Trapped by traffic, anyone else?

I walked into town earlier (about 25 mins) and was planning on getting the bus back. However there was such a queue at the petrol station down the hill, with a long tailback of traffic unable to get past, I thought the bus home would take forever, instead of 10 minutes max.

So I actually bought a book in The Works (v. cheap) to read on the way home, but as it happened the bus sensibly made a diversion to avoid the queue. PITA for anyone at the bus stops it missed though.

It’s rather a good book - so far, at least - by an author I’d never heard of. ?

I have seen not a single queue for petrol around here but we were trapped this morning on a narrow 60mph road by a car travelling at 30mph. Now I understand that if you are new to an area of narrow twisty roads with amazing scenery you might wish to tootle along at 30mph but if there is a queue of over 20 cars behind you why, oh why, not pull over to let everyone else past?

Shandy57 well done for taking the wood pigeon to the vet. Kindness to animals is never to be underestimated especially in these times where humans are busy trashing the environment.

Around us, edge of the Cotswolds, the roads are now permanently jammed and it's much worse since the supposed end of lockdown. Impossible to go anywhere, racing traffic down narrow lanes and grid locked main roads. No point trying to go anywhere!

I queued for over two hours (in South London) to fill up the car (which was nearly on empty). The entire road was blocked both ways from top to bottom. This lasted from 6am to 8pm, when the pumps ran dry again. It was marked up on the AA road map as road closed. It certainly was.

Shandy57

Having walked everywhere to save my diesel, I've just had to do a twelve mile round trip to take a poorly wood pigeon to the vets. I rang the closest vet to see if they could help - got an answering machine message 'sorry we can't answer at the moment, send us an email'? Glad I'm not with them.

I'm glad I still have half a tank, I have run out in the past because of a faulty gauge on a really dangerous fast country road. I'd picked up a hitchhiker, she wasn't happy!

Shandy47.
Did you walk or drive to get a wood pigeon to the vets?

If you drove, then I think you are foolish.
If you walked, then even more foolish.

Gridlocked in our village again when I went to the chemist, social media again!
I voluntary drive, with others, a couple of our drivers are down to their last 30 miles, this may mean not providing hospital lifts.

Put fuel in my bike on Sunday. I have to use E5 as she is a 'mature' model, like her owner.
I was horrified at the price: it was £1.49 a litre, much more than a few weeks ago. It used to cost me about a tenner for fuel for her, this time it was just short of 15 quid - a 50% increase. Someone is profiteering methinks......

Having walked everywhere to save my diesel, I've just had to do a twelve mile round trip to take a poorly wood pigeon to the vets. I rang the closest vet to see if they could help - got an answering machine message 'sorry we can't answer at the moment, send us an email'? Glad I'm not with them.

I'm glad I still have half a tank, I have run out in the past because of a faulty gauge on a really dangerous fast country road. I'd picked up a hitchhiker, she wasn't happy!

I regularly get trapped in my home, or am unable to get back to it, as I live by a primary school in a road which is a cul-de-sac! At least now I'm retired I can plan ahead when to go out and come back, though I still sometimes forget and get caught out. You'd think I'd have learnt by now after living here 18years!

The filling station in my road only had about 6-8 cars queuing this morning, things appear to be settling down.

BlueBalou be careful what you wish for I'm in London suburbs and today i can't leave the house to go anywhere due to queues I've cancelled dinner out. How much longer?

I have enough fuel for 12 miles, I cannot risk driving to my nearest town (9 miles) for fuel - the next nearest is 16 miles ??‍♀️ so what the hell do I do? My nearest town has some fuel at one petrol station, non at the other 4.
All I do know is that we’re definitely moving now. Living rurally may be beautiful but it’s just not worth the worry.

HannahLois
I know of at least 2 cars that are running around on red diesel.

Well, this should show up whether or not all the trouble and expense of installing cycle lanes is worthwhile. Why are the roads not jammed with cyclists instead of all the queues at the petrol pumps? The government and petrol bosses should never have mentioned anything about shortage of tanker drivers and we would have just plowed on thinking petrol stations were being a bit slow at refuelling.

Thinking of the emergency vehicles, wouldn’t it make sense for ambulance and fire stations to have their own fuel pumps?
Growing up on a farm we had a red diesel pump for the tractors, as far as I remember the underground tank was filled up from a tanker which my father ordered when needed.

I can't understand why they allow containers to be filled in a crisis, nearest Asda in this area allowed somebody to fill 10 containers, while queues built up all around.

We live on a main road that goes to a school and today it was noticeably less cars on the school run and a great many more walking. Me, I am out on my electric bike doing my shopping etc.

I’m am hoping to go to my GS and family for dinner on Thursday but every route to his house 20 mins away has numerous petrol stations and plenty of roundabouts can’t say I’m looking forward to that journey. Sounds like I’m not the only one with problems I might cancel if things haven’t improved.

Just heard that the filling station in our road has got extra forecourt staff, and a dedicated lane for blue light vehicles along with emergency workers, medics etc., (have to show ID)

Our main town in Hertford is bad enough, it wasn't designed for the volume of traffic that passes through on the way to somewhere else and is regularly congested, but the outlying part where I live is diabolical. It used to be a separate village many moons ago and the roads leading to it were meant for sheep and cattle, not cars and lorries! What we really need for the whole town is a bypass, but that has been mooted for donkeys' years well before we came to live here and nothing has happened yet. We are also at the top of a very steep hill and in winter the gritting lorries can't get to us so it is doubly hazardous. And now the petrol situation! There is no local petrol station, thank goodness, but the nearest ones about 5 miles away are both on roundabouts and the queues are making any trip very dangerous as they all tail back onto very busy roundabouts and A roads. I think I'll hibernate with Joey the tortoise until it's all over......

I must live in the most civilised place in Britain.

Went out for coffee today, no holds ups anywhere.
Drove by the Tesco Express on the way home. A couple of cars by the pumps so called in.
Man filling up his car in front of me. Got out to get my bag from the boot.

Hello
Hello
Weathers a bit better today
Yes, yesterday was awful.
I’ve just got to go in and get milk. I’ll be quick.
No problem. I’m not in a hurry.

Filled up. One car behind me.

Drove off.

Or perhaps I’m still asleep and dreaming????‍♂️

Yep. I am supposed to be somewhere right now but the roads were gridlocked by petrol queues so I came home. All I was doing was burning the quarter tank I still have getting nowhere fast. Can't even take the bus as it's the same route and jammed. Same for getting to the station to take a train. More importantly it's the only road to the hospital, the main A&E for a huge area. I don't blame people. They need petrol for work. I was just visiting someone and it can wait but it's emergency services I worry about and people needing to get to important appointments. Believe it or not, while I was stuck in the queue, a big 4x4 a few cars back, mounted the pavement and drove about 200 metres along the pavement it to get to his turn off. It's making people reckless.

The main road out of our valley runs past the one and only petrol station. After a few early hiccups and traffic jams, I cannot fault the service station staff for the way in which they came out to direct the traffic and put up signs. Now all very organised and running smoothly, if more slowly.

We have had the water main burst in four separate places in my road over the last three weeks. Chaos for days on end with temporary lights etc. We had horrendous queues for the filling station on Friday and then again Saturday afternoon after they had a delivery.

One of the consequences of living on a main road, after 33 years we are immune to traffic issues. It’s also a hill so winter ice and snow makes for interesting (but scary) views.

Annsixty Thanks, I needed a smile.