To think it shouldn't take me over an hour to drive five miles

[glowingemberfire]

Traffic in my hometown is famous for being bad but lately with the bad weather it's an utter nightmare. Using the car for anything - DCs hobbies, the supermarket or even going to work! - involves creeping along stopping starting stopping starting.

I feel close to screaming with it today and feel like I can't go anywhere as we get stuck in a jam.

Is it this bad everywhere!?

[Yokohamajojo]

I live in zone 4 in London, take the tube to work - 30 min door to door, on tube strike day I can either go by overground or bus instead. Ferrying kids to activities by car most days and very rarely sit in any traffic, so London isn't that bad

[Holstein]

Our school run of 3.5 miles used to take over an hour. We moved!

[ohtheholidays]

It was a Morrisons supermarket that one of our local buses nearly went into thanks to the local council being to tight to grit all the roads and this was on one of the main roads leading from the local town.

[mudandmayhem01]

Friends in London just don't bother owning a car, cheaper and easier to use public transport, an occasional cab and a rent a car/ or a car club for holidays/ trips to Ikea. Not having the annual running costs of a car pays for a lot of taxis!

[sharoncarol43]

Public transport in London isn't bad. its relatively cheap, and is mostly reliable, as long as you don't try and get on the central line in the rush hour, or something like that!

[Postchildrenpregranny]

I'm amazed someone up- thread thought public transport in London was bad. I've just spent three days there using buses and tubes and I think its brilliant (compared to the Midlands) . Never waited more than ten minutes .It's also good in Manchester
Admittedly I wasnt going to work in the worst of the rush hour

[Postchildrenpregranny]

DD1 cycles everywhere in London She says she would have to leave(she really means 'get up' ) at least an hour earlier if she drove to work. The buses in Outer London are OK though, as the bus lanes are usually quite effective

[CantSee4Looking]

You would hate my life mud I regularly have a 50 mile plus one way commute. My car is a god send.

[mudandmayhem01]

When I am queen of the world no able bodied person would be allowed to drive if the distance was under 2 miles ( there maybe occasional exceptions for heavy shopping) Not driving on a daily basis is an absolute key aspect to my quality of life. An hour in a traffic jam is a wasted hour, an hour on a bike is a work out. I feel really sorry for people on this thread who don't have any choice but to drive ( due many to poor public transport and cycling infrastructure) It could happen to me ie a change of job or ds not getting into a local school and I think I would cry at the thought of a regular car commute on Britains roads.

[CantSee4Looking]

It does have its perks ikea

Nope pointed them out to the nearest cafe where a good proper fry up could be acquired

[glowingemberfire]

Oh no, the poor Londoner! I hope you showed proper northern hospitality and invited him back for a cup of tea! (Joke!)

But I do love Warrington.

[Kpo58]

Try my journey to work. 1.5 hours sitting on the bus to go... 4 miles! Has several times taken 2.5 to 3 hours.

[CantSee4Looking]

Once met a lost londoner, waiting for a bus. They'd just missed one and was going to catch the next one. Was going to be a very cold 2 hour wait. They then asked about the train which left the same time as the bus but at the other end of the town. It was almost cruel to be educating them.
Public transport? it apparently exists but I am beginning to think it is just a legend

[CantSee4Looking]

glowing

[glowingemberfire]

I love Warrington if we could move half the people who live there out!

[CantSee4Looking]

I live in Warrington, do any of you know it? I'm considering emigrating! hang on a mo this is normal isn't it? Most people in Warrington are considering escaping no? and that is just cos of the shit weather

A6 rush hour 1 mile in 1 hr. You could walk the mile faster. I refuse to drive this road and have sucessfully managed to avoided it for a rather large no of years. Apparently this situation has not improved though.

[glowingemberfire]

I know London is a nightmare for traffic but on the upside public transport is much better - it's just not the same in the frozen north!

[NewBallsPlease00]

M6 carpark for me everyday; leave at 615 be at desk for 7, or leave at 745 and get in any time around 10... I have to be at work for 9
Then repeat on ththe way home; leave at 7, home by 8, leave at 5, home by er..8
I finish at 5
It has got this bad in last 6 months as there seems to be no strategy on anything joined up with roadworks, so everyone is channeller same way then add inevitable weather or accident issues... Such fun

[sharoncarol43]

wouldn't work for you then.. maybe a few of you need to get onto the council and start pressurising them, better bus services might help with the congestion!

I'm in London, so many roads gridlocked much of the time, but we tend to know ways round it by bus/walking/going early or just making allowances for journey time, and having some work to be getting on with in the bag.

[glowingemberfire]

In Warrington the bus routes aren't very organised. You would need to get two or even three buses for something ten minutes away - or should be ten minutes in normal traffic!

We live in a place called Appleton and DC do an event in a place called Penketh; we would need to get a bus from Appleton to Warrington town centre and then another bus to Penketh. Then I would need to sit around waiting for them rather than going to ikea quiet time in the car. Then two buses back.

Plus buses are expensive!

[sharoncarol43]

But there would be the same issues with public transport: we would still be stuck in traffic just on a bus!

But on a bus you can get out and walk the last couple of miles, varied according to weather, and amount to be carried.

I'm a bus travelled, and frequently get out and walk in traffic jams, passing fuming colleagues in their cars on the way!

[glowingemberfire]

It really does sirzy!

[Sirzy]

I don't envy you, I have a few friends who live there and it's a pain to drive when traffic is bad.

Any slight problem on the m6 and it becomes gridlocked

[londonrach]

I once spent 3 hours driving 0 miles when in london. In the midlands now i try and avoid 8.30-9.15 and 3-4.30 in my car as its worse than london.

[Purplestarssparkle]

Dont venture that far south op due to traffice nearest to me is the new aldi sigh and it causes so traffic as they have not bothered to do a left turn only for the exit so the car park gets backed up and the main road even though if you go left at the exit theres a large roundabout 100 yards down the road many a time i have dropprd dh off near the roundabout to walk the rest of the way to work so he wouldnt be late think sat navs havent helped as when warrington is gridlocked the locals cant use the back roads as they get clogged up too sigh