The BLack Cat Roundabout
The BLack Cat Roundabout
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jogger1976

Original Poster:

1,251 posts

142 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2015
quotequote all
I've just had the "pleasure" of using the "new and improved" traffic light-controlled £6 million Black Cat Roundabout.

One question......how the juddery fk have they managed to make it even more congested and chaotic?confused It was queuing just before the Tempsford exit going north this evening, so approximately a mile of traffic and another 25 minutes to everyone's journey.

They might as well have left it like it was for all the good it's done. smash

Bailey93

524 posts

122 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2015
quotequote all
I used to commute to uni in Bedford, in rush hour people used to be sat on their bonnets chatting. This was heading north on a1 just before the sharp s bend coming up to the black cat would easily be tailed back 1-2 miles

I soon moved to Bedford for the duration of uni, sod that for a laugh

Edit to add - this was long before the improvements were made or even started. I drove on the a1 when all the roundabout where dual lanes, theres so many more now 4 maybe even 5 in places definitely helps with the flow though

Edited by Bailey93 on Wednesday 2nd December 18:58

Trevelyan

726 posts

205 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2015
quotequote all
You picked a bad night! I haven't used it since the improvements so it may have been normal but I do know the M1 was fubarred just north of Luton again this afternoon (for the third day in a row). That always shoves a load of traffic on to the A1 instead. The A6 through mid beds also was worse than I've seen it in a long time yesterday when the M1 was in a similar predicament to today.

BigBen

12,076 posts

246 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2015
quotequote all
The A1 North of St Neots (ish) was re-worked to remove all roundabouts, the busy bit where it would have made most difference has of course been left completely untouched. If ever anywhere was crying out for a flyover / slip road it is the black cat junction

Ben

Diesel Meister

2,044 posts

217 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2015
quotequote all
BigBen said:
The A1 North of St Neots (ish) was re-worked to remove all roundabouts, the busy bit where it would have made most difference has of course been left completely untouched. If ever anywhere was crying out for a flyover / slip road it is the black cat junction

Ben
This. Bloody hate the A1. And the A421.

Black Cat is over-hyped but in fairness it is generally not great during weekdays, weekends, daylight hours... But I've only experienced truly biblical Black Cat traffic on weekdays during afternoon / evening rush hour (~15.00-19.00). Luckily I get the train to work!

blade7

11,311 posts

232 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2015
quotequote all
BigBen said:
The A1 North of St Neots (ish) was re-worked to remove all roundabouts,
Buckden roundabout was still there this afternoon...

BigBen

12,076 posts

246 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2015
quotequote all
blade7 said:
BigBen said:
The A1 North of St Neots (ish) was re-worked to remove all roundabouts,
Buckden roundabout was still there this afternoon...
Which is at St Neots (ish) wink Should have remembered that, most dangerous bit of my Grafham water bike ride!

blade7

11,311 posts

232 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2015
quotequote all
BigBen said:
Which is at St Neots (ish) wink Should have remembered that, most dangerous bit of my Grafham water bike ride!
Isn't there an underpass there ?

BigBen

12,076 posts

246 months

Thursday 3rd December 2015
quotequote all
blade7 said:
BigBen said:
Which is at St Neots (ish) wink Should have remembered that, most dangerous bit of my Grafham water bike ride!
Isn't there an underpass there ?
Yes, but I didn't necessarily know about it the first few times......