Where would you have a new road built? - opportunity beckons

[beko1987]

I had two cracking ideas after a couple of beers today.

 

Firstly, use ANPR cameras to monitor lane usage. If time spent in lane 1 is more than lanes 2 and 3 combined, you get entered into a prize draw to refund your annual road tax bill (I forget what it's actually called these days).

 

Secondly, use overhead matrix signs to run a quiz. For example, one sign says "What B is a town in the north west of England, famous for a tower?". Two miles later there's a sign that says "Blackpool". Naturally, more thinking time is given the slower you're going so instead of variable speed limits, to slow the traffic down just make the questions harder.

I'd do the first one just to get free tax for a year!

 

The second one always happens now 'slow down, accident ahead' whilst pushing on, no sign of anyone else slowing down. Guess how many miles it will be until you come to a halt. Endless fun*

[Mr Lobster]

New road - if someone could connect the end of the M65 at Colne with Bradford / West Yorkshire via the medium of extending the motorway then that'd be ace. It'd save me a good amount of time each week and I'd be very happy.

[forddeliveryboy]

Secondly, use overhead matrix signs to run a quiz. For example, one sign says "What B is a town in the north west of England, famous for a tower?". Two miles later there's a sign that says "Blackpool". Naturally, more thinking time is given the slower you're going so instead of variable speed limits, to slow the traffic down just make the questions harder.

 

More likely that they'll be used for advertising and so show a profit.  Like the ideas, though.

 

Anyone fancy the East Coast Motorway - using the 'Umber Bridge by extending the M11 North to Middlesbrough?

[Pillock]

I think that if the HGV being undertaken was forced to reduce their velocity by say 10 mph when being overtaken, then there would be no need for that sensible outside lane ban on the A42, which needs introducing on the A50 Stoke to Derby Road.

 

Noooo! 

Imagine Doris and Gerald, out for their bi-annual run up the motorway to visit Doris's sister. Gerald's eyesight is getting a bit shabby so he tends to stick to 56mph, tucks in behind a truck.

Then some truck comes up at 56.2mph and begins the overtake. Truck being overtaken now has to slow down to 46mph. Gerald pulls out behind overtaking truck into lane 2. Overtaking truck completes the manoeuvre six miles further on and the truck that has been overtaken now can resume 56mph. Except Gerald is alongside. Does he a) push the Daewoo Matiz harder than it's ever gone before and risk a disapproving look from Doris as he has to pass one and a half trucks at 60mph, causing him to have a minor heart attack, or option 2 just sit alongside and ignore the glare from everyone behind who now has to squeeze into lane 3.

 

Better option: remove limiters from trucks and match the speed limits to cars.. Some will naturally still stick to 56mph for economy reasons. Others, the ones with private plates and an airbrushed picture of the cast of Only Fools and Horses between the polished chrome stacks and sixteen different "V8 POWER" badges, will be hammering it along at "70mph" so causing less of an overtake hazard.

 

In other news, not sure where you're going with the M11. If you're using existing roads, then it already feeds into the A14 and can join the A1 pretty easily - but that's too far west for the 'Umber Bridge. It could take over from the A15, but that dumps straight into Lincoln and there's no south/east bypass.

Alternatively, it heads east of the A15 through the nothingness that is the fens, but I can't see who it would service until north of the 'Umber. Nobody lives in the Fens, PHACT.

[catsinthewelder]

The A15 didn't seem too bad last time I drove down it though I could see it getting a bit crap around Lincoln.

 

A more useful scheme for that bit of the world would be to upgrade the A14 to motorway status and maybe finish the A1M.

[Pillock]

The A1 would be quite scary as a motorway all the way - there's some pretty interesting curves oop north that feel fine on a dual carriageway but seem way too tight for a motorway, I guess once you've added another lane and a hard shoulder either side, the inner radius of the corner would not be 70mph safe.

[forddeliveryboy]

In other news, not sure where you're going with the M11. If you're using existing roads, then it already feeds into the A14 and can join the A1 pretty easily - but that's too far west for the 'Umber Bridge. It could take over from the A15, but that dumps straight into Lincoln and there's no south/east bypass.

Alternatively, it heads east of the A15 through the nothingness that is the fens, but I can't see who it would service until north of the 'Umber. Nobody lives in the Fens, PHACT.

 

The Victorians had the foresight to build transport infrastructure through areas of the country which were being under-used. Where there are good transport connections, business thrives.

 

Only servicing current needs/only building what can show economic profit in the short term is why we're so bolloxed and London-centric. Significant areas of England are relatively sparsely populated and economic wastelands simply because they're well off the motorway network.

[Pillock]

I can see how that relates to industry - there are storage/manufacturing units springing up all over the place. Two large units between me and the motorway currently being built, a distance of 2 miles. Given that part of the planning application was an assurance of improving the motorway junction to make it flow better, it's clear that road links are part of the expansion.

 

Housing? It's very rarely a New Town is created complete with shops, schools and all the other infrastructure. So you just end up with little pimples of industry popping up, unlike the Victorians we don't really have a problem travelling to work so where they needed to live within walking/cycling/Horsey Horseless distance from the industry, we'll just keep living where we live and grumble about the commute every day.