Funeral processions

Not so much funeral processions its certainly very rare in my area I can’t remember the last time I saw one, years ago, but
I m always very impressed how all the drivers (and I ve never seen one not) move to one side to let police or ambulances etc through

We do have a travellers site here and occasionally there is a funeral which can be lengthy and involve carriages and carts. Its not a problem these folk have lived here for a very long time and cause no problems at all.

Lots of funeral processions near me, they only go really slowly in the street the person lived in and then speed up once they are onto main roads. I don’t very often see people stop and stand still by side of the road but cars seem respectful.

We have at least one a week here. Our Roman Catholic Church is on a main road at a large roundabout and ten minutes away from the cemetery. Most drivers are respectful, and allow cars out of the church car park, but the processions tend to do 30 mph and don't hold things up.

I remember processions in the mining town, in which my mother was brought up. People walked behind the hearse to the cemetery.
Why my uncle died down the pits, the whole town processed behind the hearse.

We have a cemetery just up the road from us, and I think pretty much everyone is very respectful when there is a funeral procession. This has reminded me of when my dad died and we were following the hearse - it happened to coincide with the shift end at the local pit and all the miners were streaming out to walk home. Without exception, as the hearse passed, they all took off their caps and bowed their heads. I found it incredibly touching and still do, more than 40 years later.

Nothing like that here OP.
I sometimes see a hearse and maybe one or two cars following behind it but haven’t seen anyone stop or take a hat off ( not many wear hats now). Think that would only happen in the street where the deceased person lived tbh.
Wow, 100 kl or more, that really is a long way to go.

recently saw two horse drawn hearses in procession, which must be very expensive.
these were 2 different occasions, in same quite poor area of council housing.

For my husband’s recent funeral, the funeral director walked in the road, in front of the hearse until it, and the four family cars following, were all out of our road on to the main road. No other driver would have dared to overtake or cut in.
The funeral director then got into the hearse, and the cortege drove at a reasonable speed, 25mph in a 30mph area. After half a mile there is a roundabout, and the whole procession was able to enter and leave the roundabout together. I was really impressed with the respect shown by other drivers. (There were’t many pedestrians around. )

BigBertha1

We do have a travellers site here and occasionally there is a funeral which can be lengthy and involve carriages and carts. Its not a problem these folk have lived here for a very long time and cause no problems at all.

Oh we had a traveller funeral here a few weeks ago. It was magnificent.

Four black horses with plumes and harness pulling the carriage, professional mourners in top hats walking alongside and a mute at the front with his long staff.

Additional carriages with mourners loaded with flowers.

I don’t want any kind of funeral but if I did I’d have one like that. It stopped the whole town but nobody minded. Or if they did they didn’t show it.

Usually it’s only one car following the hearse so no hold up really.

Cabbie21

For my husband’s recent funeral, the funeral director walked in the road, in front of the hearse until it, and the four family cars following, were all out of our road on to the main road. No other driver would have dared to overtake or cut in.
The funeral director then got into the hearse, and the cortege drove at a reasonable speed, 25mph in a 30mph area. After half a mile there is a roundabout, and the whole procession was able to enter and leave the roundabout together. I was really impressed with the respect shown by other drivers. (There were’t many pedestrians around. )

My husband's funeral procession was very much the same.I did to see any pedestrians stopping though
At my sister's funeral in South London a few years ago, pedestrians bowed their heads and some made the Sign of the Cross along the route.

I think where I've lived the pattern has been to go slowly along the street where the person lived, steadily buy not very slowly through town, at normal road speed between towns, back to steadily, then slow on the approach to the church or crem.

When my Dad died, nearly 40 years ago, the only thing that I remember about the cortege journey was when a lone pedestrian took his hat off as we passed. It was the most moving bit of the day.

There’s a big crematorium near here,,but I’ve never seen a procession as such, and the road is a major dual carriageway, so nobody is realistically going to expect everyone to slow down behind a hearse.

OTOH when I was sitting outside a pub in Tooting (SW London) after a covid jab last year, I saw a horse-drawn hearse go by - black-plumed horses, attendants in top hats, the lot. A spectacular sight on an otherwise very mundane afternoon.

A homeless guy died here a while back - a real character with quite a reputation. He lived in a church doorway near me and always gave my little grandson a pound coin as we walked past. We would talk about art. Fascinating man. I lived by choice in a tent for a while and he loved to discuss that. Told me he could never live indoors again. He collapsed in the doorway from a drug overdose. His family arranged for his funeral carriage, pulled by two magnificent black horses with head plumes, to be pulled through the town centre past his 'home' and everyone was silent and sad.

I think taking a patient to a hospital appointment or to A&E would be valid reasons for passing a funeral procession. I assume ambulances do it.

I live near a large firm of undertakers and have hearses going past me down our quiet road on a regular basis. I always stop, face the road and bow my head. It's a common courtesy, which I was taught as a child.

In our small village ten mins walk away the local church has funerals nearly every week. The whole village is in chaos with all the traffic and comes to a stand still. I think people in cars etc drive on as soon as possible and pedestrians do too.

I live close to a church and will often see funerals... rarely a procession as such but the hearse followed by cars.
I will always stop as they pass.
When it was my Dad's funeral, I remember 2 police officers at the side of the road, they both removed their helmets and bowed heads as we passed.
That gesture really affected me.