M2 Traffic Delay News

1. Horrified taxpayer

   13th January 2023 at 8:47 am

   Just got back to GB
   Everything is broken
   Tory donors win.

   Reply
2. Helen Price

   5th August 2022 at 8:46 pm

   My husband has been stuck on the m2 for over 4 hours. The road is apparently closed westbound but they are allowing cars onto the motorway via the slip road, only to find 10 minutes later that they are stationary. The diversions are equally blocked.Why not close the slip road? He was meant to be in Derby this evening. He has now managed to come off and turn round and come back to Maidstone …. 4 hours later and having gone 11 miles.

   Reply
   1. Alice Thompson

      17th May 2023 at 1:03 am

      We could say this is unacceptable, but no notice would be taken!
      How they can close the whole motorway – London bound, is beyond belief;
      why not just close off lane by lane?
      There is no indication from the M20 on to the A248 that the London bound
      M2 is closed, totally disgusting!

      Reply
3. Amy

   27th July 2021 at 10:11 pm

   Not much better on night of 26 July. First a one-hour tailback on the A2 17 miles or so outside London. Then a diversion on account of roadworks preventing entry on to the M2. Poor signage as usual. People winding down windows and passing info to each other. Seems two lorries were causing a blockage in the black, unlit road. People reversing into a field. Finally got some directions from a driver who knew the roads and reversed off into the unknown with headache and sweaty palms. After a scary ride down black country lanes and a quick U-turn found the A2 and almost immediately the M2. Thought my problems were over, but no. Another diversion on the A299. More country roads in the dark, everything closed by now, difficult to read street names/signposts. If I slowed up to read them, the tooting started. (This diversion was surprisingly well sign posted though.) And finally, a local diversion, the 3rd, and thankfully I was on roads I know well.

   Reply
4. Sandra Peake

   23rd February 2021 at 9:14 am

   Closure of the M2 on February 22.

   The speed of these tankers and other lorries needs to be seriously looked at and hefty fines imposed. We all know they never drive at 50 mph or less. They are an absolute danger,

   Reply
5. Chris

   1st August 2020 at 9:30 pm

   Not enough diverted traffic warning signs !!!! This is causing drivers to become confused as to which turn offs to take especially when the traffic is heavy. THIS Is a ROAD SAFETY ISSUE ,surely driving safely on our highways should be paramount !!!! SO MORE CLEAR DIVERTED TRAFFIC SIGNS would be HELPFUL.

   Reply
6. David Delport-Barrett

   2nd October 2019 at 5:53 pm

   Coming from Dover on the M20 from Dover in the middle of the night everything just stopped at Maidstone. No explanation, no diversion signs. Plenty of big signs about getting ready for Brexit but nothing about the closure ahead. I finished up, driving blind, to Tonbridge and finally found a sign for the M25.No wonder that Brexit is a no brainer.
   David

   Reply
7. Iain

   31st July 2019 at 8:57 pm

   What a crap experience! Driving down from Scotland to Dover on Tuesday 30/07/2019, we crossed the Dartford bridge and were listening to BBC Kent for traffic updates. We heard that the M20 was having issues at junction 2/3, so decided on the M2. Shortly after leaving the M25 around 19:30 we ended up in an immediate jam with a message that all lanes were closed and everyone had to squeeze off into one lane at the first junction (Bean/Bluewater).

   So like numerous others, no doubt, I was left to drive by gut feeling, ignoring my Satnav (which was certainly constantly trying to take me back to the M2) to guess my way through extremely narrow lanes and villages to get to the M20. Fortunately, only due to personal knowledge from 20 years ago I was able to get to Wrotham and the M26. In all we lost 1 hour and had an extremely stressful journey in our camper van.

   Whilst accidents can happen at any time, I understand that this may have been maintenance. However, regardless of the reason, the lack of timely information and management of the chaos that ensues, can best be described as third world. The so-called managers of the agencies responsible should be totally ashamed of themselves and the ineptitude they so clearly display.

   Reply
8. Stuart

   29th July 2019 at 3:16 pm

   Don’t I know that situation well. Been there – done all that. Its also the same with the Dartford Tunnel. Siphoned off the road just before the Tunnel on the 13th May at around 1.30am with absolutely no clear directions with Diversion Boards (not specific to where you may be wanting to go) pointing in two opposite directions at Roundabouts. Behind Juggernauts with poor visibility and having to make instant decisions without a clue as to if they were correct, Satnav kept repositioning but not in time to follow a path, Must have spent at least an hour and a half before finding was on a Road to the Blackwall Tunnel and not back to the Dartford Tunnel. No joke and good job had enough petrol. Fee to pay for trip though Blackwall Tunnel. Money maker???

   Reply
   1. UK Traffic Delays

      31st July 2019 at 11:52 am

      Thank you for your comment. I know how frustrating it can be with poorly signed diversions. The only suggestion I have is to email Highways England and make a formal complaint. They may listen!

      Reply
9. mikeschirn

   25th July 2019 at 10:06 am

   I am writing about the appalling bad management of the way that road closures of the M2 and M20 are handled by the Highways England. Last night the M2 was closed where the A299 joins the M2 Dover/London roundabout from Canterbury and Dover. No information was given, re the diversion. Cars were just left to divert like cattle towards either Faversham or the M20 with no clear directions. As usual, motorists were left to wander off searching for directions and sat navs were equally confused. The police, as always, taking a ‘nothing to do with me, guv approach. As if, the problems of diverting thousands of cars per hour had no impact on anything. Sat nav’s aren’t always a lot of help with a quicker route when you are on top of a closure. Mine sent me towards Canterbury and the M20. And if you are not aware of a possible closure you assume the road will be open. In my case I was told by the locals that road closures were only taking place at weekend. I don’t know if there is a collective noun for morons. Maybe, it is simply morons. People incapable of rational thought. But if climate change means anything (except to the HD) then sending cars twenty five miles to the M20 of for a tour around the multitude of villages to the confusion of everyone, is your idea of management. Then re-think your whole strategy. Because it sucks.There are simple no easy options for motorists who have to put up with the idiotic way the Highways are run. By all means repair and re-surface the highways as necessary but 1) Create a contra flow or b) close one lane so that at least motorists will be held up, but not left to their own devices trying to work out alternative routes that take them miles out of their way. Alternatively, war motorists by putting a sign up on the motorway. Good heavens, you use it for everything else! State the days and times, likely alternative routes and give people notice. Don’t just shut the bloody thing prompt at 8pm and think that’s where your responsibility ends.
   I ended up on the M20 after various false trails and low and behold the M20 was closed just before the Rochester turn off. This took me in another direction back to the M2! A complete waste of time. Do the various agencies never talk to each other and have a combined strategy! In all the road closure added two hours to my journey, polluted the planet even more and left thinking twice about travelling to Kent coastal towns due to the hassle.

   Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.