The grumpy thread

[dollywobbler]

I dunno about the M62, but the M6 has had traffic lights on slip roads for years, they actually work pretty well.

 

Smart Motorways are shit though, they might as well just slap a permanent 50mph speed limit on it and bang speed cameras up everywhere, its the same difference.

 

I can't agree. Seems to work really well on the M6 at Birmingham. Used to be the case that it'd be GUARANTEED that you'd be queuing past the RAC centre. These days, it's always slow, but it's very rare that I actually come to a halt on that section. Pain in the arse while waiting for them to be fitted though - see M5 near the M42 section for that. Seemed to take forever...

[somewhatfoolish]

Good luck to him, if I could flip a grand into 3.5 id do it like a shot. I once sold a lawnmower on for twice what I bought it, the original owner who purported to be an expert got all funny about it. Tough shit I said that's business.

There has to be added value though, otherwise it's just braindead cargo cultism; there would have to have been no effort on the part of the previous vendor if it took a year to sell at a bag other than sticking a post-it note in the window of the car and parking it on the village high street. If as it appears the PV was advertising online then to justify the pricehike the seller needs to add value by photographing it in a white room* or faking a FMSH etc.

[bramz7]

I'm not one to shy away from making profit (even if it rarely happens anyway) but to be so lazy to flip a car 7 days after the eBay auction ended with only slightly better photos and the obligatory HML screen grabs is just silly.

And yes the previous owner had it advertised EVERYWHERE for 12 months.

[AlabamaShrimp]

Yeah yeah but there's only 15 left!!! You mean 15 with that trim...

 

I've nothing against making a profit but do have to agree that it's a bit stupid to try it so soon and have done sod all to the car.

[Pillock]

Over the last 2 days they have coned off the hard shoulder of the M6 for pretty much the entire length of my commute and started to erect average speed cameras - please don't be "Smart Motorways"

 

Edit:  Bollocks, it is...that's my commute fucked for the next two years, and for the rest of time after that.

 

In my experience, Smart motorways at 50/60 with people sticking to it because cameras run more smoothly than 70mph limits, people doing 90 and jamming their brakes on every time there's a bit of congestion at every junction. I used to use the M42 most days and the Smart bit was so much more relaxing than the bit north of the M6 Toll that was every man for himself. 

Same on the M1 between 13 and 18 - it's just nicer now.

[dollywobbler]

The only downside is that I think they encourage you to avoid changing lanes, which just encourages people to be even sodding worse at lane discipline when you get back out of the managed bit. The motorways are now more intelligent than the motorists...

[Pillock]

But if the signs are up, then you could argue it's congested.

If it's congested, the highway code says you can pass on the left.

That's another reason they run more smoothly.... It's more acceptable to just stick to a speed no matter who is fannying around in the other lanes.

[SiC]

Managed motorways are very effective at reducing this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_wave

 

TL;DR of traffic waves is that something ahead causes someone to brake. The person behind then brakes harder. Person behind brakes even harder. Etc etc until the traffic then is at a stop.

 

It's why traffic can stop all of a sudden on a motorway, then just start again for no apparent reason.

[Kiltox]

Happens all over the motorway network normally driven by some arsehole in a Q7 that thinks he can get somewhere quicker at roadworks by changing lane every 2 seconds in roadworks. Cunt.

[AlabamaShrimp]

Just check a Proton from that video in the grin bit on the Dvla as not recognised on Cazana.

 

It doesn't give when the tax is due now so you can't work out when it died.

[Captain Furious]

There is one main problem with motorways today and that is everyone driving too friggin close to each other. So one person touches the brakes, the person behind panics and hits them a bit harder, the next person a bit harder still...9 cars back the guy is doing an emergency stop. Everyone is in such a rush that they literally cannot bear for there to be 9ft off unused tarmac between them and you or they might get home 9 one thousandths of a second later. If you want to see a classic example of this, try the M6 Southbound from the NEC junction, there is a 4 lane stretch which goes into 3 lanes about 2 miles up. I guarantee you, every single night there will be a sea of brake lights and people diving across lanes as wankers try and squeeze in right at the last minute because they just had to get past one more car.

 

Smart motorways don’t resolve this, if anything they make it worse. Especially with lorries, who you could previously get away from, but now you’re stuck with them breathing down your neck 3ft off your bumper because their calibrated speedo says 47 while your car speedo says 50. Lorry drivers love to opine that they’re trained professionals and car drivers are the problem, “oh those shit car drivers pulling into our braking space and not giving us room” yet I’ve never seen any other group of road users so consistently follow dangerously close to the vehicle in front. And I include BMW's and Aldi's in that.

 

And then there is the 'smart motorway operator' who can’t make their minds up, 60 - 40 - 50 - 40 - 60 - 40 - 60 - 50....and then when all the traffic has gone it’s still 50 because...well I have no idea, if I was a cynic I might suggest so they get to have the speed cameras on and catch more people, but I’m sure they wud neva.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Theres just far too many cars on the roads full stop, its friggin hopeless man. The A38 coming into Derby now is choked solid from about 7.00 am onwards, its just impossible not to get stuck in it for hours

[Captain Furious]

And don’t even get me started on using the hard shoulder as the 4th lane, except nobody knows whether they’re actually supposed to be in it because one minute it’s open, next it’s closed, then it’s for the next jct only...then after the next jct do I go in it again...

 

Anyway, I’ll have the rest of my life to grump about this. New grump tonight, models that you build with weekly magazines. Build the routemaster is the latest but many have gone before it. First issue only £1.99...then in minuscule writing 8 pixels high 130 issues usual price £8.99. So it’s over a grand and I have to wait 2 1/2 years to finish it? Fuk rite off m8

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Ha ha, they wont sell any issues beyond about no.8 as well when weekly sales figures drop below about 8-10 issues.

[somewhatfoolish]

The same applied to the DB5 that was hawked on TeeVee a few years ago; introductory magazine/parts was £1.99 but in very small print the regular price was a fiver or more, the whole thing was going to stiff you for over £900 for something you could buy a kit for off the shelf for under £600.

[vulgalour]

A few hours ago I managed to delete my entire day's work on a commission.  Several hours of work gone.  Saving over the wrong file and then closing it thinking it's safe is the digital equivalent of just setting fire to that painting you've been working on.  No coming back from it at all, utterly mortifying.  Fortunately the customer whose commission it is happens to be one of the nicest, most ideal customers you could ever hope to have so the redo won't be more of a hardship than the hours I'll have to reinvest rebuilding it all.  Think I'll call it a night before I cock anything else up.

[somewhatfoolish]

Do not like.

[captain_70s]

There is one main problem with motorways today and that is everyone driving too friggin close to each other. 

This is an aspect of driving I've had to adjust to since moving to Glasgow, Always seem to have somebody jammed up my arse and if I leave a gap in front somebody will always try and dart around me to fill it. Dreading navigating in the Triumph with it's 1970s stopping technology as even in the Civic I end up going hard on the brakes as the traffic up ahead grinds to a halt because somebody half a mile up the road tapped the brakes... Not to mention the stretches of road where following the 50mph limit will get you killed as everybody is doing 70+.

 

A few hours ago I managed to delete my entire day's work on a commission.  Several hours of work gone.  Saving over the wrong file and then closing it thinking it's safe is the digital equivalent of just setting fire to that painting you've been working on.  No coming back from it at all, utterly mortifying.  Fortunately the customer whose commission it is happens to be one of the nicest, most ideal customers you could ever hope to have so the redo won't be more of a hardship than the hours I'll have to reinvest rebuilding it all.  Think I'll call it a night before I cock anything else up.

That's grim, something I have done as well, several times... Actually worse than the usual software crash as it's a mistake on your part!

[PhilA]

Still on water boil order here since Wednesday. ”Don't even brush your teeth with the water", says the water board.

Schools are all shut, hopefully the boil order will be lifted Sunday but man, treating the water supply like you're in Abu Dhabi is a pain in the ass and if you forget it is a pain in the ass, too.

 

Phil

[Craig the Princess]

Going off to play football this morning expecting to park at Peterborough services and pay to leave the car there.

 

Twenty eight fucking pounds!

 

Cheaper to contribute to the minibus and then drive anyway.

[oldcars]

The ice is grim, we had sleet then a thaw then it froze. Its like a skating rink. Hate it.

[dave21478]

 

Anyway, I’ll have the rest of my life to grump about this. New grump tonight, models that you build with weekly magazines. Build the routemaster is the latest but many have gone before it. First issue only £1.99...then in minuscule writing 8 pixels high 130 issues usual price £8.99. So it’s over a grand and I have to wait 2 1/2 years to finish it? Fuk rite off m8

 

Someone whos name evades me was documenting their magazine model build over of the open forum...Back to the Future Delorian iirc. Havent seen an update for a while......

[anonymous user]

Someone whos name evades me was documenting their magazine model build over of the open forum...Back to the Future Delorian iirc. Havent seen an update for a while......

You missed it, it worked so well he finished building it two years before he started

[andy18s]

Someone whos name evades me was documenting their magazine model build over of the open forum...Back to the Future Delorian iirc. Havent seen an update for a while......

Didn't 1 of the 1:8 Aston Martins sell on Dickinson's auction show for 400ish?

Something 900 spent in the mags to get there though lol

[Lankytim]

63 continental without running gear was crushed

 

Location was Miami, hence lack of piles of Ford Pops

 

https://foursquare.com/v/miami-iron--metal/51bb33295019661f39fd3e0b

.

 

The scene where the Lincoln drives in was Miami but the crusher part was in the UK. (Unless I’m getting totally confused, I’m off for a google to check)

[Captain Furious]

I'm sure some of them are absolutely wonderful once done, and all power to anyone willing to invest that sort of time and money...but not for me.

 

I bought a Jaguar XJ220 die-cast model back in about 92 when it came out, it was in some Sunday paper magazine as I recall and was £80. At the time I’m earning £5 a week on my paper round so my dad paid for it and I pay him back £5 a week for 16 weeks. Was a nightmare, hardly had any money left over for cigarettes.

[JeeExEll]

[chaseracer]

There is one main problem with motorways today and that is everyone driving too friggin close to each other. So one person touches the brakes...

 

True on the distance, but increasingly these days it's the car that brakes itself.  Same result, though.

[somewhatfoolish]

Crap Jokes was one of the best bits.

 

[AlabamaShrimp]

The A-team is on channel 5. Been trying to watch it with mini Shrimp. It's utter crap! I mean I know it was supposed to be a bit crap but it's just boring.

 

He just thinks it's funny how old everyone will be now.