English roads / life: a journey for Workington (Cumbria) to Brussels

Drive as if you're going to go straight through the bloke in front, flashing main beam like mad man, with the right hand indicator on. Or just go into L1, and storm up one of the mile long gaps between lorries, then get back into 2 or 3 when there's something in your way again.

Or just approach people from behind in the outside lane with your left indicator on, influencing them to move to the left (it makes them think 'ooh, that's a good idea'. Works surprisingly well a lot of the time.

Peter

-- "The truth is working in television is not very glamorous at all. I just go home on my own at night and sit alone and eat crisps."

I try not to get drawn into these discussions but I'm about to fail again.

Yep - the left turn indicator seems to work. Especially if you feign a move to the left as if to either sit behind them in the nearside lane or do a highly illegal and obviously not condoned nearside pass. It's amazing the amount of times that's worked for me. I'm going to shut up now - TBH I hate driving on the public highway now. That's why the locost is currently having a covered trailer built for next year's sprint season and track days. Everyone on the road wants to kill everyone else nowadays and in a car the size of a large shoe, that's not cricket.

BTW your wrong undertaking/passing on the inside is not illegal, its ill-advised and probably get done for driving without due care, but its not illegal to pass on the inside

HTH

Lost

In article , snipped-for-privacy@removethis.hotmail.com spouted forth into uk.rec.cars.modifications...

WOw, that Dash is interesting. I was expecting STACK digital standard one, but that looks fully custom assembled.

Looks in very good condition for a competition car though.

Agreed, i like it, bet it was a laugh to drive back as well :)

In article ,=20 snipped-for-privacy@removethis.hotmail.com spouted forth into=20 uk.rec.cars.modifications...

Thing is, Ultimate unleaded is only 97 RON, and Optimax is only 98RON,=20 yet we pay more for fuel because of taxation than the rest of the=20 mainland.=20

Beer and Cigarettes are again expensive because of taxation, but the=20 government say the tax is high to discourage people from using them=20 (Same arguement with petrol).

House prices are high because very recently the interest rates on=20 mortgages and loans was very low, so lots of people wanted to buy, so=20 lots of price wars happened. interest rates have gone up to try and=20 control the ammount of money people borrow. Some people have taken=20 mortages over 30 and 35 years, at 4 and 5 times their salary, just to be=20 able to buy any house in a city. I was lucky, I bought 4 years ago, and=20 only needed twice my salary over 25 years. I've just remortgaged to=20 raise some money to pay off credit cards and other bills and debts, and=20 for improvements. I needed to borrow 2.5 times mine and the missus's=20 salary, but I've reduced the mortgage to 15 years, I end up =A3200 a month= =20 better off becuase I don't have the interest on the other bills, and=20 I've only borrowed roughly 2/3 the current value of the house, so if=20 property values crash like they did before, I still have a good buffer=20 before I'm paying out more than it's worth.

--=20 Carl Robson (The poster formerly known as Skodapilot)

S'right.

You're seeing poor lane discipline and most of us are almost so used to it that we don't care.

My solution is to sit back while they're actually overtaking something and then start to close up when there is a suitable gap. Once the gap is past and there is a stream of middle lane owner club (MLOC) cars blocking the middle lane, drop back again, and then close up as a gap reappears.

This usually works.

I used to tack onto the back of the bumper and flash the headlights but this never, ever, worked, so then I learned to be less pushy and more psychological.

The ultimate problem is poor lane discipline, i.e. not treating the overtaking lanes, as overtaking lanes.

Travelodge was great when it was 12 quid the night, 50 quid I'd go into town instead and get a B&B or try it on at a Splendid Hotel, if they're not going to fill the room at 150 quid the night, and they know it, the price can come

*right* down, e.g. 20 including a really nice breakfast. Which is much the price of a B&B.

The lane discipline in France, when I was there in summer, was pretty good. I wish ours was. However, there were also far fewer cars on the roads there so you can see why. And they were mostly toll roads. Germany I haven't tried for a while, but they were two lanes only and therefore made lane discipline far more significant.

Current prices here are 1euro/litre for 95 and (if you can find it)

1.25/litre for 98. 98RON is so rare here i either face a 2hr round trip to get some for the 19 or run it on 2:1 avgas/95RON mix. Avgas is about 1.50/litre and the same 2hr trip but at least i can get a few 5 gallon drums full. It also runs *ssooo* much better on avgas :)

Currently under consideration here is a 5% tax on chewing gum to go torwards cleaning the footpaths. And don't forget the 15c levy on plastic bags in shops. Don't get me started on the smoking ban...

Anyone fancy a lodger? :)

-- Chet

HF Integrale 16v - Gettin there!1993 Renault 19 16v - Subtle extras like a T3 - But soon a fancy T28!1998 Audi A4 - I don't know why, but i did.

Oooh, that's a great idea !

As is that and that !

How come you're so sensible over there ? You even have the cool more-than-one-disc in your car, for Tax/MOT/Insurance. It's about time the same thing happened over here.

snip

Should have given me a shout when you got to Barnsley and saved the money the Travel lodge cost you and kipped here for nowt as we'd say up here.

Mark S.

Thx for your reply, Mark, but as I left Workington the only thing I was sure of was that I left Workington. I had no clue where I would end up.

Barnsley was in fact a surprise: driving down the M1 I saw neon-letters "Hotel" and a junction. Took the exit, promptly got myself lost and didn't even find the hotel :)

Drove a while, got again on the M1 and sito presto: Travel Lodge. Guessing all luck was spent for the day I parked the 928 up front (feeling somewhat guilty making that much rattle) and went in. Remember paying, getting to the room, undressing but not touching the pillow :)

Tom De Moor