Re: The all-new all things driving thread

[Butterfield]

I went under J10 yesterday (with all windows firmly closed).

I see the northbound exit sliproad has been doubled in width! No doubt this reflects the seemingly unstoppable demand for access to Wolverhampton.

Ooh. I haven't used or even seen properly the northbound exit for ages so haven't noticed the progress there. But I passed over junction 10 a couple of days ago and noticed at least part of the widened roundabout bridge is now visible, though still unpaved and inaccessible. It has been dark (though floodlit) each time I've passed over it for months but I'm finally starting to see it in daylight.

[The Call of the Wendigo]

Actual footage of the actual flying Avrocar.

[The Call of the Wendigo]

It looks a bit wobbly.

[Fangirl Three]

My parents say that in Essex there's been long queues at petrol stations, owing to eco-protestors eco-blocking the non-eco-refinery at Thurrock.

Are any NHOTWians experiencing problems? All petrol stations are fully available here in Glasgow.

[The Call of the Wendigo]

I don't use petrol stations but I've not heard about any problems locally.

[Butterfield]

I haven't picked up any petrol for nearly 2 weeks but have heard a handful of national reports of queueing, not sure locally to me, though I haven't seen any queueing anywhere. The busy Easter weekend may also not be helping, but their protests don't usually cause huge problems, just a few delayed tankers I guess before they get cleared away.

[Fangirl Three]

Thank you both for your observational data.

In other news, I have updated my folder of strip maps with the latest petrol station location data. Including a new Morrisons next to J9 of the M6 which wasn't there when I compiled the maps 10 years ago.

[Fangirl Three]

I didn't get to pass through Junction 10 of the M6 today, because the motorway was blocked at Tebay!

I saw it announced on a sign at Gretna and I thought to myself, I'll stop at the Tescos at J43 and get a sandwich, before venturing across to the other side of the country via the A66.

But Tescos was closed because it was Easter Sunday! So I had to sarnie up at Southwaite instead.

On the A66 I saw the snow gates we were discussing upthread, and the ones on the western side too, which I hadn't been able to find on Google Surveillance that time.

At the other end I found myself at Scotch Corner of old road atlases fame. Despite its name, everyone there had terrifying Geordie accents.

Driving south I arrived at the very top of the M1, with the sanity-shatteringly high junction number 47.

Thereafter I had a smooth journey to my Northamptonshire destination. Actually the M1 was faster than the M6 because there aren't so many stretches with cameras.

[Butterfield]

If you stay on the A1 heading south at junction 47 of the M1 you can cut out the wiggly part of the M1 past Leeds and you go past Doncaster instead, then the M18 where it then joins the M1 lower down past Sheffield. It sort of cuts a corner but that part of the A1 is mostly only dual carriageway and you end up getting stuck behind overtaking lorries, so I tend to get on the M1 and go the Leeds way, despite being something like 8 miles longer, but less frustrating! You get some nice distant views of the huge Elmley(?) mast tower thingy on the horizon going the M1 Leeds way too.

I'd seen on the news app earlier in the day that there'd been an accident somewhere near Tebay.

Yesterday I went north from Junction 10 to 11 of the M6 and back again a couple of hours later. I wonder if we'd have passed in opposite directions or actually travelled together briefly should you have done your usual route!

[Fangirl Three]

You get some nice distant views of the huge Elmley(?) mast tower thingy on the horizon going the M1 Leeds way too.

I saw that yesterday! and I thought 'I bet that's the Emley Moor mast that people keep talking about.'

Yesterday I went north from Junction 10 to 11 of the M6 and back again a couple of hours later. I wonder if we'd have passed in opposite directions or actually travelled together briefly should you have done your usual route!

What a missed opportunity

Though of course it might have been a blessing in disguise. Imagine if we'd unknowingly got into a road rage incident.

[Fangirl Three]

I saw some new road signs btw. This 'NOT THE A66' sign



and this sinister warning

[The Call of the Wendigo]

[Fangirl Three]

I've just realised my car insurance expires in 10 days. They didn't send me a renewal letter this year for some reason.

Now I've got to try and sort it out just before a bank holiday weekend

[The Call of the Wendigo]

[Fangirl Three]

It took ages too, because it turned out that they'd had the wrong address for me all year, despite me phoning them twice this time last year to get them to correct it.

And they needed a manager to correct it, and none of them had arrived yet! So the call handler sheepishly asked me to phone back in 2 hours.

When I did, I was on the phone for ages sorting out last year's problem, and then the renewal, but then there was a happy ending, because it cost £330 less than last year. I asked them to check that there hadn't been another mistake, and then I was told that the correct figure was £360 less than last year.

At that point I decided to take that price before they changed their mind again.

[The Call of the Wendigo]

[Butterfield]

M6 Junction 10 news

I drove over Junction 10 as per usual earlier and the M6 below was closed to all traffic in both directions. There were work vehicles on the carriageways and what look like a nibbler thing demolishing the bridge on the other side of the roundabout! I got stuck in a queue of traffic leading up to the roundabout as I presume all (Saturday evening) motorway traffic was being thrown off at Junction 10 and getting straight back on again so as not to go under the bridge.

I have no idea what state it'll all be in when I next traverse said junction in a week or so's time.

[Fangirl Three]

Ooh, that's interesting. I wondered why they were building double bridges, but from your report it seems the new ones are replacements.

[Butterfield]

Ooh, that's interesting. I wondered why they were building double bridges, but from your report it seems the new ones are replacements.

I think that might be right. I haven't been following plans or progress closely but I believe something like that is happening.

When it's all completed, to you flying past underneath on the motorway you'll probably barely notice anything, but to me who has to navigate that roundabout and have known its layout for decades it should feel very different.

[Fangirl Three]

This reminds me of when I was at uni and would meet people who only knew about Chelmsford from getting stuck at the Army & Navy roundabout.

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