Hi all the last few days I have had a drop in wood lane shepherds bush. every time I have been there the person with me has directed me back through the city and through the black wall tunnel to get back to the yard in Medway Kent. Today I was on my own following the satnav and it took me that way as well. I had every intention on going on the a/m4 then the m25 but figured that it was prob better to blindly follow the bloody thing rather than argue with it bleating at me every 20 seconds. according to google its 20 miles longer but the same sort of time.
what would you guys do. would you battle your way through stop start traffic and traffic lights every 2 inches or go the “longer” way?
cooper1203:
Hi all the last few days I have had a drop in wood lane shepherds bush. every time I have been there the person with me has directed me back through the city and through the black wall tunnel to get back to the yard in Medway Kent. Today I was on my own following the satnav and it took me that way as well. I had every intention on going on the a/m4 then the m25 but figured that it was prob better to blindly follow the bloody thing rather than argue with it bleating at me every 20 seconds. according to google its 20 miles longer but the same sort of time.
what would you guys do. would you battle your way through stop start traffic and traffic lights every 2 inches or go the “longer” way?
Depends on time of day the M25 can be just as stop start at the wrong time but most times would take the M25
cooper1203:
Hi all the last few days I have had a drop in wood lane shepherds bush. every time I have been there the person with me has directed me back through the city and through the black wall tunnel to get back to the yard in Medway Kent. Today I was on my own following the satnav and it took me that way as well. I had every intention on going on the a/m4 then the m25 but figured that it was prob better to blindly follow the bloody thing rather than argue with it bleating at me every 20 seconds. according to google its 20 miles longer but the same sort of time.
what would you guys do. would you battle your way through stop start traffic and traffic lights every 2 inches or go the “longer” way?
Depends on time of day the M25 can be just as stop start at the wrong time but most times would take the M25
White City - has the West Cross link road taking you upto the A40 a lot easier from there to get right out of London rather than try and beat your way down to, and then along the A4 to the congested-during-the-day, often closed-at-night M4 elevated section…
Weight matters too. Heavy loads make a longer, main road route, a better choice than a shorter one, on smaller roads. There is more to it than just distance or just time.
Franglais:
Weight matters too. Heavy loads make a longer, main road route, a better choice than a shorter one, on smaller roads. There is more to it than just distance or just time.
just an empty 7.5 tonner
thanks for the replies I shall try a different route next time
Learn alternative routes and match them to the time of day as you find it & gain expeience, a 7.5 t vehicle is ideal to learn in. I’d run round the edge of the congestion zone so follow on a large scale map before trying: A40 Westway to the A5 Edgware rd, right Southbound to Marble Arch. Around r/a and straight on down Park Lane A4202 to Hyde Park Corner. Go round the Wellington Arch r/a onto Grosvenor Place A312 to Victoria following the signs for Vauxhall Bridge A202 Vauxhall bridge rd and cross the river via vauxhall bridge. Stay on the A 202 past the Oval, Camberwell, Peckham and pick up the A2 at New Cross. Through Deptford over Blackheath to the Sun in the Sands and right onto the A2 for Medway. Don’t use this route through New Cross before 7am since it is the London Lorry Control Area. Avoid as well during the morning or evening peaks. There are several variations to this old traditional route via Kennington Lane, St George’s Circle and The Elephant (Elephant & Castle r/a) - slightly quicker - or from New Cross via the A20 and Lewisham and Eltham or from the start via Holland Park r/a, Earls Court rd, Chelsea Embankment and Chelsea Bridge, Battersea Park r/a and Nine Elms Lane to Vauxhall south of the river. Do NOT venture onto Millbank. Have a look at the map and Google street view to see how these routes take you. These are probably in the region of 1 3/4 hrs to 2 1/4 hrs to Medway.
Bleedin Hell Cav you’ve just taken me back about 40 years
Any of the above routes (bar South Circular which is utter crap) will do, and Cav is right, experiment with routes whilst you have a handy motor easy to turn around if you mess up.
All depends on time of day, and quick butchers at Google maps traffic before you leave, Blackwall isn’t a bad choice as once you emerge from the tunnel you’re on fairly decent roads and one of the shortest routes to boot, getting there is the hard part.
At one time one might have gone the best perving route, so they tell me
I’d go along the a 501 towards Whitechapel then get onto the a13
Then either use Blackwell tunnel or just carry on a13 to m25
As the a 13 isn’t to bad a road from barking way is mostly.dual carriage way to m25.
Main issue you have is getting over the river most of.bridges runs have height weight limits.
Going south I can get through Blackwell tunnel it’s 15 6
As Cav and Juddian have said, if you’ve a bit of time to spare, experiment. Makes for a more interesting day and all (?) experience is good.
I’ve often a choice of possible routes, and deliberately take a less obvious route sometimes.
SatNavs may be set for quickest, “most economical”, or shortest routes. They can (where applicable) be set to avoid tolls. I haven’t see one yet that gives a balance between all of those goals.
There is still scope for using one’s noggin, use it and enjoy it.
I would agree with edd 1974, A501 Euston rd , Pentonville rd, City rd to Old Street and then the A13 from Gardiners Corner at Whitechapel is far better for artics there being fewer turns and it is easier to follow. However you are trying to learn what drivers like to refer to as their ‘trade’ which is more than just the aiming and you have the ideal vehicle in which to gain much of the experience. You need to know how to secure anything safely and to have routes in your head - or at least most of a route with maybe a quick glance at a MAP - for when things go wrong on the main arteries. Based in mid Kent you are going to need to have a reasonable working knowledge of London; there is not much escape from that. For a Class 2 licence holder especially, London is still going to feature heavily in the work local firms are doing, if this job is the same then it is very valuable to you when the time comes to move up a size; don’t be in too much of a hurry have something to sell to a future employer other than just your licence.
Things have changed over the last 40/ 50 years but I can remember overhearing the boss saying to another driver: " Buy yourself a map, get in your car at the weekend and go and FIND these farms". I made sure he never had to say that to me, I bought a map and got other drivers to put an X in the right places.
cav551:
Things have changed over the last 40/ 50 years but I can remember overhearing the boss saying to another driver: " Buy yourself a map, get in your car at the weekend and go and FIND these farms". I made sure he never had to say that to me, I bought a map and got other drivers to put an X in the right places.
I have done the same as your old boss suggested before now when being sent to a new job or interview. Go out the day before and find it so you know where to go come the morning. I think eventually I will have my own round as they add more drops on to my list. The company are working very hard to build me up. What I am trying to do is add these places to my satnav once I get to the correct entrance etc as at the moment I am unable to pre check places as I don’t know where I am going until the morning.
Obviously once I have been there a few times ill know where they all are and what entrance to use etc.
It’s all about, speed and time, the shortest route isn’t necessarily the fastest, I would have consulted Google to check traffic, then decided, personally would have gone Back out towards M25. Going thro London east west, North south, is never quick,
Three routes from the AA: via the north circular all the way, via the A1 and clockwise around the M25, and via the Embankment and the congestion charge zone
Juddian:
Bleedin Hell Cav you’ve just taken me back about 40 years
Going back to a time before the M25.Shepherds Bush to Mid/East/West Kent.A40, Hanger Lane,Kew Bridge,Great Chertsey Road,Sunbury,Hampton Court,Scilly Isles,Tolworth,Burgh Heath,Reigate A25/A 20.
