Journeys Where You Always Seem To Go Wrong

securespark

securespark

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My bugbear at the moment is between Notts and home. We prefer to go from home to Macc, then Leek, Ashbourne, Derby and Notts. Which is no problem.

But when it comes to reversing the journey, I have messed up 3 times now!

There is a sign on the Brian Clough Way that takes you off BCW, posted for Ashbourne A52.

As soon as you get off, all mention of A52 promptly disappears and the main routes you see are the A6 towards Buxton and the A50 to Stoke.

I'm sure it's not deliberate, just a poorly placed sign, but it is infuriatingly misleading.

Signage should be absolutely clear. Information has to be assimilated quickly by road users and there's no room for ambiguity.

Have you got any stories of poor signage that have got you lost?
 
Blimey!
Yes, several times I have followed signs only to find myself either in very heavy traffic or miles out of my route.
Sat navs have somehow made things simpler, but I found that it's always best to plan the journey before starting.
Going to stansted one very late winter night, I hit road works on the M11 and followed the diversion signs.
I ended up 50 miles off route.
 
On our very first dirty weekend away, mrs Mottie and I decided to go to the aisle of Wight. Bear in mind this must have been about 1979 ish. I was living in Plaistow at the time and didn't know the way but I did know that I had to go through the Blackwall tunnel. I thought we'd get through there and I'd buy a map. By the time I bought a map, I didn’t know where I was so as there was a lot of traffic, I thought I'd follow them as I thought that they are more than likely going to the coast and I could find my way to the ferry from there. They were all going to a race meeting at Brands Hatch! I ended going back an across the river through the Dartford tunnel and back along the A13 to the Blackwall tunnel. At one point, we had done exactly 60 miles and were 400 yards from my house! I think we'd done something like 220 miles by the time we found somewhere to stay.

On another occasion we were coming home from Cornwall to London around Easter time and we somehow ended up in Wales. We found somewhere to stay for the night in Anglesey and while we were there, the next day we decided to go up Snowdon on the train. I was only wearing a shirt and when it got to the top, I was bloody freezing and couldn’t wait to get back down again.
 
securespark said:
Have you got any stories of poor signage that have got you lost?
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Yes. I've taken the wrong turning twice on the A17 from Newark towards Kings Lynn, a journey I make no more than once a year. It's the busy island where the A16 crosses the A17. The road signs show:

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Based on the signs and as I want the A17 to KL am in the left lane and take the second exit from the island.

However, what's missing from both of the signs is the first exit below, which is a road leading to Sutterton.

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So because of the Sutterton road being omitted from the signs, the second exit is actually the A16 instead of the A17.

It's not too much of a problem because a short distance along the A16 there's a right turn that I took to turn around. But interestingly both times that I had to turn around, other cars following me also did the same thing.
 
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blup said:
Have you tried satnav?
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Yes! The one in our car doesn't always offer the most direct route.
Google Maps is much better, but it's not always clear at junctions which lane or slip-road to take.
Mottie said:
On another occasion we were coming home from Cornwall to London around Easter time and we somehow ended up in Wales. We found somewhere to stay for the night in Anglesey and while we were there, the next day we decided to go up Snowdon on the train. I was only wearing a shirt and when it got to the top, I was bloody freezing and couldn’t wait to get back down again.
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That's one heck of a detour.....Cornwall to Anglesey!
Great scenery, though.
 
The one that really p!zzes me off, is when you have multiple lanes at the approach to traffic lights.

One set of lights; the left lane is "left turn only". Some you have to get across.

The next set, the left lane is "left turn, or straight ahead".

And rinse and repeat.

No consistency.


And, the road markings are often pointless, as you can't see them as they're covered by the cars waiting at the lights.
 
Brigadier said:
And, the road markings are often pointless, as you can't see them as they're covered by the cars waiting at the lights.
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And only appear a few metres before the junction when it's too late to change lane.

Or that faded they are invisible.
 
Not quite as good as my old Garmin SatNav which, before you approached a junction, showed exactly which lane or lanes you had to be in.
 
securespark said:
Not quite as good as my old Garmin SatNav which, before you approached a junction, showed exactly which lane or lanes you had to be in.
Click to expand...
Google maps tends to give you that information.
"Stay in the second lane from the left", along with a direction indicator arrow for the next junction.

It's pretty crap for the pronunciation of place names though.
As are foeign versions being used in UK.
 
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