please empty your brain below
No story of the M25 would be complete without mention of the Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman book Good Omens - a semi-spoof of The Omen - which features a strange sigil on the front cover which, on closer inspection, proves to be a map of the M25. (this fact has a cameo appearance in the book as well)

Ham | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 1:24 a.m. | #

Living in the central area of London and relying on public transport for the whole of my life means that my forays onto the M25 can probably be counted on two hands - going in or out of London has generally avoided the need to have to go *round* it.

I'm probably the poorer for having had about 2 M25 jams in my whole life, but I'm not complaning!

Nico | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 5:00 a.m. | #

Glad you've saved me reading London Orbital - I saw a copy in a second hand book shop, almost bought it, then put it down and if you say it's over treacly and unreadable I won't bother with it.

Good choice of "road/street" by the way - you manage to trick all of us guessers as to which you were going to do with that one!

Annie Mole | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 6:20 a.m. | #

Hey DG: I clicked on every one of the links provided in today's posting. That resulted in 34 new browser windows. (I was secretly hoping there would be 25) Of which the most fascinating reading was the Guardian article under the "200,000 vehicles" link.

Jag | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 8:10 a.m. | #

Darn it! Ham beat me with the Good Omens reference.

Elsie | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 8:14 a.m. | #

Mmm. M25 - it's the only thing that makes me not want to go and see my parents. The few miles we have to be on it between Chelmsford and the Dartford Crossing, take longer than the entire of the M20.

I do wish the stupid people at Le Crossing who decide to close one tunnel, would learn that closing the booths on the opposite side to the open tunnel, is one of the most idiotic things I've ever seen done.

Laura-Ann | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 8:33 a.m. | #

Was about to say that the M25 isn't the road TOO hell as it isn't TOO anywwhere - then I read fact 2 which correctly points out that it is just the long way round from Thurrock to Dartford!

I liked Good Omens - the idea of going round and round trying to build up an escape velocity to get off the M25... sadly no-one can get that fast ever!

Richard | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 8:38 a.m. | #

No-one else listing their longest M25 journeys?

Ten hours from home to my parent's house (total journey ususally 1 hour). But it snowed and froze just as we joined the Hellish road so there we stayed. Yes.... and we had a plane to catch.

Bless it, eh?

NiC | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 9:43 a.m. | #

I have read London Orbital. It could have been a great book about London people and about suburban people and about the English character. It turned out to be a load of self-indulgent toss. DG is absolutely right.

long distance | 27.01.06 - 9:48 a.m. | #

Does anyone else remember "M25 - The Movie". Someone just videotaped driving round the whole thing in one go, starting south of Dartford, going clockwise and ending up just before the Dartford bridge again. There was actually an exciting incident where someone ran out across the lanes of the motorway round at about junction 27.

geofftech | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 10:15 a.m. | #

Here it is!! I knew I wasn't making it up:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obi...3520912-
6681200

geofftech | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 10:17 a.m. | #

I've always been meaning to get around to reading London Orbital (as it's quite relevant to my Zone 6 project). But your post has saved me the bother. Thanks!

quin | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 11:17 a.m. | #

it feels like I have wasted a lot of time on that road. it is indeed, the road to hell.

the worst i've seen it was an 18 mile tailback before the road was shut. We were stationary for three hours, then moving very slowly for four more...to the next junction...

kateyay | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 12:10 p.m. | #

Quin, we eagerly await more of your Zone 6 project. (Did you see - quite a weighty expansion to Tattenham Corner and Caterham just slipped in to the zone at the start of this month...)

I like reading Iain Sinclair, but he is self-indulgent. There's a (AFAIK untranslated) French writer, Jean Rolin, who does (broadly) similar things (wandering, observing, writing - including one very fine book, La Cloture, which does feature the Paris ring road, and some people living in a caravan under it) much better, making connections with the real world, present and past, rather than just the Sinclairian familiar network of memes and tropes that always leave the reader wondering "on what page will he first mention David Rodinsky"...

But IS did (quoting Bill Drummond) refer to Dagenham as "the new Barcelona" so much can be forgiven

Venichka | 27.01.06 - 1:07 p.m. | #

I have never been on the M25, but just wanted to let you know that your weblog is by far the coolest London weblog around. Learning something new about London every day, which is really nice if you are a soon-to-be-located-in-London-girl like me

Ingrid | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 1:38 p.m. | #

Cheers. I'm restarting it this weekend ... honest!

quin | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 1:43 p.m. | #

Yes, read Good Omens. And no, never EVER got stuck in a jam. Only travelled on it five or so times...

Gordon | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 1:45 p.m. | #

Quin,
Glad to hear it!

I've going to take lots of photos of moody melancholic grim Slade Green this w/e. (grew up nearby, so vaguely know it anyway, but your guide is one of the best descriptions of the place I've seen...)

Venichka | 27.01.06 - 2:21 p.m. | #

Maybe the M25, was once the road to hell, but the title seems to have been usurped by the A14.

The A14, is a bodge of old roads, with a few new bits added to gob them together. It should have been a motorway, BUT, the planners brown nosed the green lobby & decided all heavy goods would be on a non-existant East/West rail route. Even now they are going to provide a "guided bus", service between Huntingdon & Cambridge town, to relieve road use!!!!

We have at least one crash (usually fatal), every day with resultant jams as the police leisurly check the reason for the accident!!!!!

Cams. Council, now wants to build a bloody "bridge of reeds" over it, as a gateway to the fens....

David | 27.01.06 - 3:23 p.m. | #

OK, DG, I offer up one of my most exclusive pieces of trivia (yeah, it will be a photo one day). If you want to see (AFAIK) the only remnant of the grand ringway plans, you need to go the the roundabout at the shepherds bush end of the elevated section of the A40. There, you will see what looks like a slip road going nowhere. I believe that it was intended to link with an elevated section of a ringway that was to cross the Thames at Chelsea. Anyone got any better information?

Ham | Homepage | 27.01.06 - 11:25 p.m. | #

SatNav is the only answer to the M25.

Blue Witch | Homepage | 28.01.06 - 9:59 a.m. | #

Seekers of London's proposed Ringway 1 will find further information here and here.

Or, if you prefer to gaze longingly at the concrete chaos this motorway would have created carving through Camden and Islington, try this map here.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 28.01.06 - 5:29 p.m. | #

I had the exact same experience at South Mimms. Finally gave up trying to get in, despite being desperate for the loo - and then got caught in a 90 min traffic jam on the M25. That was... memorable.

Kikishua | 29.01.06 - 11:15 p.m. | #











TridentScan v2.10.0 | Privacy Policy