Overnight Snowfall 18th December 2009
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Thursday 31 December 2009
Monday 28 December 2009
2009 December : deer, chain reaction, ornamental duck, snow M1,
That could have been dear... 28/1/2/2009 — I was driving back from Hemel yesterday going about 50mph when a deer suddenly shot out of the hedgerow into the road right in front of me. For a split second I thought "Wow, it'll probably make it across the road before I reach it." But then a second deer came bounding out right behind the first one. That's when I realized I better hit the brakes quickly. Fortunately, there wasn't a third deer or I likely would have hit one, which could have done some serious damage to my car. My son Robert, sitting in the backseat, even thought for a moment they were kangaroos hopping across the road! I guess no one taught those deer to look both ways before crossing. You always have to be alert driving the countryside roads with wildlife darting about.
Ornamental Duck 22/12/2009 — Have you got a caption for this poor ornamental duck in my garden?
Add a caption, we can't duck the issues.
December 21st Snow-Locked 22/12/2009 — A disastrous evening on the roads for local people just trying to get home from work. Arriva removed their buses from the roads, and Luton and Stansted airports closed. The roads around the Three Counties were gridlocked. And all because it snowed.
My own journey of an hour (tops) on a normal rush-hour took 5.25 hours.
When I was coming home I think I saw 2 real problems at M1 Junction 10.
Firstly, traffic has to move up a slope from the spur road to get onto the roundabout above the M1. My car slipped a lot. I almost didn't make it, and after I got to the roundabout there was quite a gap before the next one made it. The slope contributes to a backlog all the way back down the airport road, and that in turn holds up the Lower Luton Road.
Secondly, the traffic coming off the M1 northbound blocks the traffic on the J10 roundabout trying to turn off that roundabout to go north on the M1. The roundabout there should never have been built. They should have built flyovers.
Chain Reaction
Loved playing this game on Facebook. Then it stopped working.This was my highest recorded score. Screenshot 26.12.2009.
Ornamental Duck 22/12/2009 — Have you got a caption for this poor ornamental duck in my garden?
Add a caption, we can't duck the issues.
December 21st Snow-Locked 22/12/2009 — A disastrous evening on the roads for local people just trying to get home from work. Arriva removed their buses from the roads, and Luton and Stansted airports closed. The roads around the Three Counties were gridlocked. And all because it snowed.
My own journey of an hour (tops) on a normal rush-hour took 5.25 hours.
When I was coming home I think I saw 2 real problems at M1 Junction 10.
Firstly, traffic has to move up a slope from the spur road to get onto the roundabout above the M1. My car slipped a lot. I almost didn't make it, and after I got to the roundabout there was quite a gap before the next one made it. The slope contributes to a backlog all the way back down the airport road, and that in turn holds up the Lower Luton Road.
Secondly, the traffic coming off the M1 northbound blocks the traffic on the J10 roundabout trying to turn off that roundabout to go north on the M1. The roundabout there should never have been built. They should have built flyovers.
There was so much traffic trying to get off at J11 for Dunstable, that I decided to go up to J12 and come back along the lanes through Chalton. My journey from Welwyn Garden City started around 4:15pm, and it was 9.30pm before I got home.
An eternal "thanks" to Roberto Perone (and crew) at BBC Three Counties Radio for staying on broadcasting beyond the allotted show time.
Tuesday 15 December 2009
Dunstable Northern Bypass
An announcement was made last week about the "Northern Dunstable Bypass". The powers that be seem to think that a new road linking east to west and to the M1 will relieve the traffic running north-south through Dunstable's A5.
But here's the reality of the new road: Thousands of extra homes are expected to be built in the north of Houghton Regis parish. Clearly without the new "bypass" Poynters Road, Park Road North, and the High Street Houghton Regis, would be unable to cope with all the extra traffic. I'm not sure that even the Northern Bypass will actually relieve Houghton Regis of it's traffic jams every rush-hour.
Nevertheless, the news from the Highways Agency will be welcomed by many throughout South Bedfordshire. Clearly, for those who want to travel north south via the A5, nothing short of a Dunstable town-centre circumnavigation will be sort.
But here's the reality of the new road: Thousands of extra homes are expected to be built in the north of Houghton Regis parish. Clearly without the new "bypass" Poynters Road, Park Road North, and the High Street Houghton Regis, would be unable to cope with all the extra traffic. I'm not sure that even the Northern Bypass will actually relieve Houghton Regis of it's traffic jams every rush-hour.
Nevertheless, the news from the Highways Agency will be welcomed by many throughout South Bedfordshire. Clearly, for those who want to travel north south via the A5, nothing short of a Dunstable town-centre circumnavigation will be sort.
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