Motorways and Roadworks

I had to take a quick trip along the M4/M5 this morning. The roadworks along with a 40mph speed restriction are still there, several months after work started. They are working on that stretch again – the period between works is a fleeting memory of being able to travel at 70mph, now once more vanished. It seems sometimes as if it has been going on for years. Indeed, at one point the roadworks had permanent speed cameras in situ.

Which reminded me of my trip last week to Swindon. A journey of about 35 miles, I had to slow twice for roadworks. Barely had I accelerated to a decent cruising speed when I encountered the next lot and had to drop back to 50mph. Again, these are works that have been going on for months. It would be nice, one day, to make that trip from start to finish at the posted speed of 70mph. I cannot recall the last time it was possible.

Okay, I know, someone will point out that these works are necessary and I’m sure that they are. But why is it that it is always the same stretches, they are rarely coordinated to minimise disruption and 500 miles of French motorways were traversed this month without one single traffic cone or temporary speed restriction?

Ah, now there’s the rub. In the past two years of regularly travelling on the A13, A71 and A75, I have encountered only one set of roadworks that caused disruption. Apart from that, there was the accident on the A75 this year and subsequent repairs, but they were gone within 24 hours and accidents will happen. No, my beef is with the “planned” work and its ongoing nature. When traffic cones are put out, they are there to stay.

What is it, I wonder that the French do differently? Not only do they not disrupt the motorway users, they also manage to provide a better road surface as well. It can’t be the private roads argument because the A75 is a free motorway (with the exception of the Millau viaduct). So what is it?