Tractors should not be on main roads at peak commuter time. AIBU

[Hoolajerry]

We live in a relatively rural town which traditionally has a large farming community. We have very poor public transport links. We have one major road which bypasses the town and is approximately 30 minutes to a major motorway. Without fail whenever you travel on this road there are tractors. In the morning there can be significant tailbacks 20+ cars long. Unfortunately the road does not lend itself to overtaking (amongst one of the most dangerous in the country). It also does not have many pull-in places and even if they do you will meet another one fairly soon.
I had this conversation with DH and he said that as a rural community they have a right to be there whenever they like. However, these are not small business tractors as per traditional farms, they are massive contractors who have set-up in the last 10 years who are therefore based significant distances from the farms they serve. One in particular is very new and has bought up swathes of land throughout the locality and has its base 2 miles from the motorway but comes all the way to our town it what seems to be a constant stream.
I know that I am being slightly unreasonable so this is a little lighthearted but it pisses me off that everyday my journey to work is taken at a snails pace following bloody tractors. AIBU?

Guaranteed most will say yabu, but I agree with you really. It's so annoying especially when they wont move off the road and hold everyone up. Someone got pulled over for it a while back and fined by the police.

Is there such thing as the tractor police?
Yabu. Perhaps the tractor drivers find all you busy busy commuters a proper pita blocking up the road when he only wants to go 5 miles down to his field.

Yabu . Very unreasonable.

It’s not light hearted either. They are providing the food you eat. And we should all be patient. I witnessed a fatal crash some years ago when a twat was determined to overtake irrespective that there was no room.

Although I do officially, and truthfully, think they have every right to be on the road whenever they need to be, I also find it annoying at rush hour. We are both being unreasonable though 😊.

It’s hugely annoying and I hate getting stuck behind tractors but they are working so I don’t think you can really ban them

It is annoying but honestly yabu. I have the same problem but I leave earlier so ensure I get to work on time.

Yanbu. If it’s that unsafe a road I imagine representations have been made to the council to make it safer to the extent that’s a possibility?

Sympathies though - both my parents and in laws live down country lanes about 4 miles from the motorway. Sometimes we can cover 96 miles there in just over an hour(ish!) then spend 20 mins covering the final 4...

Perhaps the tractor drivers find all you busy busy commuters a proper pita blocking up the road when he only wants to go 5 miles down to his field.

But it's not just five miles, it's not his field and it's not just him. Depending on the time of year there will be multiple.

Don’t they pull over regularly to allow traffic past?

God yes!!! See also : learner drivers. Between my house and my work are 16 roundabouts. Fml. I know everyone needs to learn to drive but seriously at 825 when everyone has somewhere to be?! So YANBU

They're the people growing the food we eat. Cut them some slack!

There's a major trunk route near where I live, with very large farms on either side of the road. Both farmers use the road for all sorts of heavy machinery. I'm often held up in queues on this road because of tractors etc, so I just allow a bit more time for the "tractor factor".

They don't cause as much of a hold up as the impatient drivers on the same road who end up crashing because they're overtaking dangerously. One of those killed a motorcyclist a few weeks ago, and caused a queue that took 4 hours to clear.

Sadly YABU. I live rurally too, half an hour from the nearest dual carriageway and an hour from a motorway so I do get your frustrations, tractors go past the house at all hours of the day and into the small hours of the night but we need farmers to do what they do. They often work long hours and I am pretty sure they are not out on the roads for the sheer hell of it.

I do know I'm being slightly unreasonable. My extended family are farmers so I do have some empathy (except when I'm in a hurry!)
I am sure the council will have had many complaints. Whoever granted that licence (for the new one) should be fired. It should have stipulated the road needed widening before increasing the volume of traffic so significantly.

Some drivers are nice and will pull over to let a stream of cars go through, but others don’t seem to care. This could be said of many slow drivers though! They do have an obligation under the Highway Code to let traffic through so yanbu when they don’t. I think most times of year they could easily wait for rush hour to pass but harvest time is not one of them. I’m not surprised they go out when they need to due to the long hours.
So, not sure. It’s just one of those things you have to deal with in rural areas.

You are being unreasonable. My commute has tractors making a guest appearance. Meh. People working. So what.

We have tractor bans on the main roads in our region at rush hour for exactly this reason, so it can be done.

Oddly tractors don't annoy me because I know they are providing me with food but caravans do.

Yep, YABU...

The flashy big jobs these days can do 40 easily so they shouldn't be holding you up THAT much...

There is a very simple solution though.... get yaself a job driving a tractor.

Problem solved, I am a genius.

Not sure why you getting to work takes priority.

They are trying to do a job.

Likes cheap food, doesn't like tractors. 🤷

YANBU. If they have set up recently and they are not actually working on their own properties but rather acting in a business capacity I would imagine they’d be classed as a nuisance. Peak times tend to be really short on ritual roads as well (we use one ourselves, I’d say there are about 2 hours max that I would describe as oral at the beginning and end of the working day) so it could be easily avoided. I would complain to the council and ask for more pulling in places, maybe even attempt to convince whoever is in charge of the toad that it needs to be improved (although that will take forever).

It's harvest time. It happens at pretty much the same time every year. Given that it's not exactly a surprise, maybe you should leave a bit earlier at this time of year?

When they don't pull in when they can, you might have a point. Otherwise it's a really selfish view. Farmers work incredibly had to produce the food we eat and I'd rather be held up for a few minutes than be a dick and moan that they're making me late. Don't live in a rural community if you're not willing to be understanding about the things that go on in it. And learn to leave earlier in your journey Tom accommodate for time sat in traffic.

I've no problem with the tractors, they are working to provide something we all need.

My problem is the gaggles of lycra-clad hobby cyclists. Two abreast in numerous groups cycling 20m apart. Going miles and miles down rural A roads with no possibility of traffic safely passing them.

That should be illegal.