Three weeks ago I publicly declared I wasn’t going to moan about the AWPR roadworks on the A90 at Stonehaven.
I’ve changed my mind. They are a nightmare.
Now, in addition to the interminable crawl down Anderson Drive in the evening rush hour, I can look forward to sitting for up to half an hour at a snail’s pace up the Den of Logie turn off.
It’s just as well we have an attractive coastline. I’m getting plenty of time to take it in.
I have tried to dodge the problem by going via Netherley. That’s a laugh.
Once you’re done with the stop-start through Cults and Bieldside, you have the joys of the major roadworks at Milltimber – that’ll be the AWPR again – and the excruciating tailback down to the South Deeside Road.
Then it’s a game of dodgems on the Netherley Road before creeping down to the Stonehaven junction due to, guess what, AWPR roadworks.
I have even tried zipping round Cookney at times only to be hampered by, ach, there’s no point repeating myself.
Getting home is tiresome.
But you know what, it needn’t be like this.
The fault doesn’t liee purely with the roadworks – a necessary evil.
It’s down to how drivers approach them. Which at the moment appears to be with a remarkable lack of common sense and courtesy.
Let’s get back to the A90 at Stoney, shall we? It narrows to one lane, but in the run up to this are mahoosive signs which tell drivers to use both lanes when queuing.
Further on, at around the 400m to the works mark, there is just as big a sign telling drivers to merge in turn.
Now to me, that means use both the inside and outside lane until you get to the merging point then take it turn about to go through the roadworks.
So, why are people getting on the inside from a couple of miles out and staying there when the outside lane is empty?
And why are churlish buffoons refusing to let cars in at the merge point – to the point of actively carving folk up. Let’s not start on the idiot lorry drivers who straddle both lanes in some self-appointed guardian of the road macho display.
Sure, there will be delays. But the only reason they’ve become as bad as they are is due to bad driving. Wise up.
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