Re: Motorwayphobia was driving theory

[Guest guest]

>come on Caroline!! its OK when you get used to it

>Angi

>passed test 1 July 1999 at 37 weeks pg...

>former m/way phobic!

>(in fact the first time I drove alone on the m/way was to get to Cerys's

>inaugural onelist coffee do!)

Which was only a couple of months after your test, which is pretty good

going seeing as you were on your own with 2 children!

The first time I drove on a Mway was about 2 weeks after my test in August

1988 - it was a nightmare! Out for a drive with my Mum and Grandma, we

decided it would be a good opportunity to give me a go at Mway driving, so

came home via the M5, just one junction, between Bridgwater and Taunton.

Minor point, that we'd overlooked, it was August Bank Holiday weekend - and

this is the main route down to Devon/Cornwall - the traffic was awful. I

left the motorway, shaking and vowed never to drive on one again.

And I didn't for over 2 years, despite being very confident driving on dual

carriageways and driving quite long distances. Then at Christmas 1990, Rob

and I were going up north to visit friends and we decided to share the

driving. I did the first bit, from Taunton to Bristol... through torrential

rain and almost nil visibility! We stopped at the services there to swap

over, and I burst into floods of tears, and wouldn't get back into the

driving seat for the rest of the journey.

I then managed to avoid mway driving for another 3 years, until I was living

in Hatfield and working in Hemel, so had to drive along the M10 (St Albans

to Hemel) every day. Now the M10, **please note Caroline**, is a real user

friendly Mway - just 2 lanes, hardly ever any other traffic, no filter to

get on, no junctions and just a couple of miles long... The only tricky bit

is at the end, when you have to filter off into the M1 Hemel junction, but

unless it's rush hour, there's only ever about 2 other cars to negotiate at

this bit - dead easy - and I used to feel so proud of myself for driving on

the M1 (which you do for about 100 yards!)

Since then I've been fine about Mways, and I, quite literally, drive up and

down the country without any qualms. I do still try to avoid mways if

possible, but this is more because mway driving can be boring and also

because there are fewer opportunities to stop to deal with a child who wants

the toilet or to be sick or whatever.

I think the most difficult thing about mway driving is actually getting on

to the mway, ie filtering, which is something that becomes less daunting

each time you do it. It also takes a bit of time to appreciate the relative

speeds and distances of the other traffic, but if you're not sure, it's best

to err on the side of caution, and not pull out to overtake or whatever.

When I'm on the mway, I confess to being a middle lane hogger - the traffic

in the slow lane is too slow, and I think it's safer to stay out than to

keep hopping in and out every time you need to overtake. I know the Highway

Code would have it differently!

Newsletter Editor, Leighton Buzzard & District NCT

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[Guest guest]

> The first time I drove on a Mway was about 2 weeks after my test in

August

> 1988 - it was a nightmare!

I took my test in March 86 and starting driving on the motorway almost

immediately i.e within days.

A friend and I used to take it in turns to drive on our Saturday

nights out - we were so excited to have our licences and access to

cars that alcohol was no competition to the freedom!

After clubbing on a Saturday, we used to jump in the car and drive to

the local motorway services for sausage beans and chips. It was the

only place open at that time. We used to get on at J25 and off at J26

of the M1.

I've always been happier driving on motorways than cross country. DH

would much rahter drive twisty windy roads (which is about all they

have in NZ, on the S island anyway!). I had to drive from Lyons to

Nice once and missed the turning for the autoroute/payage or whatever

it's called. It took me 8 hours to do the journey and I was

absolutely terrified. Nice scenery, I'm sure, if I could have taken

my eyes off the three feet of road directly in front of my car.

I also loathe the road that goes from Northampton to Oxford area -

A43? Far too many roundabouts. Give me the M1/M42/M40 anyday!

--

Sue

[Guest guest]

I had to drive from Lyons to

>Nice once and missed the turning for the autoroute/payage or whatever

>it's called. It took me 8 hours to do the journey and I was

>absolutely terrified. Nice scenery, I'm sure, if I could have taken

>my eyes off the three feet of road directly in front of my car.

Now this is one thing I've never done - drive abroad. Though I believe I

may have unintentionally travelled on the same stretch of road as you whilst

following a French road map with a friend who'd just learnt to drive, passed

his test in Belgium where they don't have hills, and had never done any

night driving. It was really great driving through the Alps overnight with

a novice driver who didn't understand what gears were for!

>

>I also loathe the road that goes from Northampton to Oxford area -

>A43? Far too many roundabouts. Give me the M1/M42/M40 anyday!

>

>--

>Sue

>

>

>Live chat /chat/nct-coffee

>

>Have you found out about all the other groups for the NCT online?

>

>

[Guest guest]

I think it was Sue who wrote:

> I had to drive from Lyons to

> >Nice once and missed the turning for the autoroute/payage or whatever

> >it's called. It took me 8 hours to do the journey and I was

> >absolutely terrified.

Lyons is a total nightmare - not so bad going south but on the way back you

have to remember to follow the signs to Geneva in order to avoid going

through the centre of Lyons, which seems mad as Geneva is the last place you

want to go if you're heading back to the UK

Cerys

[Guest guest]

> Lyons is a total nightmare - not so bad going south but on the way

back you

> have to remember to follow the signs to Geneva in order to avoid

going

> through the centre of Lyons, which seems mad as Geneva is the last

place you

> want to go if you're heading back to the UK

Driving through the centre wasn't too bad (we stayed there overnight).

I quite like city driving too.

Bit of an epic journey it was. To tie up with 's post about

driving overseas:

I drove from central London to Sheerness where I caught the ferry to

some port in Holland. Drove all the way across Holland to the German

border to see DH. Stayed there for about a week before driving to

EIndhoven (south of Holland) to pick up Viv, Grae's cousin, and go in

search of the sun, then on the same night driving to Luxembourg where

we slept in the car overnight at a motorway service station.

Drove down to Lyons, where we stayed overnight again and then onto

Nice the following day, srriving in the evening during the Cannes film

festival. We drove along to Frejus/St Raphael (where that boat washed

up last week with all those poor people on?) and found a cheap hotel

on the beach. Sunned ourselves for Thursday and Friday.

On Friday night I fell over on the prom (not drunk, I was 3mo pg) and

the following day we drove back to Eindhoven in one 11 hour epic

journey, stopping every hour as Viv has a very weak bladder and my car

had to be filled two or three times.

So after all that, you'd think I'd be fine driving abroad, wouldn't

you?

Not so.

I didn't drive in NZ last year and I haven't yet driven in Oz. I

didn't drive in Canada last year. Crikey, in the last twelve months,

I haven't driven for 5 of them!

--

Sue

[Guest guest]

If anyone ever has to encounter the Nantes ring road - there is a website

with a page devoted to its circumnavigation, I can recommend it - otherwise

we would have been in deep doo-doo last year! Also some lovely info on the

Vendee (western France)

http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~anjbird/routes.htm#nantes

Barbara

[Guest guest]

Sue wrote

We drove along to Frejus/St Raphael (where that boat washed

> up last week with all those poor people on?)

>

>

This is where we're going on holiday if the campsite ever get back to me

(help, I might have to pick up the phone and talk to them)

Cerys

[Guest guest]

>

>I also loathe the road that goes from Northampton to Oxford area -

>A43? Far too many roundabouts. Give me the M1/M42/M40 anyday!

>

>--

>Sue

LOL Sue! me too, and if I;m not driving it just makes me feel really sick

(and the children too!)

DH prefers it as he always thinks we are going to get stuck on the M42 nr

Birmingham!!

Angi

[Guest guest]

This conjures up a lovely picture!

Alison

journey, stopping every hour as Viv has a very weak bladder and my car

had to be filled two or three times.

[Guest guest]

> We drove along to Frejus/St Raphael (where that boat washed

> > up last week with all those poor people on?)

>

> This is where we're going on holiday if the campsite ever get back

to me

> (help, I might have to pick up the phone and talk to them)

I could pick out where we stayed on a map but have no idea what the

name of the place was. I think it was Frejus if that is the next town

to the west of Cannes. There's was a castle or something similar on a

small headland and a lovely little beach. The hotel was basic - I

think we paid about 10-15 quid each per night (Viv, being a

backpacker, was horrified at the expense!) and shared a bathroom and a

double bed. Gorgeous view though.

--

Sue

>

> Cerys

>

>

>