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Advance warning - disruption expected on the
M25
Brian Moyse commutes by car from Surrey to near Hammersmith in West
London via the M25 every day and reports (17th December 2003) serious
congestion seems likely as the M25 is due to be dug up between Junctions
12 & 15 (on the western side near London Heathrow Terminal
5) from the 5th January 2004. With wonderful timing, Brian
is being relocated to the Camberley office (in Surrey) of his organisation
just in time to avoid the painful commute and the M25 road works
chaos!
M25 set for
two years of gridlock
"Motorists
face gridlock on the M25 from Monday 5th January 2004 when work
begins on a two year programme to widen the motorway" was
the dire prediction in an interesting item by James Mills in the
Daily Mail (Saturday 3rd January 2004). Until the £147m scheme
to turn part of London's orbital motorway into a 12-lane superhighway
is completed, "it will cause chaos on what is already the
most congested stretch of motorway in Europe".
The four phase programme of works is worth noting just in
case you should consider using the western leg of the M25 at any
time over the next two years!
> During the first six months, the southbound anti-clockwise
carriageway between junctions 14 and 12 will widened from four to
five lanes.
> From Summer 2004, the northbound carriageway on the
same section will be widened over the six months to Winter 2004/05.
> In January 2005, work then starts on the southbound
carriageway between junctions 15 and 14 widening it from four to
six lanes.
> Final six month phase will widen the northbound carriageway
between junctions 14 and 15 from four to six lanes.
James Mills quotes a Highways Agency spokeswoman who warns drivers
"to allow more time for their journeys" and is reported
to have said "obviously it is a case of no pain, no gain
- but there will still be four lanes in operation in
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V8 Register - MG Car Club
peak times during
the work, although these will be narrower and there will be a 40mph
limit".
Work will also start on a new spur road linking the M25 to
the new London Heathrow Terminal 5.
Motoring groups have welcomed the works and an AA spokesman
is reported to have said "the M25 is notoriously like a car park
much of the time and the planned works mean it will be worse for a
time, but it is necessary to solve the congestion problem on that
stretch of the [M25 orbital] motorway which is the busiest stretch
in Europe".
Does anyone really believe that increased road capacity will not attract
yet more vehicles until the controlling factor - congestion - rules
again! Dream on! |
