mickthemaverick wrote: 26 Jan 2021, 23:29
Given your natural interest in the history of MK Jim you may find this an interesting read, it certainly surprised me!!
mickthemaverick wrote: 27 Jan 2021, 18:25
Can MK offer a magic roundabout in the form found in Hemel Hempstead and Swindon?
No, I am happy to report we don't have such a specimen in our collection... I have never personally negotiated the two examples you refer to so they slipped under my radar
I have visited both Swindon and Hemel on a number of occasions and managed to avoid those each time
On my fairly regular jaunts down to the west country I sneak around the back of Swindon and happily avoid the roundabout in question
Our most complex in MK I think has five 'arms' under partial traffic-light control...
But than again I may not be correct as I don't often drive into the dark depths of MK where the more intricate examples of the species reside...
Jim
Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
CitroJim wrote: 27 Jan 2021, 18:40
Our most complex in MK I think has five 'arms' under partial traffic-light control...
From my working time in MK when I used to commute up the A5 through Dunstable and on past Bletchley and then up the V6 to Wolverton I don't remember seeing a light controlled one so I am guessing that is over on the East or M1 side and may not have had lights in my day. I think the one at J13 on the M1 was probably the most complex in those days linking the M1, Bedford road and the Woburn road with the road into the city where Amazon built their warehouse.
However I have wandered from what I meant to say which was that if everyone used roundabouts correctly there would seldom be the need for traffic light control, although I do accept that in some exceedingly heavy flow conditions they are needed to give the minor roads a chance!!
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
Traffic light control on the MK roundabouts is a quite recent thing Mick... And not many do although the number is slowly growing...
One roundabout I know did and after a while the lights were removed after they caused huge congestion problems that never previously existed!
In another case of foolishness a large and perfectly functional roundabout was removed an replaced with a conventional four-way traffic-light controlled crossroads... It took a year of disruption to construct and has been a dangerous congestion pinch-point since
mickthemaverick wrote: 27 Jan 2021, 18:50
However I have wandered from what I meant to say which was that if everyone used roundabouts correctly there would seldom be the need for traffic light control, although I do accept that in some exceedingly heavy flow conditions they are needed to give the minor roads a chance!!
Exactly! It is a well known fact that one particular roundabout - the one at the top of the A5 near Old Stratford - always used to flow better when the lights failed... That may no longer be true as last year it was completely rebuilt and it does not look so amenable to working well without lights. Rather than being a normal roundabout with light added as an afterthought the new one looks to be engineered with lights as an integral part of it...
Good point about minor roads though
Have you seen the newly-built odd roundabout in Bicester (near the big Tesco) where under light control one stream of traffic goes through the middle of it...
Bizarrely, it works quite effectively...
Jim
Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
I haven't seen the one at Bicester but that idea has been in use for years on the A30 near Staines and on the High Wycombe junction of the M40. The newish layout of Junction 12 on the M4, which I sometimes use when visiting Bob, has caused all sorts of grief with the ludicrous lane markings. However the fundamental issues of smooth traffic flow will always be a problem until everybody uses the same set of rules in their driving!
Sadly there are far too many drivers on the road who have learnt to drive without any roadcraft training, and then there are the classically labelled Audi/BMW drivers whose life will end if they lose 2 seconds on the road, not to mention the 'couldn't give a toss as long as I get where I want to' type who only treat driving as a necessary evil to get anywhere. Just imagine what it will be like when everyone is flying around in their own personal drones which my son-in-law is soon going to be working on!!
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
To be fair, some of the roundabouts, or more accurately road markings on the roundabouts, seemed to have been drawn up by the work experience bod last thing on a Friday afternoon. A case in point is the M25 / A12 junction roundabout. If you're going anti-clockwise on the M25, then want to go East on the A12, you come down to the traffic light controlled roundabout in the middle two lanes as per road markings. Within about 30 yards of entering the roundabout those two lanes are supposed to have magically turned into one lane. Cue : annoyed drivers.
Another example is the Farlington roundabout on the A27 Portsmouth. Whoever designed the road markings has obviously never driven a car before
May not be the place for this as it is fiction but a free read if anyone wants it. I have the hardback so don't need it but was looking up a quite I thought was from Mandy Rice-Davies.
It wasn't. It was from The Lady Sharrow.
I ran out of books on the Kindle so thought I would attack the pile of unread proper books. Read four so far - and discovered I have already read them previously.
I recently re-read "Apollo 13" (originally published under the title "Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13"), by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger. It is far more informative than the film of the same name, because they could cover far more ground and go into more detail. It is written in the third person perspective, as some (a fair bit, actually) of the narrative deals with the various groups of people working to overcome so many of the problems faced that switching between first person (Jim) and third person (groups) could be confusing. The level of technical detail, while there is a lot, is not overwhelming.
James ex BX 1.9
ex Xantia 2.0HDi SX
ex Xantia 2.0HDi LX
ex C5 2.0HDi VTR
ex C5 2.0HDi VTR
ex C5 2.2HDi VTX+
Yes, I am paranoid, but am I paranoid ENOUGH?
Out amongst the stars, looking for a world of my own!
This article claims to bust the myth of which was first Newport Pagnell or Watford Gap
Tells the story if nothing else....the Motorway Services Limited (Fortes and Blue Star) more upmarket Newport Pagnell or the service station for the masses Watford Gap (Blue Boar).
Gosh! What an interesting article on Newport Pagnell services
They remain a town landmark and the land to grow massively was found and is well used...
CMG (Cowan Motor Group) operate a massive breakdown recovery business from a site adjacent to the services and they deal with anything from the smallest car to HGVs and coaches... They are never idle!
Their big, heavy HGV recovery rigs are a common sight in town...
A bit of trivia... The Wolverton Road in Paggers between the town fire station and the services access roads has no speed humps along it so as to not hinder the fire appliances rushing to attend incidents on the motorway... The road is also much wider than necessary and the two roundabouts on it are small minis - again so as not to hinder emergency vehicles...
Jim
Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
I have just finished reading the life story of Red Adair (the book ends after the Piper Alpha disaster). "Red Adair" by Philip Singerman. I would say Red was very lucky (not in WHAT he did, as he was VERY careful and methodical, but in existing when he would be most needed). He was also very loyal, and even more honourable (this is one such example, in his own words, followed by his reasoning);
"I remember one well... 'Ole boy who owned it was just some wildcatter (an independent operator) who'd found some oil where nobody thought there was any, like a lot of guys in the oil patch willing to gamble on a hunch.
He wasn't rich, but he was a decent person. He'd had a heart attack and he was laid up in bed when his well blew. He called and said, 'Red, I've got a real problem on my well but I've heard all these things about how much you charge and I don't know if I can afford you.' I said, 'Listen, you worry about gettin' better and let me worry about your well and don't let either one of us worry about money. You'll be all right.' Gave me a real good feeling when I wrote a big fat zero on the bottom of that man's invoice.".
Red knew that when he was the only game in town, a man with a wild well had nowhere else to go but him. Honour dictated that he never hurt a man by taking advantage of that situation.
The book clearly explains the drilling process, the dangers involved, and how to manage them. It also follows the development path Red followed in capping wild wells and (when the worst happened, and a well caught fire) how he put them out.
James ex BX 1.9
ex Xantia 2.0HDi SX
ex Xantia 2.0HDi LX
ex C5 2.0HDi VTR
ex C5 2.0HDi VTR
ex C5 2.2HDi VTX+
Yes, I am paranoid, but am I paranoid ENOUGH?
Out amongst the stars, looking for a world of my own!
I am adding a new book to the list, and I may well be accused of nepotism (which would not be wrong). My Mum has just had a new book published on the Kindle (and it is also available in paperback). "Granny Morgan's Quest", by Jenny Maxwell.
Some of her other books are also available on the Kindle, but I am not sure if I can name them here, as this would be advertising on behalf of a family member, and I don't know if this would breach Forum rules.
James ex BX 1.9
ex Xantia 2.0HDi SX
ex Xantia 2.0HDi LX
ex C5 2.0HDi VTR
ex C5 2.0HDi VTR
ex C5 2.2HDi VTX+
Yes, I am paranoid, but am I paranoid ENOUGH?
Out amongst the stars, looking for a world of my own!
