M5 near Bristol is bad for your health!
By admin on Aug 09, 2010 with Comments 0
Motorists facing the M25 have more to worry about than traffic jams and road rage – it is actually bad for their health and fuelling depression on a daily basis, according to a new study of 3,000 road users.
The M25 – often dubbed the “longest car park in Britain” – has been voted the road most likely to bring on the blues in research carried out by leading bikers’ bible Motorcycle News (MCN). And “driving despair” is leading to millions of accidents every year with 13 per cent of motorists (equivalent to 4.3 million British Drivers) admitting it is affecting their driving.
But the M25 is not alone. The poll, commissioned to mark the relaunch of the MCN’s Bikes for Sale website, names and shames the worst roads in Britain which, say drivers, have become unbearable thanks to traffic jams and potholes. Bristol’s very own M5 came at a shocking #4 in the top ten most depressing roads!
The MCN Road to Freedom Survey (www.road2freedom.co.uk) also compared the stress and happiness levels of car drivers with those of bikers. Over a third of motorcyclists (38 per cent) plump for two wheels for the enjoyment, happiness and adrenaline rush it brings. Only 18 per cent of four wheeled motorists feel the same about driving their car.
When it comes to getting out on the open road and finding the perfect stretch of asphalt, bikers have the right idea. They voted the A18 on the Isle of Man, which has no speed limits and forms part of the legendary TT circuit, as their favourite road. This was closely followed by the picturesque A75 from Gretna to Stranraer in Scotland.
The UK’s top ten most depressing roads:
Rank    Choice
1Â Â Â Â The M25
2Â Â Â Â The M6 along the Birmingham stretch
3Â Â Â Â The A1 Holloway Road, London
4Â Â Â Â The M5 near Bristol
5Â Â Â Â The M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh
6Â Â Â Â The A12
7Â Â Â Â The M5 northbound between junctions 12 and 10
8Â Â Â Â The A361 near Glastonbury in Somerset
9Â Â Â Â The A30 near Bodmin in Cornwall
10Â Â Â Â The A338 between Great Shefford and junction 14 of the M4
Respondents revealed the main factors that make a road depressing are pot holes (65 per cent), traffic jams (61 per cent) and speed cameras (31 per cent).
Marc Potter, Editor of Motorcycle News, said:
“Thankfully, getting out on two wheels means you don’t always have to be constrained by things like traffic jams. Our research showed that car drivers use their mode of transport to simply go from A to B, whereas bikers enjoy just getting out on the open road and having a blast. It’s no wonder 29 per cent of car drivers secretly want to swap four wheels for two and learn to ride a motorbike.”
To view the complete survey, please visit: www.road2freedom.co.uk
Bikers’ top ten roads:
Rank     Road
1Â Â Â Â A18 – “The Mountain”, Isle of Man (part of the TT Circuit)
2Â Â Â Â A75 – Gretna to Stranraer, Scotland
3Â Â Â Â A420 to Oxford, Oxfordshire
4Â Â Â Â The A12 London to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
5Â Â Â Â B4396 through North Wales
6Â Â Â Â A57 Glossop, Derbyshire – Sheffield, Yorkshire
7Â Â Â Â A4059 through South Wales
8Â Â Â Â B974 Strachan – Fettercairn, Scotland
9Â Â Â Â A537 Macclesfield -Buxton, Derbyshire (e.g. the Cat and the Fiddle run)
10Â Â Â Â A272 Haywards Heath – Midhurst, West Sussex
About bikers’ perfect road: A18 – “The Mountain”, Isle of Man
As with most rural roads on the Isle of Man, the Mountain section of the TT course has no speed limit all year round meaning you could travel at 150mph, if you wanted to. The 15 mile long road connects Douglas with Ramsey and includes long sweepers and even a hairpin. It forms part of the oldest motorcycle racing circuit still in use, and rises to over 400 metres above sea level, giving breathtaking views.
Breakdown of the elements that make up a biker’s perfect road:
Rank    Choice
1Â Â Â Â No potholes
2Â Â Â Â Good overall road surface
3Â Â Â Â Lots of flowing corners
4Â Â Â Â No traffic jams / no caravan drivers / low volume of traffic
5Â Â Â Â No police
6Â Â Â Â Amazing views
7Â Â Â Â No speed cameras
8Â Â Â Â Derestricted speed limit
9Â Â Â Â No road works
10Â Â Â Â Good road visibility
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