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November 26, 2003
Time travel?
A late post tonight I'm afraid, as I have just returned from a trip to London and needed to unwind before turning in. So, a little look at one or two blogs and then ......
Reading the installments on Aussie Couriers wedding day, I noticed that Ozguru and family almost didn't complete the day. Their lucky escape is described in Wedding Trip 4. With the back end of their car radically remodelled by a ute's bullbar, we can be grateful that no one was injured. Makes my trip today tame by comparison, but motorways in Britain are a complete lottery.
Driving to London always takes longer than the return trip I have discovered. I cannot figure this out, as, logically, it should be quicker going East, but it isn't. It's almost an hour longer going than returning.
In truth, I don't actually go to London, but to Bromley which is in the South Eastern part of the great M 25 loop. If you live in Bromley then it is always referred to as "Bromley, Kent", but if you are Red Ken Livingstone, Robber Baron Mayor of Greater London and Chairman of the Greater London Authority, then it is Bromley, Greater London. A case of perspectives I guess.
This morning I took the route through Oxfordshire and down the A34 to the M 4 from my home. This is a rather scenic route and today paid off rather well. I had hardly any traffic congestion to deal with, even on that well known parking lot, the M 25. I arrived in Bromley slightly earlier than I had allowed for, which was useful as it gave me a chance to catch up with my son and his activities as well as having the main purpose of the trip fulfilled, which was to spend some time with my youngest daughter, aged 19 and going through one of those rough patches with boyfriend, life and the world in general.
We had a very pleasant afternoon together, an excellent meal and I left her at her home afterward and set off across London (Congestion charging stops at 1830!) to pick up the M 4 Westbound and avoid the M 25 altogether. This time I took the direct route to Swindon, leaving the M4 there and using the A 419/417 through Cirencester into Gloucester and thence up the A 38 to home. Total journey time returning? Two hours and fifty minutes - and I didn't break the speed limit either! The outward bound leg was just under four hours.
OK, the traffic outbound was slightly heavier but I managed to maintain an average cruising speed on the M 4/M 25 of 65 miles per hour (+/- 110 kph to you metricated types) which means that I encountered no congestion on the motorway. Amazingly there was only one bit of roadwork to slow down for and it wasn't on either of the motorways. In terms of mileage there is nothing to choose between the routes taken and even when I have used the same route out and back I have noticed the time taken to return is always less than the outbound journey.
Conclusion: It is time to get a Molecular Transport System going. "Beam me to ...." makes much more sense than driving on motorways populated by juggernauts, nuts who lane hop and now speed cameras on every gantry. Oh, and perhaps Commander Spock could explain the time differences to me?
Posted by The Gray Monk at November 26, 2003 01:31 AM
Comments
As a american stationed in Scotland and having to drive into London I have always wondered what the person who designed the M25 was thinking. I use to go 30 miles out of my way just to avoid going on the M25.
Posted by: Matthew at November 27, 2003 04:54 AM
According to the book "Good Omens" by Pratchett and Gaiman, the M 25 is in fact the dreaded sighil "Odegra", a closing sighil in demonology. It was created at night by the demon Crowley who moved and realigned the survey markers while it was being built to create the sighil. The more I use it, the more convinced I become Pratchett and Gaiman weren't joking!
Posted by: The Gray Monk at November 27, 2003 11:02 AM
Wow I didn't know anyone else read "Good Omens". It's been awhile since I have read it,so I have totally forgoten about Terry's desciption of it
Posted by: Matthew at November 29, 2003 04:11 AM
I also read it, just few day ago. Great book.
Posted by: Anetka at January 6, 2004 01:21 AM