So for the first time in a while I've gone to a proper office. We drove there, as it's in Surrey. On route, we came across two minor accidents on the roads, one involving a car on the inside lane (there is no pavement or hard shoulder at that point on the A3) and another involving a van which had stopped in similar circumstances. The result - an extra 40 minutes on the drive to work.

Traffic does, officially, suck.

It begs the question though - with the Government deciding that using the hard shoulder instead of building more roads is a viable way forward, all you'll get when there is an accident is absolute mayhem as there is nowhere to put the cars other than the hard shoulder. On the M42, they only use it in peak hours, and the hard shoulder is used as a feeder for the next exit, and allows cars coming on to the motorway more time to move out which results in a much improved flow of traffic. This, combined with the use of traffic lights on the entry, has made a massive difference. But it only works when there are no accidents, and that's where the plan fails.

The M1 needs another lane all the time, as does the M6 and probably sections of the M25 (though better lane discipline on the M3 junction would be a start and would solve a lot of problems). Using the hard shoulder is a short term fix to get round the environmental debates about road building. But they need to happen..