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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the reason UK holidays can be shit is not the weather but the traffic?

398 replies

MrsBede · 20/08/2021 21:51

....and it's much worse this year?

I went from the Midlands to North Wales a couple of weeks ago and it took twice as long as it should have both there and back. Just got back from London and it took about 90 minutes longer than it should have. For both these trips it wasn't just one delay, but several unrelated ones - for the former every step of the journey pretty much had long delays. For London it's just the M1 - that was slow going there for a long stretch and on the way back my SAtnav recommended a detour and that had delays too.

As well as this, my city is being dug up here there and everywhere - I can think of about 5 different local routes that all have roadworks on them and ensuing delays - one was the bloody slip road when I finally got off the motorway today!

It just spoils everything - we're going to Hampshire for a few days next week and the thought that the 3.5 hour trip is likely to be more like 6 is really putting me off and I half feel like cancelling, which is very unlike me indeed. I certainly expect some delays when going longish distances but AIBU to think this year has been worse than ever, and it's not fair! (Yes, I'm tired and very pissed off...)

OP posts:
Benjispruce5 · 21/08/2021 09:03

Hit not hot

lannistunut · 21/08/2021 09:03

@Badbadbunny

I don't live in a major city, although I live in a small city, and there are multiple swimming lessons all across the built up area.

When I lived in a small market town there were three choices.

When I lived in a rural village, there were none locally obviously.

Nearly 80% of people live in urban areas.

cricketmum84 · 21/08/2021 09:06

Of course roads are busier this year! Usually there are hundreds of thousands of us jetting off to other countries for our holidays. Now a lot of people are holidaying here ya know Cos of the pandemic?

I'm quite worried why you are surprised by this?

KatieB55 · 21/08/2021 09:07

Traffic to/from Devon & Cornwall on Fridays and Saturdays is awful and there is a lot of bad driving. I go regularly to visit family and it's painful. Trains are just too expensive, even booked in advance, and lack of public transport means I need a car when I get there.

PathOfLeastResitance · 21/08/2021 09:07

I’m just imagining using public transport when I’m going camping.
Oh hello inevitable rail replacement bus, just wait there whilst I drag tent, bedding, washing up equipment, cooking equipment, 4 humans, clothes, food, toiletries, chairs and table, wind break, mattresses and whatever else it is that fills my car on board.
Yep, I now need to reverse that process and transfer to a train for a couple of stops, get off, repeat process, drag it all over to a different platform, get another train (or maybe replacement bus, who knows, it’s all part of the fun experience of public transport!) then somehow transport all of that to the campsite, usually not on a public transport route. Maybe I’ll walk it and carry the stuff in a relay fashion.
Or maybe…. I’ll stick it all in the car?

purplesequins · 21/08/2021 09:08

tbh most people here are not talking about getting rid of the car in most cases but about reducing their use.

for journeys up to 5 miles consider taking the bike instead. if you go at 'dutch speed' there is no need to have a shower either end. campain for safe bike routes.
up to one mile is a good walking distance.

calculate what a car costs us (including parking, insurance, maintenance, petrol, tax, etc)
compared to train/bus tickets, taxi in emergencies, bike service.
it might be cheaper than owning a car and not much less convenient.

lannistunut · 21/08/2021 09:09

[quote AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii]@lannistunut but that sounds like you’re saying you want no one to have a car at all? That’s the posters I’m on about[/quote]
I have not said that anywhere.

Do I think the UK would be better with fewer cars and traffic? Yes certainly.

icedcoffees · 21/08/2021 09:09

I don't think they are going to vanish overnight, but my view is car-bashing is fine, because cars and traffic are shit.

But what do you think that achieves?

People who are lazy and selfish won't care what you think, so all you're doing is pissing off the people who have no choice.

MsWalterMitty · 21/08/2021 09:09

I live in the Lake District, one of my good friends lives in Ambleside... goodness knows why! Over priced houses and terrible summer traffic in and out. If we meet up I refuse to meet at her house in the summer 🙈

Equimum · 21/08/2021 09:10

I know it doesn't eradicate the problem, but can you try to make the journey part of the holiday. We know it's going to happen, so we tend to plan to make the most of it. This year, we deliberately stopped at Stone henge on our way to the West Country, which Disney make the actual trace time any shorter, but meant we felt as though we had achieved something. On the way back, we decided to beat the traffic and left at 5am. We were him, near the M25 by 11, as had missed the worst of the traffic.

Theunamedcat · 21/08/2021 09:12

I cant even get from one side of my town to the other without getting caught in a traffic jam

Whammyyammy · 21/08/2021 09:12

Uk holidays means shit weather, over priced sub standard accommodation, over priced food and drink, traffic chaos, no parking..... no thanks

icedcoffees · 21/08/2021 09:12

for journeys up to 5 miles consider taking the bike instead. if you go at 'dutch speed' there is no need to have a shower either end. campain for safe bike routes.up to one mile is a good walking distance

The Dutch don't have to worry about hills the way we do here in rural Cumbria.

And if I walked a mile from my house in pretty much any direction, I'd end up in the middle of a muddy farmers field or alongside a 60mpg country lane with no pavements Wink

AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii · 21/08/2021 09:13

@purplesequins and that’s fine if things are within 5 miles. My children’s school is only 3 miles away but I have to get straight to work for 8.30 to start visiting patients once I drop them off which is then 6 miles from my children’s school or wherever my first visit is which can be up to 15 miles+ away so not doable on a bike. If I was a SAHM I’d walk
Or bike

Watchingyouwazowski · 21/08/2021 09:13

I agree, OP. It took much longer than the sat nav originally suggested to get from our south to north destination yesterday. No specific hold ups just so much traffic!

lannistunut · 21/08/2021 09:14

@icedcoffees

I don't think they are going to vanish overnight, but my view is car-bashing is fine, because cars and traffic are shit.

But what do you think that achieves?

People who are lazy and selfish won't care what you think, so all you're doing is pissing off the people who have no choice.

It's not really my problem if a few people get pissed off because they think I am talking about them when I am not. I said upthread there are always people who can't do without a car, I am talking about situations where people could do without a car.

If people don't understand that difference, surely that is their failing.

In my street today, it is hard for kids to play out because there are many car movements. When I was a child, it was easy to play out because there were fewer car movements.

I don't have to hide my opinions because some people don't understand them. Nothing would ever change if we did that!

lanbro · 21/08/2021 09:16

@PyongyangKipperbang

I am TOTALLY with Katy Brand on this.

A Staycation is in fact NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!!! Its what was called, in WWII, a Holiday At Home. Day trips, paddling pools in the back garden, seeing bits of where you live that you've never bothered with before.

Leaving your home, driving, walking, biking, taking a train anywhere else is called a HOLIDAY!!

Absolutely agree 100%, sick of people saying staycation when they have actually gone on holiday!

We went to London, £140 return from Newcastle for 5 of us, plus about £7 for 3 of us unlimited travel on the tube and buses when we were there, and only took 3 hours compared to 6/7 hours drive on a straight run!

countrytown · 21/08/2021 09:16

I also think a lot of people are time poor so need the convenience of the car to get to work, help parents, drop dc off etc.

Theunamedcat · 21/08/2021 09:16

@purplesequins

tbh most people here are not talking about getting rid of the car in most cases but about reducing their use.

for journeys up to 5 miles consider taking the bike instead. if you go at 'dutch speed' there is no need to have a shower either end. campain for safe bike routes.
up to one mile is a good walking distance.

calculate what a car costs us (including parking, insurance, maintenance, petrol, tax, etc)
compared to train/bus tickets, taxi in emergencies, bike service.
it might be cheaper than owning a car and not much less convenient.

In my town its still cheaper to have a car plus of course our buses have an endearing habit of breaking down spilling diesel everywhere (twice right towards our waterways) and in extreme (but fairly regularly) burst into flames

It caused a huge amount of traffic chaos last week bursting into flames on one if the busiest roads we were stuck in traffic saw a bus being towed thought that was the "problem" then drove past the junction and realised no the one on tow wasn't the issue the one in flames was

I would use public transport if it was cheap reliable and went where I did sadly this does not happen here

notalwaysalondoner · 21/08/2021 09:18

The weather can ruin it, but the traffic certainly makes staying in the UK less worth it if you could get somewhere sunny in Europe for the same journey time (covid permitting). Our annual trip to Cornwall took 8 hours this year instead of the normal 3.5 hours. It just takes over a whole day of your trip each way and is so frustrating as unless you leave at 5am or 9pm (both of which we did on our second trip and had no delays) you just don’t know how long it will take…

TheSloaneRanger · 21/08/2021 09:19

@Whammyyammy

Uk holidays means shit weather, over priced sub standard accommodation, over priced food and drink, traffic chaos, no parking..... no thanks
Well, you are full of the joys aren't you Grin
IndiaMay · 21/08/2021 09:22

YANBU we went away for 4 nights starting monday, left the house at midday (you would think middle of monday the traffic would be low for holiday travel) a 2 hour journey took 3.5 hours. It was 4 coming back on the friday!

Ducksarenotmyfriends · 21/08/2021 09:22

Took me 7 hours to travel a 4 hour journey (visiting a parent with a life limiting condition). Would love to get the train but it's over £300 per person! Even looking at advanced bookings. Tried looking at a ticket splitting site but cheapest I could get it down to was a very complicated journey, several changes, taking over 8 hours and cost £250. Public transport system in this country is ridiculous, especially considering we're in a climate crisis.

Foxyloxy1plus1 · 21/08/2021 09:23

At the moment it feels like pretty much a perfect storm of shit weather, massive amounts of rail replacement buses, so a mess up rail system, road works everywhere and people wanting a holiday in this country.

I live on the south coast. I won’t be going to the beach though, because it’s massively overcrowded and you have to book a parking slot. Traffic all around has increased exponentially.

icedcoffees · 21/08/2021 09:24

I don't have to hide my opinions because some people don't understand them. Nothing would ever change if we did that!

Of course you don't, but I don't think it'll achieve what you seem to think it will.

If you care so much about people using their cars less, then do something practical about it instead.