Not much traffic today

[mustang1]

I was on the M25 (northern part) and M1 (southern part) today and there was very little traffic.

On the way home I popped in to have lunch with a friend and mentioned the lack of traffic to her. She suggested it was due to high petrol prices which I had completely forgotten about.

Is that true, are high petrol prices getting people off the road?

 

[Slick]

We live in hope.

 

[vickster]

I was on the M25 (northern part) and M1 (southern part) today and there was very little traffic.

On the way home I popped in to have lunch with a friend and mentioned the lack of traffic to her. She suggested it was due to high petrol prices which I had completely forgotten about.

Is that true, are high petrol prices getting people off the road?

Probably down to the sunny weather too

 

[C R]

I was on the M25 (northern part) and M1 (southern part) today and there was very little traffic.

On the way home I popped in to have lunch with a friend and mentioned the lack of traffic to her. She suggested it was due to high petrol prices which I had completely forgotten about.

Is that true, are high petrol prices getting people off the road?

If anything the back lanes south of Worcester were busier than usual during my lunchtime ride. Just coincidence I would imagine.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I haven't noticed any less traffic on the roads in the last couple of weeks when I've been forced to go back into the office. By the style of driving, you'd think that fuel prices had halved. So mnay people think it necessary to accerlate towards red lights and then brake hard. Or when moving in slow traffic, instead of idling along in 1st gear they race up to the person in front and then create stop-start-dominoes

 

[gbb]

I drive a 14 mile section of the A1M daily to work, have done for about 5 years. If I think pre pandemic, at 06.30, southbound, it was a 4 lane busy busy stream of cars, in the dark, all you saw was 4 jammed lanes of rear lights headed south.
Pandemic came with lockdowns then WFH, id say traffic halved and its never got back to pre pandemic levels.
Notable on the way to work today, id say there was maybe1/4 of pre pandemic traffic and its definitely less traffic than a couple weeks ago.
Also, it seems there are far more trucks doing around 55 rather than 60. I suppose if you can save 5-10% fuel in a truck, its a big saving.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I was on the M25 (northern part) and M1 (southern part) today and there was very little traffic.

On the way home I popped in to have lunch with a friend and mentioned the lack of traffic to her. She suggested it was due to high petrol prices which I had completely forgotten about.

Is that true, are high petrol prices getting people off the road?

I was on the southern section between the M4 and the M3 around midday and I can assure you all the traffic was there.

 

[Brandane]

Is that true, are high petrol prices getting people off the road?

It has worked for me! Car has not turned a wheel since I came home from work last Thursday.
Friday, went to work and back using my recently acquired bus pass.
No work Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and with no need to use the car, I didn't.
Today, commuted to work and back on the recently acquired e-bike! 16.5 miles each way with a total of 597 metres of climbing. About 75 minutes each way. Tomorrow I will e-bike it again if I wake up early enough. Bus pass if not cycling. Giving some thought to ditching the car now, as I'm fed up with the money pit. And that comes from one who was a petrol head not so very long ago.
Having said all that, I find myself in a tiny minority. Haven't noticed any drop off in traffic and people still seem to be using their cars for completely unnecessary journeys. Maybe it hasn't really bitten yet?

 

[Accy cyclist]

I live next to a main road with what seems like a vehicle every 5 seconds in the day. I haven't noticed it slackening off to a vehicle every 8, 9 or 10 seconds yet.

 

[Mike_P]

Used the M1 from 26 - M18 - A1 to 45 yesterday and certainly seemed that be fewer cars or maybe just less exceeding the limit. Stacks of HGVs often occupying all the lanes they could.

 

[oldwheels]

On my trike excursion this morning there was an uncomfortable amount of traffic, even heavier than usual. Lots of tourists on the wander.

 

[cyberknight]

no change , just driving standards have slipped even further

 

[gbb]

Its all subjective anyway. My 14 mile A1M 4 lane commute, i arrive at work and think the road was quiet, my colleague who arrives 5 mins later, same road, then says....ooh, wasn't it busy today.
It may be his interpretation of busy differs from mine, it may be the road was indeed busier 5 minutes later...i have noticed you sometimes get a quiet few miles then it suddenly busies up again , its just the ebb and flow of traffic.
That said, no doubt in my mind its quieter, ive driven that piece of road maybe 1500 times, always at the same times. Compared to pre pandemic..,.its very quiet. It used to look like an American freeway, you had to have your wits about you, now ....., its positively relaxing.

 

[DRM]

Not really slowed here, M62 at a standstill again between J27 to 26 westbound, second smash in 2 days, Monday night a van driven by a 15 year old went the wrong way on the M606, hit a taxi killing the driver and his passenger, the van driver killed one of his passengers and injured himself and another passenger, you wouldn’t think diesel was now 196p a litre the speed some people go, M62 eastbound is still busy as is the A1, from West Yorkshire through to Tyneside, the A19 isn’t much better up to Middlesbrough

 

[gbb]

Again, A1M southbound this morning, 06.50, five or so minutes later than usual ...possibly the quietest ive ever seen it at that time of the day (barring lockdowns and bank holidays)
As i looked forward, i had maybe 8 cars in sight, just 8 cars in 4 lanes and maybe 1/4 mile distance. Compared to pre pandemic, its like a ghost town.
I always assumed much of that traffic was London or Cambridge bound, perhaps as diesel/petrol prices have risen so much, more people are commuting by train, it may actually be cheaper now than by car.