Car (or bike) Chat!

[Marco]

I Would love that, I've never been in one. Get up there with the vultures, get their view of the world. No bars and restaurants up there though, which is a shame. We did however find this viewpoint with a cafe/bar, a thousand feet or so above the road/river (it is a gorge), which was probably the next best thing. Called the "Point Sublime", next to the village of La Malene. Beautiful place. Plenty of google pics knocking about, but you know me, can't post 'em

Lol... You did manage it once, daftee - but that must've been a fluke!

Yeah, I love all that kind of stuff, but at the end of it, there'd still have to be nice meal and a decent bottle of wine

Marco.

[Marco]

Safety? Hot air balloon? You’re having a laugh aren’t you?! There’s no way you’d get me up in one of them!

Personally love flying but I only like to do it when I can look out of a window and see a reassuring “Rolls Royce” logo on the engine beside me!

And a G&T in hand, obviously...

Ha - yeah I know, but I'm thinking of on a calm, dry day. I get the risks, but it would still be very appealing, unlike flying 'cattle class', in an airborne bin, cooped up like sardines with an odious array of unwashed chavs... Now, if you're talking first/business class, that's a different matter!

Marco.

[Marco]

Hopefully the SM's will be scrapped-

https://www.majlaw.co.uk/tools/news/...art-motorways/

Yeah, mate, they can stick them right up their collective fat arses!

Marco.

[fstorm]

I read an article on smart motorways - their main objectives is to increase capacity of the current motorway network for minimal cost with the extra risk mitigated by compensating controls.
A study was carried out to assess the projected injury and death rate.

Unfortunately the Highway's Agency/ government moved the goal posts, something on along the lines of :
1. We're running out of road capacity.
2. We need to build more roads.
3. Green - says no, we don't want you cutting down more trees/disturbing nesting sites/releasing more CO2
4. Treasury says - no we can't spend that much money
5. But we need more capacity!!!
6. Clever spark says - Why don't we make use of the hard shoulder! 99.999% of the time it isn't used any way
7. H&S says, ah but it'll be more dangerous
8. Statisticians/Engineers say, well if we have system to detect stopped vehicles and have refuge areas 600m apart, that'll be ok
9. Highway's Agency & Government says - yippee, more capacity and almost as safe
10. Tell you what if we stretch it out a bit and not deploy the detection yet* we can save even more money !!!!
11. So refuge areas end up being unto 1600m apart instead 600m apart and the detection system doesn't work yet or hasn't been deployed

Yes, it was a reasonable idea with the proper mitigating controls, but instead it was f**d up the decision makers and people have been maimed and killed on these mutated smart motorways.

* or given no funding/ given to a contractor that can't deliver that product/service/tech for the money/ squandered on renovations ??

No tolls at Dartford
Reminds me of tolls on the Dartford Crossing, the crossing was supposed to be toll free by 1st April 2003 as it had been paid for. Yes it was toll free, instead the powers that be stopped charging a toll and called it a charge (and gave it to a French company to run). No, I'm not making this up.

References
https://www.constructionenquirer.com...-refuge-areas/
https://www.theconstructionindex.co....-annual-profit

[Pigmy Pony]

I have no problem with variable speed limits, which I believe do help to even traffic flow. It is just the absence of hard shoulders that scares me a bit.

Last year when driving back from Dorset, we saw a perfect example of how it could all turn to shit in an instant - coming up to the Stoke exit of the M6 the car in front of us suddenly swerved from lane one (formerly hard shoulder) into lane 2. Only possible because there was a gap big enough for him to swerve into. Revealing some bloke pushing his broken down motorbike to the exit. We too had to change lanes double quick, and were similarly lucky. No idea how traffic following us went on.

As for radar systems to better detect stopped vehicles - just what we need, our lives in the hands of more bloody technology

[Macca]

Lol, I didn't say you didn't. You'll have to get out of the unfortunate habit of assuming general remarks I make are aimed at you!

I totally understand and appreciate how you use motorways, which makes sense. We tend not to have a definitive 'B' (or for that matter 'A'). We have a destination to get to, yes, but not within any set time or date (within reason), so simply arrive when we arrive



Sounds fab, but I'm not a great swimmer (can barely keep myself afloat), so canoes would freak me out, especially if it capsized

Could you enjoy the same from the serenity (and relative safety) of a hot-air balloon?

Marco.

Anytime I see or hear the word 'canoe' I think of 'Deliverance.'

But you wouldn't get me in a hot air balloon for love nor money. So many ways that can end badly.

You would have a life jacket on in the canoe so not being a good swimmer wouldn't really matter. Sounds a bit too hectic for a holiday pass-time for me though.

[struth]

yes you wear a life jacket in a canoe... doubt anyone would let you in one with one, and training

[Marco]

Anytime I see or hear the word 'canoe' I think of 'Deliverance.'

But you wouldn't get me in a hot air balloon for love nor money. So many ways that can end badly.

You would have a life jacket on in the canoe so not being a good swimmer wouldn't really matter. Sounds a bit too hectic for a holiday pass-time for me though.

Me too - and what a great film it was!

Problem is, I'm not a big water fan [down, Piggurs, I still manage a bath at least twice a year], and panic/can't stand it if my head goes under water, or covers my face, even for a few seconds. Just not my thing. I like looking at water, but not really being in it, beyond the level of paddling at a beach, hence why pools don't do it for me either.

Marco.

[Marco]

As for radar systems to better detect stopped vehicles - just what we need, our lives in the hands of more bloody technology

Indeed, and glad to see you're getting with the program!

TBH, I use motorways so irregularly (on average no more than a dozen times a year), so whatever silly plans they have for them will have little impact on me.

Marco.

[Macca]

Me too - and what a great film it was!

Problem is, I'm not a big water fan [down, Piggurs, I still have a bath at least twice a year], and panic/can't stand it if my head goes under water, or covers my face, even for a few seconds. Just not my thing. I like looking at water, but not really being in it, beyond the level of paddling at a beach, hence why pools don't do it for me either.

Marco.

yeah not massively keen on it either. I do a bit of swimming on holiday but when I say a bit I mean about 3 minutes then I just lie there and float about. I never go out of my depth.

Only swim in the sea though, not keen on swimming pools due to the chlorine.