A14 nightmare
For those who don't live in Cambridge, I would need to give an introduction of what A14 is.
The road in UK are numbered. M road = motorway (for example, M1, M11, etc), where the road signs are blue in colour. It's at least a dual-carriageways where the speed limit is 70 mph. No pedestrians, cyclists, moped, learner drivers, agricultural vehicles, and animals allowed in it. The roads are usually straight, no bends, no roundabout, no right junctions. A road are like motorway without those restrictions, indicated by the colour of the road signs, green in colour. Some A roads like A14 are dual-carriageways where the speed limit is 70 mph, some are single-carriageways where the speed limit is 60 mph.
A14 is what take me from home (Milton) to work (Huntingdon). I usually leave home at 7:30 and reach Huntingdon in 25 minutes, with normal traffic. This road is cursed. A14 is main road for long distance lorries from the East Coast ports to the industrial Midlands, making it one of the busiest (and scariest) roads in the country.
It's such a nightmare of a road, I would have prefered public transport than driving myself. However as I researched at the beginning of my job in Huntingdon, this is not possible.
To go by bus, I would have to take the bus from Milton to Cambridge City Centre, take the bus to Huntingdon from there. The bus service from Milton to Cambridge City Centre is not reliable, but even if it is, the bus from Cambridge to Huntingdon is via A14 anyway, which doesn't really solve my problem. Moreover, from Huntingdon bus station to where I work is half an hour to walk, making a total journey from my home to work about 2 hours (at least) in peak hours.
The train option has the same problem. I have to go by bus from Milton to Cambridge City Centre, then either walk or take the bus from Cambridge City Centre to the Cambridge Railway Station. Walking is around 40 minutes. From there, there's no direct line from Cambridge to Huntingdon, so I'd have to go to Peterborough and catch the train from Peterborough to Huntingdon. After all that chaos, I still have to think of how to walk from Huntingdon Railway Station to where I work. I estimate it would be at least 40 minutes, across A14 *shudder*.
The only other option for me then would be either walk from home to work (which is absurd) or cycle (which is more absurd on A14).
I am left with no other option but to drive along this devil road.
This morning, I left home 15 minutes later than usual (7:45 am), because I had to cook spaghetti for lunch. When I got to Milton roundabout to join A14 westbound to go to Huntingdon, I heard on the radio that there's an accident in A14. As I was hearing this, I looked down to see how bad the situation was. To my horror, the traffic was not moving at all, not even an inch! I quickly thought of other ways to go to work. Since I heard the accident was in Girton, A428 (my other route to work in case A14 is closed) is no longer a possible route, since I have to pass Girton to go to A428. I kept thinking how else to get to A428, when I suddenly thought of a route: Landbeach - Cottenham - Impington - Dry Drayton, then on to A14 just after Girton. All this was in my brain in a matter of seconds. Bingo! My chosen alternative route wasn't all that busy, I guess the accident must have just happened as I heard it (lucky me!). Had I left the house 15 minutes earlier (7:30 as usual), I would have been caught in the traffic jam, not moving anywhere. According to BBC News, the accident happened at 7:30 am. Phew! The travel news on the radio said they have closed the whole carriageways in Girton (both directions), and vehicles travelling westbound (which I would have been), should just switch off their engines because it will be long before the road re-opens!
I kept hearing all this traffic news as I was going through the small roads towards A14. Apparently there were four vehicles involved in the accident, one of them caught fire, and a lorry turned sideways on the central reservation, blocking the whole four lanes! No wonder they had to close the whole road! In anyway, I was incredibly lucky. A14 after Dry Drayton to Huntingdon was absolutely clear (since most of the traffic are held at Girton). I hope they manage to re-open A14 before my time to drive back to home.
Update: It's 2pm, and no sign of the road being re-opened :(
The road in UK are numbered. M road = motorway (for example, M1, M11, etc), where the road signs are blue in colour. It's at least a dual-carriageways where the speed limit is 70 mph. No pedestrians, cyclists, moped, learner drivers, agricultural vehicles, and animals allowed in it. The roads are usually straight, no bends, no roundabout, no right junctions. A road are like motorway without those restrictions, indicated by the colour of the road signs, green in colour. Some A roads like A14 are dual-carriageways where the speed limit is 70 mph, some are single-carriageways where the speed limit is 60 mph.
A14 is what take me from home (Milton) to work (Huntingdon). I usually leave home at 7:30 and reach Huntingdon in 25 minutes, with normal traffic. This road is cursed. A14 is main road for long distance lorries from the East Coast ports to the industrial Midlands, making it one of the busiest (and scariest) roads in the country.
It's such a nightmare of a road, I would have prefered public transport than driving myself. However as I researched at the beginning of my job in Huntingdon, this is not possible.
To go by bus, I would have to take the bus from Milton to Cambridge City Centre, take the bus to Huntingdon from there. The bus service from Milton to Cambridge City Centre is not reliable, but even if it is, the bus from Cambridge to Huntingdon is via A14 anyway, which doesn't really solve my problem. Moreover, from Huntingdon bus station to where I work is half an hour to walk, making a total journey from my home to work about 2 hours (at least) in peak hours.
The train option has the same problem. I have to go by bus from Milton to Cambridge City Centre, then either walk or take the bus from Cambridge City Centre to the Cambridge Railway Station. Walking is around 40 minutes. From there, there's no direct line from Cambridge to Huntingdon, so I'd have to go to Peterborough and catch the train from Peterborough to Huntingdon. After all that chaos, I still have to think of how to walk from Huntingdon Railway Station to where I work. I estimate it would be at least 40 minutes, across A14 *shudder*.
The only other option for me then would be either walk from home to work (which is absurd) or cycle (which is more absurd on A14).
I am left with no other option but to drive along this devil road.
This morning, I left home 15 minutes later than usual (7:45 am), because I had to cook spaghetti for lunch. When I got to Milton roundabout to join A14 westbound to go to Huntingdon, I heard on the radio that there's an accident in A14. As I was hearing this, I looked down to see how bad the situation was. To my horror, the traffic was not moving at all, not even an inch! I quickly thought of other ways to go to work. Since I heard the accident was in Girton, A428 (my other route to work in case A14 is closed) is no longer a possible route, since I have to pass Girton to go to A428. I kept thinking how else to get to A428, when I suddenly thought of a route: Landbeach - Cottenham - Impington - Dry Drayton, then on to A14 just after Girton. All this was in my brain in a matter of seconds. Bingo! My chosen alternative route wasn't all that busy, I guess the accident must have just happened as I heard it (lucky me!). Had I left the house 15 minutes earlier (7:30 as usual), I would have been caught in the traffic jam, not moving anywhere. According to BBC News, the accident happened at 7:30 am. Phew! The travel news on the radio said they have closed the whole carriageways in Girton (both directions), and vehicles travelling westbound (which I would have been), should just switch off their engines because it will be long before the road re-opens!
I kept hearing all this traffic news as I was going through the small roads towards A14. Apparently there were four vehicles involved in the accident, one of them caught fire, and a lorry turned sideways on the central reservation, blocking the whole four lanes! No wonder they had to close the whole road! In anyway, I was incredibly lucky. A14 after Dry Drayton to Huntingdon was absolutely clear (since most of the traffic are held at Girton). I hope they manage to re-open A14 before my time to drive back to home.
Update: It's 2pm, and no sign of the road being re-opened :(
posted by Monica | 10:18 AM
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