General Friday MoHo drivers

[Doorman]

This will probably make me unpopular with many of you , but WHY are the main roads and motorways of Britain seemingly full of motorhomes on fridays, especially on a friday prior to a bank holiday monday.
As a commercial user I must admit to getting a little peeved at having to either leave real early to get the days driving done or try to grin and bear the extra heavy traffic:bang:, when i really just need to get home and chill out.
I suppose what i'm asking is do you consider leaving at midnight on thursday or in the late evening on friday so us guys who have to be on the roads all week can get an easier journey on those dreaded fridays?
On the last Friday before a bank holiday I had to drive from the west midlands to Bournemouth and return, there were an incredible amount of MoHos on the roads, luckily for me most of them were going in the opposite direction, but what amazed me is how many of them were Fiat Ducatos or Ducato based, I estimated around 90% !!.

Regards Doorman

 

[656]

WE travel on Fridays as it is the start of the weekend. We pay thousands of £s for our motorhomes and tax and insure them. Why wold we leave them on the drive at weekends when we could be in the country chillin out. Try it, you may like it. When we go to dover for a crossing, we travel at midnight to avoid all the lorries that dont bother acknowledging you when you flash them clear

656

 

[mikey72]

That'll be me then.
I travel on Friday because I work the rest of the week, self employed, and the kids go to school.
I let trucks in and out, I flash them, I appreciate they're at work, but, no offence, I've been at work for as long in the week, evenings, and other weekends as they have.
Roads are crowded, we have to put up with all the other traffic, and I have a family of 5 so this is the only way I can afford the holiday. If it wasn't a motorhome I'd be in the car on the motorway with you, but paying more, albeit less often. I don't thrash it, I probably do 60mph, and I appreciate slowing down, changing down through the box, speeding up, isn't something you want to do if you can avoid it.
I could say that I don't think large trucks should be on the road, freight should go by rail, I could complain about sales reps and small delivery trucks.
I don't because I think that roads are busier because there is no good alternative to road transport, rail is unreliable, other publc transport is nearly non-existant. We import more, we consume more, and it all has to be moved.
Other types of vehicle have increased road useage as well.
Generally I think you're going to be stuck with more and more motorhomes and caravans for several reasons.
They are becoming cheaper generally.
They are a cost effective holiday, both in the UK and abroad.
For the retired, they enable longer holidays abroad, and despite some press, there are pensioners who are more affluent, and healthier than before.

I would like to use the road with you, as I say, I appreciate how you drive, and how are nothing like a small car, so I try to anticipate what you need to maintain a good flow through traffic, but we're stuck as well in the heavy traffic, and we even a small Ducato, when it's a motorhome is heavy for the chassis, and it has the same driving style as you, not a car, so treat us like you treat trucks if you can.

Oh, and they're Ducato or Boxer based as they are the only two companies who actively want to supply cabs or chassis based vehicles, others like Mercedes or Ford don't see it as a core business, and seem to prefer panel van products.

 

[ken page]

hi doorman exactly what size of vehicle do you drive?

 

[Doorman]

Thanks Mikey for your informative and well considered answer, you've put my mind at ease, and i agree with your diagnosis, theres just too much traffic on our road network, and in a way, it's one of the few places where we are all truly equal.BTW I usually drive a Ducato LWB Hi-top panel van.
On Friday I joined the M6 at J15 southbound, just in front of a Ducato motor home who's driver flashed me in considerately, looiking at his vehicle in the mirror, i wondered how much wind resistance can a van cope with, it looked as tho' he had had a reversing collision in a giant tupperware factory, anyway all the best out there, Doorman

That'll be me then.
I travel on Friday because I work the rest of the week, self employed, and the kids go to school.
I let trucks in and out, I flash them, I appreciate they're at work, but, no offence, I've been at work for as long in the week, evenings, and other weekends as they have.
Roads are crowded, we have to put up with all the other traffic, and I have a family of 5 so this is the only way I can afford the holiday. If it wasn't a motorhome I'd be in the car on the motorway with you, but paying more, albeit less often. I don't thrash it, I probably do 60mph, and I appreciate slowing down, changing down through the box, speeding up, isn't something you want to do if you can avoid it.
I could say that I don't think large trucks should be on the road, freight should go by rail, I could complain about sales reps and small delivery trucks.
I don't because I think that roads are busier because there is no good alternative to road transport, rail is unreliable, other publc transport is nearly non-existant. We import more, we consume more, and it all has to be moved.
Other types of vehicle have increased road useage as well.
Generally I think you're going to be stuck with more and more motorhomes and caravans for several reasons.
They are becoming cheaper generally.
They are a cost effective holiday, both in the UK and abroad.
For the retired, they enable longer holidays abroad, and despite some press, there are pensioners who are more affluent, and healthier than before.

I would like to use the road with you, as I say, I appreciate how you drive, and how are nothing like a small car, so I try to anticipate what you need to maintain a good flow through traffic, but we're stuck as well in the heavy traffic, and we even a small Ducato, when it's a motorhome is heavy for the chassis, and it has the same driving style as you, not a car, so treat us like you treat trucks if you can.

Oh, and they're Ducato or Boxer based as they are the only two companies who actively want to supply cabs or chassis based vehicles, others like Mercedes or Ford don't see it as a core business, and seem to prefer panel van products.