than I expected, so get stuck behind them anyway, then at the other end of the spectrum, the others I’ve spotted I’ve floored the truck to get past them before they get to the island but they’ve turned out to be trying to beat their PB and are going like [zb].

The back roads are even worse. The hills are bad enough as it is with 17k+ litres in the back but the [zb]ers are riding 2 abreast and rarely pull over to let you past so you’re either stuck behind them at 10mph for miles on end as you can’t see if there’s anything coming round the bends :angry: . Should be banned, the lot of them.

10

I predict that the cycling renaissance will end as soon as it began; probably the day after it ■■■■■■ down for the first time in weeks.

The biggest issues I’ve had (like R420 I do farms and cover a lot of back roads) isn’t the Lycra brigade, but families who seem to think that lockdown means NO traffic on the roads, and so let their kids wobble about across the carriageway; the glare at you in outrage when you see them, slow right down and pass them. And woe betide you should you use your horn in the proscribed Highway Code manner (to give audible warning of your approach) for you will then be viewed as an outright criminal!

11

Sidevalve:
I predict that the cycling renaissance will end as soon as it began; probably the day after it ■■■■■■ down for the first time in weeks.

The biggest issues I’ve had (like R420 I do farms and cover a lot of back roads) isn’t the Lycra brigade, but families who seem to think that lockdown means NO traffic on the roads, and so let their kids wobble about across the carriageway; the glare at you in outrage when you see them, slow right down and pass them. And woe betide you should you use your horn in the proscribed Highway Code manner (to give audible warning of your approach) for you will then be viewed as an outright criminal!

Yep, walkers, ramblers, cyclists and just people out for a leisurely drive. The look of disgust on their faces that another vehicle has the temerity to use ‘their’ road and they need to gtfo of the way if they don’t want flattening. I find giving them a token cheery wave and nod tends to pacify them momentarily, although it’s clear that they don’t like having their important leisure activities interrupted whilst others are actually trying to work. I had a car yesterday take 15 minutes to reverse 100 yards back up a lane so I could get through. They literally [zb]ed their car by repeatedly reversing it into the verge and thick bushes. Initially he tried to get me to reverse about 800 yards back to the farm. In hindsight it would have been quicker :unamused: . Pics while I was waiting : Imgur: The magic of the Internet. They see you coming and it’s obvious there’s nowhere for you both to pass, but they just keep driving at you and then sit there looking all dumb when they realise there’s no way past and they’ll have to reverse all the way back.

12

Generally, across the country, traffic is nowhere near normal levels. There might be pockets of queueing at going home time round major cities but that’s it.

13

There does seem to be a lot of “Sunday Cyclists” in that you have a couple of oldsters out with a young kid, maybe their grandchild dumped on them by going-to-work parents?
Trouble is, the oldsters don’t seem to have done any cycling since getting their scout cycling proficiency badge back in the 70’s…
Two abreast, wobbling all over the place (as described in R420’s post above) and there’s always a bloody traffic island just as there’s nothing momentarily coming the other way, when you’d otherwise move to overtake leaving the 6foot proscribed “Cycling distancing” amount drummed into us by Sadiqst Khaaan and others who think that Cycling keeps death off the roads - by getting totalled themselves, running over some pedestrians, or going home to expire there, having caught Covid off the Grandkid they’re out with for the day… I don’t think “No Helmet” etc makes much difference here neither. :unamused:

A lot of us road users in private cars - are also going to be driving about on recently “extended MOTs” - if I’m not mistaken…

A few people will be tempted to “not bother checking their vehicle for roadworthiness” before each journey, unlike us Pro Drivers - right?
Plod - will likely be looking out for such would-be “offenders” - simply by drive-past ANPR to see if you flag up for one of these “Extended MOT Expiries” - only for them to pull you on so much as a knackered stop light, before going to town on your tyres, and “one-eyed-monster” headlamps… :unamused: :unamused: :unamused:

Motorway gantries have got “Red ‘X’ Enforced” showing, and you’ve got those cameras like the one between 5 & 6 clockwise on the M25 that go off if as much as a blown leaf flies past the camera!
Maybe the official government line of instructions is “Fine every last one out-and about” to the Polizei as part of the “Project Re-coup £300billion for Sunak’s Please Pay Your Fine Generously” fund… :confused:

…Meanwhile back to “Cycling”… I’ve been having a bit of bovva trying to find videos of “Bad Cycling” rather than “bad motorists impacting good cyclists” on Youtube.
…It is as if Youtube is systematically taking down anything remotely critical of “Bad Cyclists”… Found this one though, that makes me wonder if I should ask the CSI opinion on “who’s to blame for anything” here, albeit it’s America rather than this country, by the looks of it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBf9cdjJs6U

If you tell all cyclists that “Car driver Bad, You cannot do anything wrong if you use our new fancy cycling lanes” - then some people are going to go out and get killed, aren’t they?

Whilst we’re in America, I’m totally scratching my head how any trucker can “accidentally” end up in THESE situations…■■?

14

R420:
I had a car yesterday take 15 minutes to reverse 100 yards back up a lane so I could get through. They literally [zb]ed their car by repeatedly reversing it into the verge and thick bushes. Initially he tried to get me to reverse about 800 yards back to the farm. In hindsight it would have been quicker :unamused: . Pics while I was waiting : Imgur: The magic of the Internet. They see you coming and it’s obvious there’s nowhere for you both to pass, but they just keep driving at you and then sit there looking all dumb when they realise there’s no way past and they’ll have to reverse all the way back.

He is definitely NOT a local. I love it when that happens; like watching an old pinball machine! Used to keep an old newspaper in the cab just so that I could make a show of getting it out and reading it if they wouldn’t reverse. Even better if it’s tourists, the missus is a back seat driver and you can watch her getting redder and redder in the face as she yells at the old man.

15

Been driving the whole way through the lockdown, it’s getting busier now on the major roads but its not normal traffic yet. I drove from Reading to Northampton Tuesday starting at 4.30pm and I didn’t slow down once. Try that on a normal week day.

16

Everyone and his dog seems out and about today - except for commuters as yet.

I guess the nice weather has a lot to do with it…

Queues at the Major supermarkets, but no queues at the discounters.

Lots of car customers coming and going at local corner shops, where they seem to be thriving with more through-put business than ever before…