On Jun 10, 1:16*pm, TimB wrote:
On Jun 10, 10:09 am, David F wrote:





Hi folks,

I have a flight at Gatwick at midday tomorrow, which I am planning to
drive to from Islington, N1. My worry is that the tube strike will
make the roads hell. I think I've got 3 options - drive through the
middle of town, which is the most direct route. Or, go out the A13
then around the M25 ... or, finally, go out on the M4 and around the
M25 the other way.

Given I want to get to the airport for 10am, what time do you think
would be a sensible time to leave at given the anticipated higher than
normal levels of traffic? Which route would you take?

If I miss this flight (as I am prone to do!) the Missus will not be
happy!

Cheers,
D

Are you mad? Take the Thameslink.

No, not mad - just very heavy, awkward bags full of scuba diving
gear :-(

Also, the return leg gets in to Gatwick at 1.30am, so the car will
definitely be handy at that time of the morning.

Thanks for all the advice. I think setting off at 7am, or slightly
before, and go by the A12, M11, M25. It does over double the distance
(start N1 3DS), but it ought to be more dependable.

Thanks chaps - if it were just me going, I'd be on the train with hand
luggage... damn the wife!

Thanks for all the advice. I think setting off at 7am, or slightly
before, and go by the A12, M11, M25. It does over double the distance
(start N1 3DS), but it ought to be more dependable.

Thanks chaps - if it were just me going, I'd be on the train with hand
luggage... damn the wife!

Some belated comments.

Starting from there, the M11 and Dartford crossing seem somewhat
bizarre.

I live near the Blackwall Tunnel Northern Approach and, if I had noticed
your thread sooner, would have suggested you monitor that this morning
with the web cams ( eg
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravel...d/default.asp). As
others have said, it is nothing like as bad as it used to be in the days
of tidal flow. And you have the option of bailing out to the M25 via
the A11 if you were to find Blackwall closed. As it is, if you arrive
to find an accident on the QE2 bridge your options are rather limited
(unless scuba gear allows you to snorkel the car).

I would also have supported the suggestion of switching to the A20 from
the A2 (in my experience best done by going via Kidbrooke so as to avoid
the South Circular).

Finally, it's some years since I drove to work daily from Hackney to
Westminster but there was then a massive difference in traffic between
6:00 and 7:00. I don't know if the same true is now but in your shoes
(flippers???) I'd leave at 06:00, count it as a bonus if I arrived at
Gatwick by 08:00 and then treat myself to a good breakfast/brunch.
--
R

the M25 via the A11 if you were to find Blackwall closed. As it is,

ahem, that was of course the A13 - you just can't get the electrons
these days
--
R

In message , at
19:18:39 on Wed, 10 Jun 2009, neverwas remarked:
Starting from there, the M11 and Dartford crossing seem somewhat
bizarre.

I suggested it on the principle that the sooner he's on a major dual
carriageway headed out of London the better.
--
Roland Perry

On Jun 10, 10:41*pm, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at
19:18:39 on Wed, 10 Jun 2009, neverwas remarked:

Starting from there, the M11 and Dartford crossing seem somewhat
bizarre.

I suggested it on the principle that the sooner he's on a major dual
carriageway headed out of London the better.

That's a logical enough rationale - however as soon as one is south of
the Blackwall Tunnel one is on a dual carriageway headed out of
London, whether that be the A2 or A20 - and these roads are a world
away from the A24 that trudges due south through south London!

And going south through the Dartford tunnel is arguably heading out of
London - though then again, so is going north! However I wouldn't say
either direction was heading into London - though of course that's
just what some traffic will be doing.

The Blackwall Tunnel is where I'd imagine the greatest potential for
getting held up is - but the predominant flow in the morning is south
to north. Also, ever since the tidal flow system was stopped in 2007
as a result of safety concerns the southbound carriageway has regained
its lost lane - the tidal flow worked by making the southbound
(eastern) bore two way, so northbound traffic got three lanes and
southbound traffic only got one. There was no equivalent system in the
evening peak. This obviously means less capacity for northbound
traffic compared to before, but it eased things for southbound
traffic.

Incidentally Boris made an election pledge to reverse this decision
and re-instate the tidal flow, but not much has been heard about it in
more recent times, I think essentially because the Met Police aren't
having it. The real world is of course a little more complicated than
the world according to Boris's blusterings. Anyway Tom Barry
summarised the situation a year ago like this:
http://www.boriswatch.co.uk/2008/06/...olitan-police/

It's interesting to note that 'motorists friend' Boris cancelled the
Thames Gateway bridge (or at least shelved it - such plans are never
cancelled forever!), whilst car hater Ken was a big proponent of it -
said bridge would have provided an element of relief for the Blackwall
Tunnel. To be fair, the Thames Gateway bridge story is rather more
complicated than that and so can't really be summarised nice and
neatly in a sentence or two - in fact it's on my list of utl threads
to initiate when I get a mo!

On Jun 11, 1:26*am, Mizter T wrote:

On Jun 10, 10:41*pm, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at
19:18:39 on Wed, 10 Jun 2009, neverwas remarked:

Starting from there, the M11 and Dartford crossing seem somewhat
bizarre.

I suggested it on the principle that the sooner he's on a major dual
carriageway headed out of London the better.

That's a logical enough rationale - however as soon as one is south of
the Blackwall Tunnel one is on a dual carriageway headed out of
London, whether that be the A2 or A20 - and these roads are a world
away from the A24 that trudges due south through south London!

[snip]

Argh - I meant the *A23*. Damn road numbers!

On Jun 10, 8:18*pm, "neverwas" wrote:

Thanks for all the advice. I think setting off at 7am, or slightly
before, and go by the A12, M11, M25. It does over double the distance
(start N1 3DS), but it ought to be more dependable.

Thanks chaps - if it were just me going, I'd be on the train with hand
luggage... damn the wife!

Some belated comments.

Yes, rather too late now! Nevermind, should there be a next time, or
another similar query.


Starting from there, the M11 and Dartford crossing seem somewhat
bizarre.

Agreed - though to be fair Roland's basic rationale seems sound (he
explains it in his own reply to your post).


I live near the Blackwall Tunnel Northern Approach and, if I had noticed
your thread sooner, *would have suggested you monitor that this morning
with the web cams ( eg
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravel...d/default.asp). As
others have said, it is nothing like as bad as it used to be in the days
of tidal flow. *And you have the option of bailing out to the M25 via
the [A13] if you were to find Blackwall closed. *As it is, if you arrive
to find an accident on the QE2 bridge your options are rather limited
(unless scuba gear allows you to snorkel the car).

The ability to bail out onto the A13 is a crucial advantage - the A13
these days is entirely grade separated dual-carriageway to somewhere
past Basildon.

(By the by, if there *is* an accident on the QE2 bridge at the
Dartford crossing, then how quickly do they turn one of the tunnels
from a northbound into a southbound tunnel I wonder?)


I would also have supported the suggestion of switching to the A20 from
the A2 (in my experience best done by going via Kidbrooke so as to avoid
the South Circular).

Thanks for the advice, yes that sounds very wise to avoid getting
caught up in the South Circular traffic too much. I think that signs
at the Kidbrooke interchange only direct local-ish traffic via this
Kidbrooke route, not entirely sure about that though but I suspect one
needs to properly acquaint oneself with a map beforehand in order to
pull off this little 'short-cut' correctly. Nonetheless it's no great
disaster if one were to miss this and one can just carry on and come
via the South Circular and the Yorkshire Grey roundabout instead.


Finally, it's some years since I drove to work daily from Hackney to
Westminster but there was then a massive difference in traffic between
6:00 and 7:00. *I don't know if the same true is now but in your shoes
(flippers???) I'd leave at 06:00, count it as a bonus if I arrived at
Gatwick by 08:00 and then treat myself to a good breakfast/brunch.

"neverwas" wrote in message
om...


Finally, it's some years since I drove to work daily from Hackney to
Westminster but there was then a massive difference in traffic between
6:00 and 7:00.
Partly because bus lane restrictions start at 07:00, effectively halving
road capacity for cars. On the very few occassions I drove to work in
central London from the Gatwick area the key to success was to hit Elephant
& Castle by 07:00.

I don't know if the same true is now but in your shoes (flippers???) I'd
leave at 06:00, count it as a bonus if I arrived at Gatwick by 08:00 and
then treat myself to a good breakfast/brunch.
I think that would be my approach, probably via Blackwall Tunnel and A2/20
and M25, or a more direct route via the A23 corridor (I have various
strategies that avoid the A23 itself between Purley and Kennington). The
Gatwick exit from the M23 gets very congested around 08:00.
--
David A Stocks

On Jun 10, 5:08 pm, David F wrote:

On Jun 10, 1:16 pm, TimB wrote:

[snip]

Are you mad? Take the Thameslink.

No, not mad - just very heavy, awkward bags full of scuba diving
gear :-(

Aha, that does explain it!


Also, the return leg gets in to Gatwick at 1.30am, so the car will
definitely be handy at that time of the morning.

At that time I'd have no hesitation in saying there'd be no problem at
all in driving the direct 'straight line' route via the A24 through
south London - definitely no need to take any evasive action then!


Thanks for all the advice. I think setting off at 7am, or slightly
before, and go by the A12, M11, M25. It does over double the distance
(start N1 3DS), but it ought to be more dependable.

It's all rather too late now, but the knowledgeable reply from
"neverwas" / "R" does rather favour the Blackwall Tunnel then A20
route over a long trip heading out the wrong way on the M11 before
righting oneself. I see you're close enough to the Blackwall Tunnel
approach road, and I can't see there being a big problem in cutting
through Hackney to get onto it early in the morning - though see
neverwas's comments of 6pm versus 7pm starts! (Incidentally, I'm
intrigued - you're just inside LB Islington, but offhand I wouldn't
think of it as being in Islington 'proper' - perhaps DB Town, but
maybe that starts the other side of Southgate Road? I'm always
interested to hear the local views on such matters, but apols if this
just comes across as being nosey!)


Thanks chaps - if it were just me going, I'd be on the train with hand
luggage... damn the wife!

But enjoy the snorkelling!

On Jun 11, 2:05*am, Mizter T wrote:

On Jun 10, 5:08 pm, David F wrote:

[snip]

Also, the return leg gets in to Gatwick at 1.30am, so the car will
definitely be handy at that time of the morning.

At that time I'd have no hesitation in saying there'd be no problem at
all in driving the direct 'straight line' route via the A24 through
south London - definitely no need to take any evasive action then!

I meant to say *A23* above, sorry for the confusion.