Traffic Cones - A500

Now for those who know me, know I am usually an easy going, placid type of person that does not get angry easily.

Well, maybe I try to be that person but it doesn't happen often.

One thing that really annoys me, is when those nice people who maintain our roadways & verges insist on putting out mile upon mile of traffic cones. Closing one lane, forcing traffic to crawl along the road as two lanes merge into one & then disappear into thin air.

If I can see these lovely people working away as I am out & about, merely enjoying a bit of retail therapy, I'm as happy as Larry (whoever the hell Larry is?) but when all that I see are 100's, nay 1000's of these red & white cones & nobody working it annoys me greatly.

This was the case today, I set off to peruse around Freeport, when I came upon signs on the A500 - 'Roadworks Ahead', oh bum! I thought (yes, really they were my thoughts). Fine, two lanes of traffic then began to merge, some politely, some bullying there way through but hey ho, its all part of having our roads maintained.

The cones began at the MFI island, going towards Junction 16 of the M6 (you with me so far?), well traffic wasn't moving too badly, 35 miles an hour, quite pleased with that rate of movement but was there a workman in sight? NO! NO! NO! This went on until I reached my turn off, so I must have travelled for 100's of miles (hey, I'm a woman, I don't judge distance - not unless it's in my favour - even then, don't you dare argue with me over it!!), well lo & behold, a workman or should I several of them, actually working I may add,not slinking off for a crafty cuppa in the cabs of their vans. Where were they? On the slip road of the Talke turn off. Marvellous I thought, all that crawling along, merging of two lanes & there they are on a slip road. They had fancy flashing lights with arrows directing drivers into one lane, yea, as if I hadn't managed to guess that one.

Now, do they really need miles & miles of traffic cones out, causing drivers to slow down? Can they not just work a section at a time, have a rolling road block, it can be done. Well obviously not.

To finish my post, after an hour of retail therapy, I began to head back home, well, not a traffic cone in sight on the side I had travelled on less than an hour before, I began to think i'd been dreaming but no, eventually I came across the chaps collecting the cones, wow, had they moved themsleves, the cones or lack of were way back to the Wolstanton turn off by now!!!!

Couldn't they just have collected as each section of work was completed? This would save miles of traffic only having access to one lane.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for safety measures being in place but miles & miles of cones, surely does not need to be placed out or left out for the work to be completed in safety.

Now, come on own up, who gets annoyed by this same scenario over & over again?
Who would love to drive down the row of cones, knocking them over like skittles? (Now i'm not condoning this behaviour, its dangerous or am I suggesting you should try it but go on admit it, in your head it would be fun).

So go on vent your anger on what upsets you on the roads - but remember, there are 3 lady drivers blogging on this site, so be nice to us.