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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be considering leaving my job because of this?

220 replies

fadedafternoons · 28/11/2019 07:45

I live in a village about 5 miles from work.

There are ongoing roadworks just outside the village meaning road closures and diversions.

It isn’t an exaggeration to say that at peak times it’s like an island, no one can get in or out. It takes me an hour and a half to get to work. Coming home is hit and miss.

I’m utterly sick to death of it.

AIBU?

OP posts:
plightofthealbatross · 29/11/2019 18:58

The A14 nightmare is alive and well here, too, OP. No end in sight ... and it all seems to be so that eventually people travelling through Cambridgeshire aren't inconvenienced, while the locals will continue to be tortured with longer, slower journeys.

Rockhopper10 · 29/11/2019 19:13

Cycle???

Its13oclock · 29/11/2019 19:24

I’m in the same situation with HS fucking 2. It’s not all the time but a repeated main road closure changes my 30 min journey into 1.5/2hrs. Alternative is two buses and a train, one bus still gets caught in the traffic caused by the closure.

egontoste · 29/11/2019 19:33

Adding my sympathies too. I unwittingly got stuck in an hour's jam very early one Sunday morning a few weeks ago. You'd think at that time of day it wouldn't be too bad, but it was awful. I dread to think what it's like in the rush hour.

My regular route to and from work was roadworks hell for two years, with the only alternatives totally gridlocked every day. There was one occasion when all the diversion routes were closed as well. Literally all closed, and all with diversion signs pointing at each other and drivers ending up in dead-end villages. It was only my knowledge of farm tracks that got me home at all.

PlumsGalore · 29/11/2019 19:39

Five miles? I would drive as far as i could then walk. Force me to get some chub off.

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 29/11/2019 20:31

Can you cut your hours for a temporary period, due to stress. If it’s making you so stressed that it’s affecting your health, then you might get support from personnel or health. If you can’t afford to do that, is there anyone else in your work that is affected by the traffic. Maybe you could work around each other, taking it in turns to work late, while the other finishes early?

Vanhi · 29/11/2019 20:36

Presumably once the roadworks are finished you'll have a bypass or something which in the long term will improve traffic in your village?

Unfortunately, bypasses don't work. You just create induced demand and it gets worse again.

I lived in a Cambridge village for years. I once tried cycling along the A14. Once. I'm an experienced cyclist and there is no way in hell I'd do it again. This was before google maps had photographed everything and you could check where you were going in advance.

I would speak to local cyclists OP and consider an ebike. You could comfortably do the 8 miles it takes to avoid the A14 in 40 minutes but you would need good lights. You might be able to find a buddy cyclist to help you out. Plenty of non-cyclists are aghast at the cycling I do and think it's impossible but I think nothing of it.

And for anyone unfamiliar with it, the A14 near Cambridge is motorway in all but name (and regs). It is 6 lanes of hell.

FelicisNox · 29/11/2019 20:44

YABVU. Cue: harsh response alert.

Clearly this situation is not ideal and I do sympathise but in theory it should be fairly short term.

I'm sure it's not helpful to say so but I'm going to say it anyway: others face this issue every day, also, you're clearly exaggerating to say coming home is hit and miss. This remark suggests you sometimes don't get home at all and I don't believe that for one minute. 😂

You would be moaning if essential works were NOT being done and your roads turned into a death trap.

Stop being such a drama queen. 😉

Justontherightsideofnormal · 29/11/2019 21:43

My assumption is you don’t live in a village. Electric bike? £1k to buy and those 8 mile county roads will be a lot easier

Aridane · 30/11/2019 09:24

What are your colleagues doing?

PTW1234 · 30/11/2019 12:11

I feel your pain, I have just changed my hours at work. 3 years ago it was a 30 minute drive, now it will regularly take 1-5/2 hours. My commute has had numerous road works over the years to make improvements, but sadly it just seems to have made it worse!!!!

I now drive 10 miles in the opposite direction to join the motorway higher up, and start 30 minutes later at work. This mean I can set off a whole 1.5 hours later than what I was before as the peak traffic has calmed down... it has done wonders for my mental health so far, before it was like torture

SiliconHeaven · 30/11/2019 19:05

The highways England website has detailed info about which sections of road are going to be closed.
Plus it started in November 2016 and is going to be finished next year, so hang in there...
highwaysengland.co.uk/a14-cambridge-to-huntingdon-improvement-scheme-about/

Defenbaker · 30/11/2019 23:56

OP you have my sympathy, that sounds soul destroying. I've had a similar situation going on for nearly a year, where various road and motorway works have doubled my journey to work, and some of them are not due to finish for another 18 months. I've put in a request to change my hours to avoid peak times, and am waiting to hear back from my boss.

Have you talked to your boss about working reduced hours or perhaps condensing 5 days into 4, until the road project completes? Without knowing your field of work it's hard to know if this is feasible, but it might be worth asking.

You say your normal route is around 5 miles - that is doable by walking. Or perhaps you could get one of those adult (foldup?) scooters that are popular with London commuters. It might be possible to navigate through the roadworks easily with a mixture of walking and 2 wheels, although it's not ideal weather for it.

Do you have a partner or friend who could drop you to the roadworks to shorten the walk a little? Do you have a partner who can afford to support you if you give up work until the project finishes (next year, according to a pp above). Or savings to tide you over for a year or so?

YANBU to feel totally fed up with the situation, but YABU not to share a bit more info, so that people can offer advice that may be more relevant for you.

Vanhi · 01/12/2019 06:46

You say your normal route is around 5 miles - that is doable by walking.

In a later post the OP clarified that it's 5 miles if you go on the motorway (she may mean the stretch of the A14 that's 6 lanes). The non-motorway route is 8 miles. Still quite doable with a bike or ebike, but I wouldn't want to walk 16 miles a day everyday, especially at this time of year!

Ated · 01/12/2019 16:11

6.45 am is rush hour time for commuters. Try starting 15 minutes earlier each day until you find the best time. When I commuted the best time to hit certain spots was before 06.00 am or otherwise have patience in jams as everybody started for work at that time. In the end, I left at 05.00 am and flew into work, got parked easily, had coffee, breakfast, read the paper, sent and answered emails and was refreshed when everyone else came in stressed.

Defenbaker · 01/12/2019 22:25

@Vanhi - I noticed that M word, but others have implied that maybe it's not an actual motorway but instead a very busy A road, so it may still have a footpath of sorts at the side (unlike a motorway), and with the roadworks slowing traffic to a crawl it may be passable for pedestrians, at least in part. If OP provides more info it might be easier to make practical suggestions.

I agree that an 8 mile walk each way is hard core, but I walk around 3 miles in all weathers most days, sometimes 5 miles, and find it very doable, despite being a bit overweight and years older than OP, so I feel she might manage it, depending on her fitness level.

Rockmeamaryllis · 02/12/2019 07:21

If we are talking about the A14, there are no footpaths, and currently cyclists aren’t allowed to cycle along it, as it’s too dangerous with the roadworks.

RamonatheMisunderstood · 02/12/2019 07:36

I’m on our Parish Council and every week our Clerk emails us the list of roadworks in the area. Could you approach your Paris Council and ask if they could publish the list on Facebook and/or their website? Also it might be worth approaching your Parish Council and Ward Councillors who might be able to tell you how long it’s going it’s all going to last.

ThanksAllTheSame · 02/12/2019 07:38

I do feel for you with roadworks because it is soul destroying sitting in traffic BUT a long commute and being out of the house for 12-14 hours is quite standard amongst my friends and colleagues and we all survive, so I think you are being a tiny bit over-dramatic about that. Hopefully you figure out a solution soon though.

RingtheBells · 02/12/2019 10:22

We don’t really know enough details like which roadworks, type of job and pay as obviously being out of the house for 12 to 14 hrs is not so bad if you earn £50k but quite soul destroying if you earn £10k

Original poster
fadedafternoons · 02/12/2019 10:22

I’m amazed this is still going.

I don’t have a spare £1000 to spend on an e bike.

Walking would take 2 and a half hours there and back. In the pitch black with a laptop. No thanks Smile

I can’t somehow park my car in the roadworks Hmm the queues start as soon as I leave my street.

It is one of those things and will resolve itself in time I am sure but for those who think I’m being dramatic look at local people’s accounts of the current hell we are all experiencing.

OP posts:
Aridane · 02/12/2019 10:47

If you can afford to live without the salary, go for it

If not suck it up. The 12 hour 15 minute day, including travel, is something some of us would consider aspirational!

ConnorRipley · 02/12/2019 10:54

I can’t believe people are seriously suggesting walking 16 miles a day in the dark!

It would take a couple of hours to walk 8 miles - the issue is how long it’s taking OP to get into work so that’s hardly a solution.

“Just drop £1k on an electric bike” WTF? Apart from the cost, maybe OP doesn’t have anywhere to store an electric bike.

Honestly MN boggles my mind sometimes.

Original poster
fadedafternoons · 02/12/2019 10:54

Sigh. You do that, then, and leave me to my little unimportant world where I like to see my family sometimes.

OP posts:
Original poster
fadedafternoons · 02/12/2019 10:55

Sorry connor, cross post Smile

OP posts:
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