On the radio yet again this morning - an accident at Clacket Lane services.
Is there something particularly bad about the way the exits roads to this
service station have been designed? I've driven that part of the M25 more times
than is probably good for me but I haven't noticed anything unusual that
would give rise to so many accidents but clearly something is confusing some
motorists. Does anyone have any ideas?

B2003

d wrote:

On the radio yet again this morning - an accident at Clacket Lane services.
Is there something particularly bad about the way the exits roads to this
service station have been designed? I've driven that part of the M25 more times
than is probably good for me but I haven't noticed anything unusual that
would give rise to so many accidents but clearly something is confusing some
motorists. Does anyone have any ideas?

I've asked the same question in the past, having noticed the same thing. I
remember one spectacuklar even in late 2004 when the M25 was closed both ways
between Sevenoaks and Godstone (A21 - A22) because two (UK-registered) HGVs -
going in the same direction - had collided with each other one night and gone
off the side of the carriageway, needing to be recovered painstakingly over
three days.

Needless to say, the whole region was in chaos. Even the northern side of M25
was affected with diversions round the other way.

The cause is, at a minimum, reckless and inconsiderate driving by HGV drivers
(trying to get more out of the road than it can give in terms of speed and
capacity).

Some say it is because the area is the first really busy stretch of motorway
that foreign truck drivers encounter when coming along M20/M26. But not all
the worst incidents have happened when the road was busy (as noted above,
truck accidents often happen at dead of night). And not all the accidents
have involved foreign drivers.

The answer - there IS one - is to restrict HGVs to the nearside lane only,
24/7/365.

wrote in message
...
On the radio yet again this morning - an accident at Clacket Lane
services.
Is there something particularly bad about the way the exits roads to this
service station have been designed? I've driven that part of the M25 more
times
than is probably good for me but I haven't noticed anything unusual that
would give rise to so many accidents but clearly something is confusing
some
motorists. Does anyone have any ideas?

Saaarf Lunnon morons innit?

They ain't got used to traffic moving at more than 15 mph through their
congested streets an' that.

In message , JNugent
writes
wrote:

On the radio yet again this morning - an accident at Clacket Lane
services. Is there something particularly bad about the way the exits
roads to this
service station have been designed? I've driven that part of the M25
more times
than is probably good for me but I haven't noticed anything unusual that
would give rise to so many accidents but clearly something is confusing some
motorists. Does anyone have any ideas?

I've asked the same question in the past, having noticed the same
thing. I remember one spectacuklar even in late 2004 when the M25 was
closed both ways between Sevenoaks and Godstone (A21 - A22) because two
(UK-registered) HGVs - going in the same direction - had collided with
each other one night and gone off the side of the carriageway, needing
to be recovered painstakingly over three days.

Needless to say, the whole region was in chaos. Even the northern side
of M25 was affected with diversions round the other way.

The cause is, at a minimum, reckless and inconsiderate driving by HGV
drivers (trying to get more out of the road than it can give in terms
of speed and capacity).

Some say it is because the area is the first really busy stretch of
motorway that foreign truck drivers encounter when coming along
M20/M26. But not all the worst incidents have happened when the road
was busy (as noted above, truck accidents often happen at dead of
night). And not all the accidents have involved foreign drivers.

The answer - there IS one - is to restrict HGVs to the nearside lane
only, 24/7/365.

It does seem that certain stretches of road attract a high proportion of
accidents or breakdowns.

In the last few months, that old favourite, the Dartford tunnel, seems
to be having a lot of breakdowns and lorries getting jammed. [A few
months ago, wasn't there fire which meant that it had to be closed for
nearly a week?]

On the M25, another favourite spot is the roadworks between J16 and 18,
past Rickmansworth.

On the M1, nearly every day there is one kind of incident or other in
the roadworks at the bottom end.

In roadworks, I've never really understood why there should be a greater
risk of accidents. In 50 years of driving, I've never seen one happen
there. [In fact, I've hardly ever seen a 'live' accident - except those
involving myself!]

And why do lorries choose to wait for roadworks before they break down?
--
Ian

On Tue, 04 May 2010 10:22:12 +0100
JNugent wrote:
Some say it is because the area is the first really busy stretch of motorway
that foreign truck drivers encounter when coming along M20/M26. But not all

You may have a point there as the accidents seem to usually be on the
clockwise side. Perhaps its anyone who's come off a ferry or the chunnel and
is almost falling asleep at the wheel and they hit this busy spot and crash.

B2003

On Tue, 4 May 2010 10:54:20 +0100
Ian Jackson wrote:
In roadworks, I've never really understood why there should be a greater
risk of accidents. In 50 years of driving, I've never seen one happen

Narrower lanes and lanes suddenly veering to the left or right and catching
out people who haven't been paying attention - on the M40 yesterday I saw
a BMW X5 gently veering in and out of the middle lane. When I passed it
it looked like the daft bitch was texting. If we'd been in roadworks she'd
have almost certainly crashed and probably taken a few other cars with her.

B2003

On May 4, 10:46*am, "Brimstone" wrote:

wrote in:

On the radio yet again this morning - an accident at Clacket Lane
services.
Is there something particularly bad about the way the exits roads to this
service station have been designed? I've driven that part of the M25 more
times
than is probably good for me but I haven't noticed anything unusual that
would give rise to so many accidents but clearly something is confusing
some
motorists. Does anyone have any ideas?

Saaarf Lunnon morons innit?

They ain't got used to traffic moving at more than 15 mph through their
congested streets an' that.

As a Saarf Lunnon moron all I will say is that I have remarkably
little experience of the M25 - it's normally something I pass over or
under.

On Tue, 4 May 2010 10:54:20 +0100, Ian Jackson
wrote:

And why do lorries choose to wait for roadworks before they break down?

you only hear about those!
--
Mike. .. .
Gone beyond the ultimate driving machine.

On May 4, 10:54*am, Ian Jackson
wrote:
[snip]
In the last few months, that old favourite, the Dartford tunnel, seems
to be having a lot of breakdowns and lorries getting jammed. [A few
months ago, wasn't there fire which meant that it had to be closed for
nearly a week?]

You're getting muddled with the Blackwall tunnel - the northbound bore
was closed for repairs after a fire last November for a few days,
though I can't remember how long it lasted in the end though.

See:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23777182-.do
and
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/h...00/8385980.stm

"Mizter T" wrote in message
...

On May 4, 10:46 am, "Brimstone" wrote:

wrote in:

On the radio yet again this morning - an accident at Clacket Lane
services.
Is there something particularly bad about the way the exits roads to
this
service station have been designed? I've driven that part of the M25
more
times
than is probably good for me but I haven't noticed anything unusual
that
would give rise to so many accidents but clearly something is confusing
some
motorists. Does anyone have any ideas?

Saaarf Lunnon morons innit?

They ain't got used to traffic moving at more than 15 mph through their
congested streets an' that.

As a Saarf Lunnon moron all I will say is that I have remarkably
little experience of the M25 - it's normally something I pass over or
under.

A good thing to do to it.