Gridlock - wish I'd been on my bike

[bluninja]

For my sins I had to go to Auckland for a few days working and took the car, as, let's face it, driving over Mount Messenger and through Awakino in the dark and rain wasn't going to be fun.

Leaving Auckland on Friday I thought 3:45 would see me at least just leaving slowly...Nah! took 15 minutes for valet parking to get my car...god knows how they would have handled valet parking for my bike (would I have let some bellhop just jump on my bike?).

So CBD to Southern motorway traffic lights took a mere 40 minutes...and an hour into the drive home I had covered 3 kms. I was so jealous of the bikes going past. I did have trouble spotting them in my mirrors due to having to focus on the "no look, no indicate, twitch from lane to lane" right in front of my bumper. 2 gentlemen, one in a turban, one without seemed to be discussing their family ties on entering the motorway and decided to carry their chat on by driving alongside from lane to lane whilst using sign language (the stereos must have been up loud).

I was surprised that about a third of the bike commuters were female....well what else is there to do but gaze jealously at every bike that passes. Must admit that the flouro vested riders were only noticeable when they had gone past. There was one bike (sv650?) that had blue running lights alongside the headlights that certainly stood out from the sea of headlights in the mirror.

So next time I head up to the Super (clogged) city I think I'll take the bike regardless of the weather. 7 hours to do a 4 hour trip is too much.

[Road kill]

Yeah you got one of those days that happen in the big smoke now an then.
I went to Rotorua,it was a great day to be driving with little traffic about:whistle:.

[paturoa]

Yeah you got one of those days that happen in the big smoke now an then.


That would be on days that don't start with the letter S.

[kevfromcoro]

I was living on the south side of Brisbane..
Had to pick up my bro on the north side,, about 30 ks away at 9am.
I left at 7 just to make sure,
By 8am I had travelled 7ks
ya reckon I should of taken the old girl out of low range?

[BMWST?]

i dont go to aucklnd that often but i always seem to get there (or leave about 5 o clock)The most engaging one was when i bought my old BMW 535.The guy lived in central auckland and i had to negotiate (nelson st?) pst tvnz and sky city to get out onto the motorway.It took about 6 or 8 light cycles for me to negotiate tthose two intersections,then a fairly good run down hobson st to the motorway when i looked forward to give the 535 a good rev out up to the speed limit .Got out onto the motorway where the traffic was.......stopped Two concree trucks were swapping lanes with complete disregard for other traffic rights or posistions.The fuel guzzle o meter read 17 l per 100 k for the first hour of ownership....

[98tls]

i dont go to aucklnd that often but i always seem to get there (or leave about 5 o clock)The most engaging one was when i bought my old BMW 535.The guy lived in central auckland and i had to negotiate (nelson st?) pst tvnz and sky city to get out onto the motorway.It took about 6 or 8 light cycles for me to negotiate tthose two intersections,then a fairly good run down hobson st to the motorway when i looked forward to give the 535 a good rev out up to the speed limit .Got out onto the motorway where the traffic was.......stopped Two concree trucks were swapping lanes with complete disregard for other traffic rights or posistions.The fuel guzzle o meter read 17 l per 100 k for the first hour of ownership....

Feel your pain mate just the other day i had to go into town and got a red at every light along the way....all 4 of em<_<:laugh:

[unstuck]

I went through Alexandra at rush hour the other day coming back from the west coast, and I had to give way at a roundabout. Fuckin sux aye.:msn-wink:

[Moi]

That's why the car has done all of 500 km in the last 8 weeks... and most of that in the rain!

[98tls]

I went through Alexandra at rush hour the other day coming back from the west coast, and I had to give way at a roundabout. Fuckin sux aye.:msn-wink:

:mad:Ridiculous...

[T.W.R]

Worst I've ever struck was Easter 03 1hr45mins from the Wellington ferry terminal to Paraparaumu :mad: and I was on my bike

Friday 5pm rush hour here yesterday.......1 horse & 1 fertilizer truck :laugh: had to check all was safe backing out the drive

[Waipukbiker]

I drive a truck in Central Hawkes Bay and I worked out the other day that Ive done just under 80,000 kms in it so far and Ive been through 3 sets of traffic lights the whole time, that was because I went near one of those city places, think it was some time last year. Dont ya just luv country roads.

[BMWST?]

I drive a truck in Central Hawkes Bay and I worked out the other day that Ive done just under 80,000 kms in it so far and Ive been through 3 sets of traffic lights the whole time, that was because I went near one of those city places, think it was some time last year. Dont ya just luv country roads.

when there are no trucks!:laugh::laugh:

[unstuck]

I drive a truck in Central Hawkes Bay and I worked out the other day that Ive done just under 80,000 kms in it so far and Ive been through 3 sets of traffic lights the whole time, that was because I went near one of those city places, think it was some time last year. Dont ya just luv country roads.

Gives ya the shits when you spend most of your time driving a truck around country roads and then have to go into the city.:eek:
Especially one like Dunedin when you dont know your way around, and theres all those one way streets.:eek::eek:

[Moi]

... and there's all those one way streets.:eek::eek:

Not a problem, you can only go one way at a time! And it's the other dopey bastards going the wrong one way!! Ask the Dublin taxi driver...

[Road kill]

Gives ya the shits when you spend most of your time driving a truck around country roads and then have to go into the city.:eek:
Especially one like Dunedin when you dont know your way around, and theres all those one way streets.:eek::eek:

One way streets are not bad an they don't really/always apply to trucks anyway,more a guide for the peasants in their cars sort of thing.:innocent:

I drive an eight wheel flat deck around AK most work days and have no problems with traffic either on the motorways or the city an suburbs,in fact I enjoy it.

Having said that I do understand some peoples points of view regarding our traffic ,,it is pretty shit.:laugh:

[unstuck]

One way streets are not bad an they don't really/always apply to trucks anyway,more a guide for the peasants in their cars sort of thing.:innocent:

I drive an eight wheel flat deck around AK most work days and have no problems with traffic either on the motorways or the city an suburbs,in fact I enjoy it.

Having said that I do understand some peoples points of view regarding our traffic ,,it is pretty shit.:laugh:



I used to cart broken concrete and dirt in an N series ford with a v8 cummins, from The waterview, mt albert, pt chev areas to a dump site next to the mangere airport. Was a real shitty gearbox and after 8/9 hours of traffic lights, my fuckin arm was just about falling off, Id get through about 5 0r 6 gears and have to go down again for the next light, then start all over again. I used to love it when I got to the start of the motorway at hillsborough. Got to see some good stuff though.:devil2:

[Maha]

Rush hour here in Warkworth is about 15 cars...there is probably close to the same number of buses dealing with school kids each working day, so things can get a bit congested around 3pm but I am normally home then anyway :cool:

[Gremlin]

It's definitely a mind shift when you've spent a few days riding in remote areas, then you go back into a city and everyone is crazy. Very satisfying when you and a riding mate are trying to remember the last traffic light you saw, especially when you normally live in a city.

Last time I counted, in 10km from home to a client on the bike, about 40 gear changes on the poor Hornet's gearbox.

[bosslady]

For my sins I had to go to Auckland for a few days working and took the car, as, let's face it, driving over Mount Messenger and through Awakino in the dark and rain wasn't going to be fun.

Leaving Auckland on Friday I thought 3:45 would see me at least just leaving slowly...Nah! took 15 minutes for valet parking to get my car...god knows how they would have handled valet parking for my bike (would I have let some bellhop just jump on my bike?).

So CBD to Southern motorway traffic lights took a mere 40 minutes...and an hour into the drive home I had covered 3 kms. I was so jealous of the bikes going past. I did have trouble spotting them in my mirrors due to having to focus on the "no look, no indicate, twitch from lane to lane" right in front of my bumper. 2 gentlemen, one in a turban, one without seemed to be discussing their family ties on entering the motorway and decided to carry their chat on by driving alongside from lane to lane whilst using sign language (the stereos must have been up loud).

I was surprised that about a third of the bike commuters were female....well what else is there to do but gaze jealously at every bike that passes. Must admit that the flouro vested riders were only noticeable when they had gone past. There was one bike (sv650?) that had blue running lights alongside the headlights that certainly stood out from the sea of headlights in the mirror.

So next time I head up to the Super (clogged) city I think I'll take the bike regardless of the weather. 7 hours to do a 4 hour trip is too much.
blue running lights??

[bluninja]

blue running lights??

Little blue lights fitted to either side of the headlights.

[Hawk]

Little blue lights fitted to either side of the headlights.

dont those types normally flash and mean stop then if you dont then followed by a waling sound

[unstuck]

dont those types normally flash and mean stop then if you dont then followed by a waling sound

Usually means speed up and get out of the way. I thought.:crazy:

[ICE180]

never use the sourthen to go south has no one told you about the south western (airport one )
its way quicker as not as many people use it.

from town take the north western to ST lukes Road then go past St lukes turn right into sandringahm road go to the end of Snadringham rRd and follow the signs onto the motor way and you are a 15-25 min drive to Manukau in heavy traffic

total travel time would have been about as long as it took for you to get to green lane

[Moi]

never use the sourthen to go south has no one told you about the south western (airport one )
its way quicker as not as many people use it.

Sshhh!! :shutup:

Don't tell 'em our Auckland secrets...

[AD345]

never use the sourthen to go south has no one told you about the south western (airport one )
its way quicker as not as many people use it.

from town take the north western to ST lukes Road then go past St lukes turn right into sandringahm road go to the end of Snadringham rRd and follow the signs onto the motor way and you are a 15-25 min drive to Manukau in heavy traffic

total travel time would have been about as long as it took for you to get to green lane

Then you will spend 45+min queuing at the ramp lights waiting to join the Southern at Manukau...

There is no escape from the Friday rush south

[Road kill]

Then you will spend 45+min queuing at the ramp lights waiting to join the Southern at Manukau...

There is no escape from the Friday rush south

Nah,30 min max mate.
Timed at several times aye.

[98tls]

when there are no trucks!:laugh::laugh:

Amen to that,cominmg back South from Christchurch the other day i was amazed at how many there are,no problem until you get to Timaru due to the passing lanes (unless theres some cunt in a 4wd) but from there South trucks are a major problem,annoying when theres 2 truck n trailer units in a row.That said they still dont annoy me as much as the spotless clean 4wd brigade,they attempt to pass traffic in a passing lane...put there foot down andd suddenly nothing happens,will they pull over to the other lane?not a chance.

[98tls]

Nah,30 min max mate.
Timed at several times aye.

So 30 min is ok:laugh:fuck that.