Road - Nightworks on the Road

What is it with roadworks? You'd think the authorities could pick a better time than rush hour on a Friday night to go digging up the road.

Two lanes had been closed off on the northbound M6 near Stoke and the traffic was already backed up for miles and backing up even further behind all the time. After 40 minutes of 1st gear, stop, 1st gear, stop, we finally got to the problem. A bunch of guys in hi-viz vests and hard hats with a lorry carrying so many orange flashing lights there was little room to carry more than two shovels, a pick and a lunch-box.

They were working on what looked like a bridge joint - but they were working on the line between the hard shoulder and the inside lane. In other words, why had they shut off the middle lane as well?

So why two lanes? Unless the problem was much wider than the area on which they were working, there was no apparent need, as the traffic had already been slowed to a crawl by the traffic and 40 mph speed limit signs, but I've got a theory. The Health & Safety Police probably have probably issued a wee manual telling the workies to secure a much larger safety perimeter than is needed.

Could it not have been left till the early hours when traffic was much lighter? Backing up the traffic at that time during rush hour on a Friday evening allows the idiots to do stupid things, like the numpty in the big black B Emm who roared (not drove slowly!) up the hard should to avoid the queue and the bunch of eeedjits in an old Hyundia Coupe who were obviously inspired and followed suit.

A mile or so beyond that point there was an old dark coloured Nissan Micra sitting parked up on the hard shoulder with the bonnet up. I bet she got a fright when the idiots arrived at speed. Fortunately, the fact that she was still there meant that some sort of avoiding action had been taken.