Night Driving

snowdog said:
If there's no car for at least 2 miles in front and behind you you can just drive as fast as you please and use the middle lane and feel like the motorway is yours while blasting highway star or highway to hell or driver's seat or other nice driving songs, awesome feeling.
Click to expand...

I agree, but one thing I'm wondering about, where are these middle lanes? ...I have only ever seen 2 lane motorways in the Netherlands, I spend quite a bit of time there too, but either in Southern Limburg or Friesland, I usually use the train in the north but have spent plenty of time on the roads in the south.

I take it you have some bigger motorways in the middle around the major cities? ...I haven't spent much time on the roads in that area.
 
Moeks said:
I agree, but one thing I'm wondering about, where are these middle lanes? ...I have only ever seen 2 lane motorways in the Netherlands, I spend quite a bit of time there too, but either in Southern Limburg or Friesland, I usually use the train in the north but have spent plenty of time on the roads in the south.

I take it you have some bigger motorways in the middle around the major cities? ...I haven't spent much time on the roads in that area.
Click to expand...

In Holland ( not the same as the netherlands) most motorways are 3 or more lanes, with only a few exceptions ( such as the A12 between gouda and zoetermeer, but that is currently being widened, and the A 20 between Rotterdam and Gouda, and a small bit of A44 iirc parrallel to the A4 which is also 2x2 for a small bit).
Friesland is barely inhabited ( comapred to the NL average density) and Limburg, I don't know, the traffic doesn't require wider roads ?

Busy roads such as Utrecht- Amersterdam have been 2x3 lanes for 30 years I think, and are now being widened to 2x5 lanes. The A12 between Utrecht and and Gouda is 2x3 or 2x4 lanes for the whole stretch ( the 2x3 bits are being upgraded in the coming years with an extra lane). All the (motorway)beltways around all big cities are at least 3 lane wide per direction. The road from rotterdam to amsterdam is at least 3 lanes at all times except for a small 6 km stretch which is being upgraded soon.

Anyways in short, truly busy bits are far wider, there's a 3 mile stretch where the A16 and the A15 run parallel, this bit has 3x5 and 1x4 lanes, 19 drivable lanes in total for both directions.
 
Last edited:
Scubascorpion said:
A30 through Bodmin is also another favourite.

Fantastic sweeping dual carriageway all the way and only one camera to remember in the dip at Launceton :D
Click to expand...

Not all of it DC.

theres also a big roundabout somewhere too, no idea which idiot thought that up.
 
snowdog said:
lots of info
Click to expand...

Arrh I see, well thanks for the info. I haven't spent much time in Holland specifically ...basically I pass through it from time to time on the train. I didn't really think that Friesland was necessarily representative of all of the Netherlands though, that'd be like thinking East Anglia …nominally Norfolk & Sulfolk (I believe Cambridgeshire falls under EA too) was like the rest of Britain, incidentally that's our flat land leading to the east coast, quite a lot of it is reclaimed marshland and fenland, there are windmills abound! ...actually it's kind of like Friesland only much prettier and not as ...desolate. But anyway, there is very little motorway network there period.
 
Equally entertaining are sunrise runs in the summer. Get up at half 4 and head out somewhere nice to catch the sunrise, blat back along the empty roads in the early morning sunshine. Beautiful.

Stonehenge at dawn in '08

Then take a nice nap in afternoon :D
 
Many (many) years ago I occasionally slept over at a friends house in summer, set the alarm for 3AM and then we'd go for a blat around the closer parts of Dartmoor on our bikes. There is something about driving around on completely deserted roads, almost feels like you shouldn't be there.
 
This reminds me, autumn last year I did some work in the Isle of Man, which involved a stay in a hotel.

We had a hire car (1.4d new shape fiesta of fail) and took it round most of the TT course at midnight. We stopped at the highest point, I have never seen such a clear sky with so many cars.
 
I love driving on an empty motorway/carriageway at night. Especially the sections that are lit up. Just find it so relaxing
 
I wish I could go out now, unfortunatly im rather limited for fuel this week, I have just enough to get to where I need to go and back. Oh and 5 miles of it in the tank and the nearest one is trurelefoot which is 12 miles away. lol
 
-1 outside, still had a blast up to Tesco to pick up some breakfast ingredients and got some petrol on the way back -refreshingly relaxing but the night shift workers aren't half glum >_<
 
Last edited:
About to go do some night driving round plym, as I cant sleep :D

Going to take some photographs too, not really used the wide angle much, so I will see what I can come up with :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom