The Beagle Log, 18 September 2007, Traffic

Subject: The Beagle Log, 18 September 2007, Traffic Tue 18 Sep 2007 - 0:00

Good Morning Smith Chatters

In 1973, my wife and I made our way to Paris. While traveling in Europe, on this and earlier trips, I was always amazed by the traffic. This photo of the Arc de Triomphe may show one possible cause of traffic congestion.

Note tractor in front of right column

I new I had mastered Parisian driving in 1968 when a friend and I took a short vacation to visit Paris. (We were stationed in Mannheim, Germany) On the way into the city we picked up a French soldier hitchhiking home. It was interesting to compare notes with him. Anyway, as we were traveling down one of the boulevards I saw the turn I wanted, cut across 4 lanes of traffic, and made my turn. Looking in the rearview mirror, our poor hitchhiker was “white as a ghost”.

What are your favorite traffic stories?
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Don

1-star-status Member Joined : 11 Sep 2007 Posts : 3

Favourite traffic story ? If I can even bring myself to talk about it. We were on holiday in Cyprus and hired a car. We drove up to the Troodos mountains. We left all the other sensible tourists behind sunbathing on the beach, the mountains were so high that when we got to the top there was no visibility due to fog and snow !! The paths (as u could not call them roads) were so narrow that at times I think we only had 2 wheels on the road,and the drops were horrendous. I dont know why we went sightseeing up there I didnt see anything because I had my eyes shut, with fear. Never again

Subject: Re: The Beagle Log, 18 September 2007, Traffic Tue 18 Sep 2007 - 12:07

Our story is from 2003 we went to the landrover show and then to france in a 1961 Long wheel base landrover. On the way down to the show one of the four head gaskets went. So off we went around the show to see if we could get another one but no luck but Rimmer brothers had some back at their store and one of there guys was comming to the show the day after. So we went and collected it the day after and Ivor fixed it(he always takes his full tool box with him vertually everywhere!) out side the tent with people comming past and putting their head in the engine bay. Eventually fixed we set off for the ferry. Over the water we went and did about 5 hours before we stopped for the night. Then we did another 10 hours to the south of France. The landrover didn't miss a beat but i got wet in Lyon when a sharpe shower flooded the road and up the water came throught the floor but it drained away as fast! Well after a week in sisling heat(there was a heat wave on) we moved across country and the landrover did not miss a beat. Three days before we where due to get the ferrry home we though we would have a day in Paris. So loaded up off we went, across the ferry and on the motorway. The land rover broke down on the motorway loosing water. Ivor could not fx it on the spot so off to the telephone, Ivor does not speak french at all, never did it at school, anyway tow truck arrives and we haven to a clue where we where going. We arrived at a garage but i did have foresite and i had bought RAC cover, so they put me through to them so that they could get paid. Ivor could not get the garage to understand he wanted to fix his own land rover. Any way one hole in the radiator and it will be ready tomorrow they say. so off to a motel we went for the night and in the morning we are picked up and reunited with the landrover. Ivors not happy as €110.00 later and some appoxy metal and ivor had to take the radiator off anyway we set off again. We get 40 miles up the road in the middle of know where it went again... So off to another garage and they speak less english than we do french so back to the RAC to interperate again. So its decided that we should leave the landrover with the RAC in the gagrage and it will be sent home at a later date.
Imagine this 4 people 2 tents, camp kitchen from the trailor tent, sleeping bags, airbeds, toys, 4 over night bags stuffed full of clothes, two cool boxes, toilet and all the other stuff you may need. In a landrover no problem now need a hire car...I got this over to the RAC and a taxi came and took Ivor and I to the nearest town an hour away. We left the kids in a strange town with strangers with all our stuff (ages 13 and 15). The hire place stayed open just for us and we got an espace, brand new, The Kind taxi darive spoke no english but made sure we followed him back to our children. We pack up a small tent and 4 peoples bags and sleeping bags and the cool box. We drove upto Calis now no time to stop over and booked in at the camp site there. We had to get the ferry the day after and the English side where sending us a hire car for us to swap into. The next day found and met the man and he took us to the car they had sent over for us. I managed to get the french to undertand we need large car..and i was told like for like when they brought over the English one...opps some one didnt pass this over to us BRITS. They sent us an ASTRA HATCH BACK...
As we went through customs they asked if there was children in the back of the car as they could not see them. The man said all you have to do is get on the ferry and get off and their hire place is there and they would swap it for us, so we agreed to go. Once at the hire place they said ho... erm...we havnt anything bigger but Maidstone had something for us. so off we went. We arrived and they had got out a peugot saloon even worse. so we said no but the had had a senic just brought back but it was not clean or anything we where loading the stuff into it befre the paper work was sorted out and that brought us home at last. The Land Rover took 3 weeks to come back into the country then we had the unpacking to do!
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Maxine
Friendship~
Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down. - Oprah Winfrey

Last edited by on Wed 19 Sep 2007 - 15:17; edited 2 times in total

Hi all,

haaaa haaa oh dear oh dear!! Thanks Don, beemnut & maxine for sharing your driving calamity stories, ho ho ho.

Well - as for me ck-hrrmm

.........

The funniest experiences I've had in traffic were all in Liverpool City Centre
(well!! stressful at the time, but funny to look back on!!) I was living & working in Liverpool for about 2 & half years around 1991 to 1994. I lived in Wavertree & nursed at Alder Hey Childrens Hospital at West Derby. So to go to work, fortunately didn't need to go into the City Centre at all - just 10 minutes away around the main road that encircles Liverpool - Queens Drive.

But !! for some of the time I was living there, I was also doing a study course at John Moores Uni - in the City Centre. Those were the days of my traffic panics at morning rush hour!! Getting into the wrong lane & couldn't get out was my biggest stressor - that happened a lot!! or finding myself driving in the wrong direction on a one-way-street!! Anyone who's driven around Liverpool City Centre at rush hour will understand what I'm on about!! The worst was this.........

I was late for College & stressing about get there quickly. Was just about to reach the city centre via the road (which I think is William Brown Street) - I'd somehow got myself into the right-hand lane & couldn't get back to the lane I wanted to get down to Dale Street.

Oh No!! I was heading for the entrance to the Mersey Tunnel!! ck-horrified

Hot sweats & panics. I was thinking "well, I'll just have to go right over the water (or "under the water" I should say!) then turn around at Birkenhead & drive right back again!".

But then just as I was about to enter the tunnel - ck-shocked

had another sudden panic about how late I was already - so did a swift U-turn Embarassed

& blended in with the traffic that had just exited the tunnel on the other side!! Don't know how the heck I ever got away with that!!

These photos (to add to the interest!!) are by John Bythell (and are his copyright) from his fabulous collection of Liverpool images, old and modern at his site >> The SJS Files >>
(I've slightly reduced the size of these from John's originals)

Mersey Tunnel Entrance at Liverpool City Centre end........
(but its choc-o-bloc at rush hour!!)

copyright John Bythell
Looking down William Brown Street towards the Queensway Tunnel entrance, from the steps of the Museum and Library. The entrance structures designed by Herbert J. Rowse. Now Grade 2 listed & so of significant historical importance. Construction 1925 to 1934. Opened 18th July 1934 by H.M. King George V. At the time of completion it was the longest underwater road tunnel in the world at 2.13miles long.

Alder Hey, West Derby, Liverpool
The Childrens' Hospital where I worked during the time
I lived in Liverpool 1991-1994-ish

copyright John Bythell
Known locally as "Alder Hey" but its correct title is the "Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital Alder Hey". It was the largest children's hospital in Western Europe but now in doubt since reorganisation.

The foundation stone to Alder Hey Infirmary was laid in March 1911, & the hospital opened in October 1914. The sick and injured soldiers of the Great war were nursed at Alder Hey

and just for the heck of it - here is...............

The "Shelter in the Middle of the Roundabout"
as mentioned in the Beatles song "Penny lane". It's above the top end of Penny Lane, but is actually on Smithdown Road, and close to where Wavertree boundaries Allerton. I lived near here.

copyright John Bythell
The "Shelter" used to be public toilets, but now a cafe - named "Sergeant Peppers".

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Carole, Smith Project/Smith Chat Admin
Nothing is too small to know, and nothing too big to attempt (William Van Horne)

Subject: Re: The Beagle Log, 18 September 2007, Traffic Tue 18 Sep 2007 - 21:00

Maxine, I think you had the most interesting story. Remind me not to take any cross country auto trips with you. And beemnut, no side trips with you.

Carole, your story reminds me of the time I cut across the median of an interstate to avoid a massive backup at the George Washington Bridge going into New York City. My wife was speachless.

One of my recollections about driving in Europe dealt with roundabouts. In Germany, the vehicles in the roundabout have the right of way; in France, the vehicles entering the roundabout had the right of way. I don’t know about England since I never drove there.
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Don

Subject: Re: The Beagle Log, 18 September 2007, Traffic Tue 18 Sep 2007 - 21:07

In England you have right of way when nothing is coming from your right. And we have silly mini round-a-bouts and when you get there together your guess is as good as ours...mini round a bout is where there was usually a T-juction or even a cross roads. In our house we joke about planners leaving plans on desks and the cleaners put coffee cups on them and there you get a mini round a bout. LOL

PS Highway code

Subject: Re: The Beagle Log, 18 September 2007, Traffic Wed 19 Sep 2007 - 15:23

Just a note to say that I've made corrections in my post above, concerning the Liverpool images. The owner of those images and the "SJS Files" website is John Bythell. Many apologies to John as I'd given his surname as Blythell, but now corrected.

Thank you John for allowing me to keep the images on this Topic.

Carole
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Carole, Smith Project/Smith Chat Admin
Nothing is too small to know, and nothing too big to attempt (William Van Horne)

Subject: Re: The Beagle Log, 18 September 2007, Traffic Sat 29 Sep 2007 - 23:48

Hello all,
just some photos to go with my story.

Subject: Re: The Beagle Log, 18 September 2007, Traffic Sun 30 Sep 2007 - 22:57

Hi all.
Just wanted to tell you my worst trip but it's 12-o-clock and time for bed. Work tomorrow. You won't believe it when I tell you so I will save it till next time. It takes some telling anyway and laugh, I nearly lost my stitches.
Love to all
Daz
xxx
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My family are like stars in the night sky of my life.
Always there at the end of the day.
The light of their love forever constant as the Northern star.
Safely guiding me home.
Dreams are the realities of tomorrow.
Everyone is in tune with the spirits of their ancestors. Unfortunately some are tone deaf.
Copyright. Daz.2008.