Knowing the Junctions
Posted: Thu 4 September, 2008 Filed under: Cynicism, Driving, Thoughts 2 Comments »Whenever I’m driving, and listen to the traffic reports, they usually cause me a problem.
You see, I just don’t know the junction numbers for the roads I’m using, so I just don’t know whether the reported issues will affect me or not. I’m OK with direction (i.e. north/south-bound etc.) but if I hear a report telling me that junctions 25-28 of the A[xx] are jammed, I’ve no flaming clue where that is.
I know last year this very nearly caused me a problem – coming home from a concert in London, the signs were all reporting “Road closed after Junction 9 – diversions in place”. I had (and if I’m honest, still have) no idea whether I turned off at Junction 8,9, 11 or 52 – so the signs were effectively useless for me.
Is this just me? Have I not been driving enough yet to know the junctions off by heart? Or would it not be easier to see “After the Cambridge A11 turnoff” instead of, for example “After Junction 9” ?
I have this problem too. You will occasionally see signs saying “after J5 A614”, say; or “A1 after A45”.
Motorway junctions are all named, too, but the names aren’t really publicised anywhere. Some radio traffic reports use them, though: “it’s busy eastbound from junction 26 Chain Bar to 27 Gildersome”. The names are usually after tiny nearby hamlets, which doesn’t help much.
I agree. Also, from time to time junctions are renumbered, when roads are upgraded, which creates even more confusion.