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the scariest junctions in the UK....

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the scariest junctions in the UK....

Jai

Jai

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and i don't mean ghostbusters style:

Gravelly Hill (Spaghetti Junction), Birmingham
M8 junctions through central Glasgow
Marble Arch, London
Magic Roundabout, Swindon, Wiltshire
Hanger Lane Gyratory, west London
M5/M6 intersection, Birmingham
Piccadilly Circus, London
Five Ways junction, Birmingham
Magic Roundabout, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
Kingston Bridge, Glasgow

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8382506.stm

having lived, and worked in NW london most of my life, i don't find hanger lane a problem, the improved signage, lane markings and lights phasing make it one of the easiest systems to negotiate. likewise marble arch, piccadilly circus and to a certain degree magic roundabout - hemel, set up your entry right, exit is a piece of cake. only done spaghetti junction once, a long time ago, can't remember it really. i can only imagine the others are "intresting". i guess the majority of those polled are 'tards who find the simple act of raising vision, being aware of where they are and what's around them, forward planning, and decisive execution beyond their pea brains..
 
Re: the scariest junctions in the UK...

Jai said:
Gravelly Hill (Spaghetti Junction), Birmingham
M5/M6 intersection, Birmingham
Five Ways junction, Birmingham

M8 junctions through central Glasgow

Marble Arch, London
Hanger Lane Gyratory, west London
Piccadilly Circus, London

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8382506.stm

having lived, and worked in NW london most of my life, i don't find hanger lane a problem... likewise marble arch, piccadilly circus... only done spaghetti junction once, a long time ago, can't remember it really...
Click to expand...

I just can't see why Spaghetti Junction is deemed to be such a problem? From the air, it looks a tangle, but at ground level it's very simple - everything is signposted... :confused:
M5/M6 junction... come on, it's just a big slip road! :bang:
and there are worse roundabouts to negotiate than Five Ways (it's only really tricky at rush-hour)

I did once end up in Cumbernauld after going wrong off the M8 :eek:

And I once had to do a 3-point-turn in a Prison Van after going wrong at Marble Arch :eek: Hanger Lane OK and Piccadilly Circus OK if you're just following the signs out of London ;)
 
Jai said:
and i don't mean ghostbusters style:

Gravelly Hill (Spaghetti Junction), Birmingham
M8 junctions through central Glasgow
Marble Arch, London
Magic Roundabout, Swindon, Wiltshire
Hanger Lane Gyratory, west London
M5/M6 intersection, Birmingham
Piccadilly Circus, London
Five Ways junction, Birmingham
Magic Roundabout, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
Kingston Bridge, Glasgow

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8382506.stm

having lived, and worked in NW london most of my life, i don't find hanger lane a problem, the improved signage, lane markings and lights phasing make it one of the easiest systems to negotiate. likewise marble arch, piccadilly circus and to a certain degree magic roundabout - hemel, set up your entry right, exit is a piece of cake. only done spaghetti junction once, a long time ago, can't remember it really. i can only imagine the others are "intresting". i guess the majority of those polled are 'tards who find the simple act of raising vision, being aware of where they are and what's around them, forward planning, and decisive execution beyond their pea brains..
Click to expand...

Can only speak for the Glasgow roads here, but never had a problem with the Kingston Bridge or the M8 - they're a LOT safer and easier to navigate than 99% of the roads up here. Anyone from Aberdeen/shire will probably vouch for the nightmare that is the Haudagain roundabout.

The procedure for passing that is approach roundabout, close your eyes, foot to the floor and hope for the best. :rolleyes: If you live to tell the tale it's a bonus!
 
Nothing bad about Swindon magic roundabout,

Driven it many times in a HGV, but can see it being a little scary if you are folowing a sat nav etc

from above:

magic_roundabout.jpg



How to drive it:

swindon_magic_roundabout_eng.png
 
Jai said:
and i don't mean ghostbusters style:

Gravelly Hill (Spaghetti Junction), Birmingham
M8 junctions through central Glasgow
Marble Arch, London
Magic Roundabout, Swindon, Wiltshire
Hanger Lane Gyratory, west London
M5/M6 intersection, Birmingham
Piccadilly Circus, London
Five Ways junction, Birmingham
Magic Roundabout, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
Kingston Bridge, Glasgow

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8382506.stm
Click to expand...

I saw this yesterday.

Spaghetti Junction aint that bad, I do try to avoid it though and dont tend to drive through North Birmingham anyway.

M5/M6 intersection, how can that be scary? Well maybe in rush hour but you just take your time keep checking whose around you and its a doddle!

I will agree five ways junction is a little awkward, I dont like how small the roundabout is, could be a little bigger as it doesnt give you much time to get out of the way if you accidently cut someone up!
 
M8 can be a bit hair raising due the number of junctions requiring lane changes and the fact that traffic joins on the RIGHT.

SheriffHall Roundabout in the Edinburgh Bypass used to be bad but the lanes got changed last year so its much better now.
 
The A9 in Scotland. Specifically the route from Perth to Inverness.

It's a very busy single carrigeway with ahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A9_road_%28Great_Britain%29 few dual carrigeways or overtaking lanes.

Now you ask why the whole road and not a junction? Well there are a few junctions that speak for theselves. One being Ballinluig. For too many years it was a simple junction on a dual carrigeway that claimed a lot of accidents over the years. First the council place speed cameras and reduced the limit. That didn't make any difference. Now there's a flyover style juction at diferent lengths but the rest of the road is a hazard. Trucks caravans and other slow moving vehicles cause long queues with the occasional fool who tries to overtake only to crash into another vehicle. My mother and myself were almost taken out by one of these impatient gits. As for the dual carrigeways it's a battle on who gets to the end first with nasty situations.

The worst part is the police are forced by the council to catchthe occasional speeder and not the actual culprits who slow down for each camera on the road and then almost get someone killed because they want to arrive dead on time.

Why oh why does our city keep putting more speedbumps on the roads in places where they're not needed but never rebuild the bloody road is a complete mystery.
 
some in leeds are bad only cause idiots
one a 3 lane carridge way and a small road cut though people in second lane will try to go down cutting infront of people in 3rd lane it is on a bend
 
I think i'm missing something here, whats the point in that magic roundabout, why not just make it a larger normal rounabout!??!?

It doesn't look too tricky, but really don't see what the benefits are!:confused::confused:
 
List is a load of ****e.

Spaghetti Junction is grand, M5/M6 is grand. Magic Roundabout is fine if you know where you're going.

The M8 through Glasgow does have tiny, tiny slip roads though but Belfast's Westlink deserves on to that list ahead of most of the rest of tiny slips = scary.
 
Most Easterly Pandas said:
Why don't they just make it one big accident :confused:

I bet insurance claims on there are fun :rolleyes: :bang:
Click to expand...

Whats wrong with it? Just drive all the way around the outside if you're scared to cut through the middle. I've driven it and its fine. Yield to the right as normal, and you're OK.
 
Worst junction I can think of is the M5/M4 interchange. Two very poor bits of road design there. Going from the M4 (westbound) onto the M5 before Gordano is bad as if you wanna join the M5 you have to cut someone up who is joining from the M$ in the other direction. And they have to cut you up if they don't want to join the M5, but instead want to continue onto the A road.

It is even worse if you are wanting to join the M4 toward London when you are coming northbound on the M5. The road markings and signs don't tally up. To try and describe, you have a fork - traffic from the M5 and traffic from an A road merging into the lanes where you have a choice of joining the A road again, joining the M5, joining the M4 eastbound and joining the M4 westbound. It is a free-for-all and I have never been through that junction without being cut up AND cutting up someone. Always both - never none, or just one.

With both of these junctions there is not much length of roadway, so you have to move over quite quickly.
 
I think it depends if you use it regularly and know where you're going................or not. I've only ever used Spaghetti junction twice and once and ended up the wrong way because the slip I wanted split VERY suddenly with about 10 yards warning :bang: Had I been going any other direction but this I probably would have made it - after all, I made it through going in the opposite direction ;) M6/M5 isn't complicated, just busy. My own pet hates are the two right turns from my flat to the minor and then major roads. The first is blind and people whizz down the road; the second is a right turn across a trunk road near the city centre. And the M61/ M60 interchange if you're coming from the M61 heading to the M60 southbound - you have to go from the left hand lane aaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllll the way across fast flowing traffic into the right hand lane and then join a fast flowing motorway with a very short slip road and no hard shoulder the other side of it should you run out of road :(
 
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