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Campervans

Re: Campervans

Postby Ewen1966 » Mon Aug 08, 2022 10:03 am

MacHairy wrote:I used to have this same irrational prejudice against Mini Metros. If I was ever on a three lane carriageway being held up behind a massive knot of traffic caused by something bimbling along at 40MPH in the middle lane, that something was always a Mini Metro. I have no idea why, especially when drivers of regular Minis didn't behave that way at all.

I had a metro in the mid 80s. Used to travel all over with mates and gear and didn't do 40mph :)
It was a surprisingly nippy wee car on windy country roads and would often take off on humpback bridges. (not good for the isolastic suspension).
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Re: Campervans

Postby mproudfoot » Wed Aug 10, 2022 1:54 pm

Was up early to do a couple of corbetts from Lochearnhead this morning and on the way back down the A82 from Crianlarich to Tarbet, there was five of the white boxes on wheels in a row!! (rental return Wednesday?) I was in a queue of cars behind shuffling down all the way from Inverarnan to Tarbet at between 25-30mph. That said, if it's not the campers, it's often a wee hatchback driven by someone that is under the impression that the speed limit is 40, and that their car cannot take any corner over 15mph. Looking forward to the off-peak season :-P
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Re: Campervans

Postby simon-b » Wed Aug 10, 2022 2:06 pm

Safety always comes first. But drivers shouldn't forget this, which they should have learned before their test, either:
https://www.learnerdriving.com/driving-test/marking/progress
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Re: Campervans

Postby DavidShepherd » Wed Aug 10, 2022 2:15 pm

I'd love a campervan to be honest. But I do mean a smaller Volkswagen or converted similar size thing. Would make life so much easier for getting away!

That being said, yeah they get annoying, but you know what, maybe its more about teaching yourself not to get annoyed about it. Things change and the increased numbers are more than likely here to stay. You're in for serious disappointment if you think the other party will sort themselves out. Better all round to just not let it affect you while you're on the road etc.

(Easier said than done but there you go!)
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Re: Campervans

Postby Glengavel » Wed Aug 10, 2022 2:43 pm

simon-b wrote:Safety always comes first. But drivers shouldn't forget this, which they should have learned before their test, either:
https://www.learnerdriving.com/driving-test/marking/progress


My examiner chided me for driving too slowly and urged me to speed up (I was doing ~20 in a 30mph zone), didn't fail me for it. He acknowledged I was being careful not to exceed the limit but told me I had a duty not to impede other road users. Something the trundlers on the Balloch to Stirling road should take heed of :twisted:
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Re: Campervans

Postby simon-b » Wed Aug 10, 2022 3:50 pm

DavidShepherd wrote:I'd love a campervan to be honest. But I do mean a smaller Volkswagen or converted similar size thing. Would make life so much easier for getting away!

That being said, yeah they get annoying, but you know what, maybe its more about teaching yourself not to get annoyed about it. Things change and the increased numbers are more than likely here to stay. You're in for serious disappointment if you think the other party will sort themselves out. Better all round to just not let it affect you while you're on the road etc.

(Easier said than done but there you go!)


Other drivers are not annoying for simply exercising their right to be there, the same as all of us are exercising our rights when driving in the country, and ourselves adding the amount of traffic on the roads. But what is annoying and frustrating is when drivers disregard the highway code's instruction to make proper progress for traffic conditions, and ignore road signs that say to allow overtaking and not impede traffic behind. I have sympathy for lorry drivers etc. who can't be stopping in every layby, but some leisure drivers never pull over.

They're only increasing and not going away? Maybe a good jet stream summer like 2007, with weeks of wash out deluges over the Highlands, Lakes and Snowdonia will send all the staycation boomers scurrying for their passports again.

Those of us who really love the hills love them in all types of weather! Which I'm sure would in your VW camper if you got one, David, nothing wrong with that!
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Re: Campervans

Postby Giant Stoneater » Wed Aug 10, 2022 5:30 pm

simon-b wrote:Safety always comes first. But drivers shouldn't forget this, which they should have learned before their test, either:
https://www.learnerdriving.com/driving-test/marking/progress


1. Drive up to the speed limit if road, weather and traffic conditions permit or at a realistic speed if not

Define a realistic speed, that would depend on a drivers definition of what that is and is open to a wide variation of speeds.
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Re: Campervans

Postby al78 » Wed Aug 10, 2022 7:32 pm

simon-b wrote:Safety always comes first. But drivers shouldn't forget this, which they should have learned before their test, either:
https://www.learnerdriving.com/driving-test/marking/progress


"Driving well below the speed limit can be as dangerous as driving above it. Particularly if this causes frustration amongst other road users who may feel the need to overtake you when it is unsafe to do so."

The dangerous driving here is overtaking when it is unsafe to do so.

What is comes down to is consideration for other people. If you are on an unfamiliar country road and there is a queue of traffic building up behind you, the considerate thing to do is find a safe place to pull over and let the traffic past, or slow down and move left when you get to a straight section which is good for overtaking (the worst thing you can do is put your foot down on the straight sections before slamming the brakes on at the next bend. This keeps the traffic behind you and causes frustration).

index.jpg
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Re: Campervans

Postby simon-b » Wed Aug 10, 2022 7:50 pm

al78 wrote:
simon-b wrote:Safety always comes first. But drivers shouldn't forget this, which they should have learned before their test, either:
https://www.learnerdriving.com/driving-test/marking/progress


"Driving well below the speed limit can be as dangerous as driving above it. Particularly if this causes frustration amongst other road users who may feel the need to overtake you when it is unsafe to do so."

The dangerous driving here is overtaking when it is unsafe to do so.

What is comes down to is consideration for other people. If you are on an unfamiliar country road and there is a queue of traffic building up behind you, the considerate thing to do is find a safe place to pull over and let the traffic past, or slow down and move left when you get to a straight section which is good for overtaking (the worst thing you can do is put your foot down on the straight sections before slamming the brakes on at the next bend. This keeps the traffic behind you and causes frustration).

index.jpg


A pretty fair summary, Al.
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Re: Campervans

Postby AyrshireAlps » Wed Aug 10, 2022 8:42 pm

And the folk who sit right on your arse, even though you're doing a speed commensurate with the conditions.

This will only ever result in me slowing down a bit. :D
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Re: Campervans

Postby simon-b » Wed Aug 10, 2022 8:48 pm

AyrshireAlps wrote:And the folk who sit right on your arse, even though you're doing a speed commensurate with the conditions.

This will only ever result in me slowing down a bit. :D

Absolutely, AA, it does work both ways. Consideration and courtesy towards all other road users, whether in front, behind or to the side.
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Re: Campervans

Postby al78 » Wed Aug 10, 2022 9:51 pm

AyrshireAlps wrote:And the folk who sit right on your arse, even though you're doing a speed commensurate with the conditions.

This will only ever result in me slowing down a bit. :D


Slow down and move left when it is safe for them to overtake. Better for them to have a crash when they are well away from you. I can appreciate how you feel, I am not a dawdler but very occasionally I will have tailgaters on narrow country roads where I will not speed around blind bends because there could easily be a cyclist or horse rider out of sight.
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Re: Campervans

Postby AyrshireAlps » Wed Aug 10, 2022 10:00 pm

Slow down and move left when it is safe for them to overtake


No.

For the simple reason that we're talking about roads here that are fairly narrow single carriageways. There generally is no room to move to the left, ie the lane is pretty much the width of modern cars.

They can wait for a suitable straight, at which point I'll still not be doing above 60, to show their haste. They'll then easily 'make progress'.

Ye wanna get there quick, leave earlier.
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Re: Campervans

Postby DavidShepherd » Thu Aug 11, 2022 11:02 am

simon-b wrote:
DavidShepherd wrote:I'd love a campervan to be honest. But I do mean a smaller Volkswagen or converted similar size thing. Would make life so much easier for getting away!

That being said, yeah they get annoying, but you know what, maybe its more about teaching yourself not to get annoyed about it. Things change and the increased numbers are more than likely here to stay. You're in for serious disappointment if you think the other party will sort themselves out. Better all round to just not let it affect you while you're on the road etc.

(Easier said than done but there you go!)


Other drivers are not annoying for simply exercising their right to be there, the same as all of us are exercising our rights when driving in the country, and ourselves adding the amount of traffic on the roads. But what is annoying and frustrating is when drivers disregard the highway code's instruction to make proper progress for traffic conditions, and ignore road signs that say to allow overtaking and not impede traffic behind. I have sympathy for lorry drivers etc. who can't be stopping in every layby, but some leisure drivers never pull over.

They're only increasing and not going away? Maybe a good jet stream summer like 2007, with weeks of wash out deluges over the Highlands, Lakes and Snowdonia will send all the staycation boomers scurrying for their passports again.

Those of us who really love the hills love them in all types of weather! Which I'm sure would in your VW camper if you got one, David, nothing wrong with that!


Not disagreeing with you on any of these points (Well maybe except that good jet stream summer, but if that happens I'm more than happy to be quoted!) What I was trying to say was that its better to try and help yourself not get annoyed and frustrated by it, because its unlikely others will change and you'll have a better time of it not letting it get to you.
This is what 10 years of commuting between Ayrshire and Glasgow 5 days a week up the M77 has taught me :)
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Re: Campervans

Postby Backpacker » Thu Aug 11, 2022 11:26 am

I'm very happy with a caddy camper, doesn't look like a camper, so no one bats an eyelid :D
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