17 Dec 2017, 1:05 pm
#308
(17 Dec 2017, 12:17 pm)S813 FVK Unless they are going to increase the layover time at North Shields from the current 3 minutes that the 9 has, they could get away with only increasing the PVR of the 5/50 by 1. Such a small layover wouldn't impact the 50 too much unless it was severely late, as it gets 13 minutes layover at South Shields before heading to Durham (7 in the 50-->5 transition).
I've been trying to work out how the change and any layover, will impact on drivers hours.
Appreciate the route won't be affected by taco's, but any increase to a route, will obviously have an impact on where the drivers will changeover.
Stick a few more minutes layover at North Shields and it will have a bigger impact than now on hours and costs.
Leave it as it is and potentially have issues down the line not only with reliability, but potentially the unions - once drivers are regularly running late in to breaks.
Testo's roundabout works are due to start.
Works are scheduled at Downhill at some point in the future too.
Roads in the surrounding areas are bound to see an increase in traffic levels, with drivers trying to avoid the works.
It goes without saying, that these works will impact on both the 5 and 50.
I would argue that the current layover arrangement will be tight with the extension.
I can't see it working well once the works start.
Edit:
http://roads.highways.gov.uk/projects/a1...rovements/ details of the works. It now appears both junctions will be included in one big project, rather than two seperate ones.
'Illegitimis non carborundum'
