M25 gridlock 'insoluble jam'
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by David Craik • Few truck drivers believe that widening the M25 would do anything to ease congestion; they reckon the Government should look at other ways to end the gridlock, according to a Commercial Motor poll.
Drivers CM spoke to at Clackett Lane Services believe that M25 delays are more likely to be reduced by an increase in the HGV speed limit, changes to the junction system and more emphasis on rail freight. But most see it as an increasing problem which won't go away.
Behaviour
Mick Jones, who drives for BRS, says that M25 congestion is especially bad at this time of year when children are off school.
"More lanes will not help," he fears, especially when it comes to changing car drivers' behaviour. "Cars refuse to go on the inside lane at the moment," says Jones. "They will not change their behaviour if there are more lanes."
He has to set off on his journey at 04:00hrs to make sure he can deliver on time because of the congestion.
Raymond Smith. driving for Superdrug, aired the most common view of the drivers: "Take everything off the road, that will ease things. If you extend the M25 even to 24 lanes there will still be a bottleneck somewhere." He reckons that congestion is getting worse because there is simply more traffic on the road.
Tim Farrenden, a driver for Norman Offer Transport, would only welcome an extension to the M25 if any extra lanes were reserved for HOY& Martin Baker, driving for Derek Linch Haulage out of Romney Marsh, says that the four lanes currently used at Junction 10 on the A3 proves that expanding the M25 to four lanes will not help.
"Congestion is as bad as ever there," he says, adding that the only real solution to congestion would be to raise the speed limit for lorries from the current 56mph to 60tnph.
"Fify-six is a joke," he says. "Everything gets held up. The problems are cars in the middle lane travelling at 40-50mph."
Early
He expressed a common worry among drivers that congestion is forcing them to miss just-intime deliveries. For example, he recently had an 09:00hrs drop at High Wycombe but did not make it until 10:30hrs.
"You have to set off early or you have had it," he says.
Eric Stevenson, driving for Mark Doel Transport, echoes that view: "Congestion is getting worse, cars hog the centre lanes, and speed limits should be up to 60mph," he says. Paul Worster, a driver for DJ Hann, predicts that a wider M25 would simply attract more traffic. "What you should do," he says," is to make more exits on the motorway and less entrances."
Roger Williams, driving for Wells Soft Drinks, also feels that the main problem with the M25 is that too many junctions were built. He advocates the growing use of railfreight: "There is a limit to what this country can take on the road," he says.
More traffic
Terry Davies, a driver with Meechers of Southampton, says the argument that more roads equals more traffic is wrong, but he still thinks a widening would not ease congestion. "What would happen is that there would be a distribution of vehicles on to the new roads," he predicts.