Conference terri::cars_uk

Well, I can take a guess.....

I came along the M4 from Swindon to Newbury at 10:00 today. It was hell out there.
I know the AX GT is light (see the AX GT note) but it was almost a case
of "which two lanes should I be in". Speeds >55mph were just not possible.

That said, some people were sailing past me.....

Now, if two of those decided to take the same pair of lanes at the same time...

nuf said?

Jc

    
    I've been told that the M4 in the Hungerford area has been closed.
    
    Elaine

just been given /hurricane warning at decpark!

    re: .1
    
> I came along the M4 from Swindon to Newbury at 10:00 today. It was hell out there.
> I know the AX GT is light (see the AX GT note) but it was almost a case
> of "which two lanes should I be in". Speeds >55mph were just not possible.
> 
> That said, some people were sailing past me.....
    
    I came along the M4 at about 10am and had no problem in driving above
    55mph *and* staying in one lane (if I was getting blown across lanes I
    would slow down regardless of the speed I was doing).
    
    Just because its unsafe for you to drive at 55mph doesn't automatically
    mean its unsafe for everybody.
    
    Colin.

> of "which two lanes should I be in". Speeds >55mph were just not possible.


I did the trip back from Ramsgate->Swindon today  (6 Hours in the car)

I dont know what it like in this area earler today but in the Ramgate
area I passed 7+ lorries that that been blown over (just to give
an example of the wind force).. and I had no major problems..
in staying in one lane at 55+     (Peugeot 205)


(The wind was most impresive at the customer site in Ramsgate..as
it is right on the coast... while I was there a large part of the roof
took flight ... and the company sign (large) just disapeared!)


ps.. RE; Motorway...

On my way back I got to (about) 10 miles from Jct 13 (West-bound)
at 19:30..   I got home (Swindon) at 21:00

Thats 90 minutes for about 30 miles..

    I left DP I at 3.15 yesterday - I got home, just south of Newbury,
    at 8.35 p.m. EVERY route I tried was terrible.
    
    MY wife drove home from Hungerford, also leaving at 3.15, she got
    home at 6.15 p.m.
    
    Just what is it about people who can see lorries blown over, can
    see other cars being blown about and yet still they persist in driving
    well in excess of the speed of all other vehicles around them and
    in the process are being blown form lane to lane.
    
    A policeman on the M$ summed it up - he just stood there with his
    hands in the air in despair watching cars on the eastbound lanes
    of the M4 change lanes without trying.
    
    Rich
    

    Well, I left the same time as Rich (around 3.15) and I thought 3 hours
    to get from J11 to home in Newbury a little long, until I heard from
    Rich that it had taken him an extra two hours to to the additional 3 or
    4 miles he lives down the road from me.
    
    A major holdup was the Robin Hood Roundabout in Newbury which was
    pretending to be the M4 eastbound and westbound, A4, and A34 all at
    the same time.  I'm sure with a bit of contingency planning (it's not
    the first time the M4's been closed) they could have found some way
    of avoiding sending *both* directions of the M4 360� round the
    roundabout.
    
    I also felt very sorry for the diverted motorists who weren't familiar
    with Newbury.  I had plenty of time to examine the signs on approach to
    the roundabout, and there was no indication of the A4 West (which half
    of them wanted) until half way round.  
    
    Jeff.

    Well I left Potters Bar at the same time (3.15), drove at about
    30 or 35 along A and B roads and a (very) short trip on the M4,
    and got back to Thatcham at 5.15... so  about 2 hours to do  the
    trip that had taken 2 hours in the morning....
    
    Mind you I was doing a LOT of map reading.... finding roads that
    were open (i.e. not too near any trees) but not too open... with
    hedges and not open fields... and not near the M4.. and listening
    to  all the traffic reports that I could.... Because of the  210
    traffic reports I  departed from the A4 at Maidenhead, and the M4 at
    J10; and  then came across country south of the  M4 / A4 back to
    Thatcham... and at 30-35 mph there were very few problems, and not
    too long holdups  at the trees that were encountered
    

	Left Basinstoke at 3:15 approx.

	First hold up at an exposed hill between Basingstoke and Newbury.
	One transit+trailer upended, Box lorry across three lanes in ditch,
	 one transit 50+yards way down a field.
	Next holdup other side of Kingsclere, numerous trees getting sawn
	 through.

	Got to Newbury about 4.00 (thats 15 miles)

	A34 blocked south side of Newbury so traffic backed up into town,
	  town center closed to all traffic, by this time M4 was closed, and
	   people were leaving work early. Newbury jam packed with cars going
	   no-where.

	Managed to get down some very busy side streets and on to A4 Newbury
	 - Marlborough road approx 5.30 (thats about 2 miles)

	Left A4 at Hungerford, traffic queued from Newbury well past Hungerford
	(thats 8 miles!!) and got home just about 6.15, after going for
	  a carry-out(!) thats nearly 50 miles in about 3hours.

	I thought I was doing badly until I heard some of the other tales.

	PS. Newbury makes a terrible carpark !!

			Tom.

    It took me 3� hours to travel from Basingstoke to Marlow, via:
    
    Rotherwick,
    Hook,
    Bagshot,
    Bracknell,
    Woodley,
    Maidenhead,
    Cookham,
    & Bourne End,
                                                  
    With numerous delays, queues, fallen trees, etc....
    
    If this is what a storm does to England then thank God the cold war is
    disappearing !!!!
    
    Steven

    Re: .10: That sounds like a simple way to take over a country - just
    sabotage all their trees :-).
    
    Jeff.

    Amazing.
    
    Reading all these replies makes me feel really lucky. I went there and
    back to Cheltenham in the discourtesy Renault 5 Campus (see 256.last).
    
    Tried to keep it doing 70mph on the M4 Westbound was pretty tricky, as
    the wind was pretty strong.
    
    Left Cheltenham at 3.40pm (had to get to Basingstoke 5.30 to then go
    and see Fairport Convention at Guildford). I tried the A40 to Oxford
    which was pretty quiet. I was just about to get into the Oxford Traffic
    Jam, when I turned round, and went through Aynsham, and a wonderful
    toll bridge that charged 2 pence! Went through Abingdon, to eventually
    join the A329 and then the A340 through Pangbourne, where I had the
    only hold-up. By then (about 6:20pm), the M4 looked very quiet, so I
    hopped east to the A33, and got home by 6:48.
    
    I then rushed over to Guildford in time to see Fairport Convention
    (very good they were too). It was really strange that after 6:30, all
    the roads seemed to go a lot quieter, maybe a lot of people stopped
    using the main ones or something.
    
    Mark.

    
    I didn't leave until 9:00 pm.....
    
    everything already cleared on A4, M4 etc.....no wind to speak of...
    
    took my normal 1 hour for the Basingstoke/Swindon trip :-)