[Pauline]

Mine was Tuesday night - M62 somewhere between Sheffield and Manchester. A crane had fallen on to the motorway and I was stuck between junctions over Saddleworth Moor for 8 hours.

I lost the will to live after 2 hours. I had my engine switched off, it started snowing, I needed to wee *really* badly and I was hungry! All in all, a really awful experience

Did anyone else get stuck in it?

[Lorri]

omg Pauline poor you not a nice place to get stuck.... especially not for that length of time

[Harpo]

Wow, that is bad - in anybodys book.

Still, I'd rather be stuck for eight hours than have a crane land on top of me.

Glad you and your Mini are OK for another adventure.

[dietcokeplease]

Probably about 8 years ago. Stuck on the M4 coming back towards London from Cardiff. I was in a Transit picking up one of my sisters gear after she finished Uni. There was an accident near Swindon and I had past the Severn Crossing by a few miles. Ended up peeing in one of my sisters vases. Luckily I had a stash of drinks and food. Took about 7 hours before we moved and in all it took me almost 18 hours to get home.

[Pauline]

If there's one thing I've learnt from this experience, it's to keep a bag in the boot with a blanket, food and water. I had nothing with me at all!

I also learnt how to park my Mini strategically so I could answer nature's call without lorry drivers beeping their horns in appreciation

[dietcokeplease]

This weeks Auto Express has a Record Breaking Feature and the longest traffic jam was in France. It was on 16th Feb 1980 between Lyon and Paris and the jam was 109 miles in length.

I find that placing a magazine over my lap allows me to pee discreetly into a container. But if there are laydeez around I don't bother with the mag.

[Mini Ali]

Longest I've been in was about 3 hours. On holiday in France about 5 years ago and a Lorry Jack knifed and flipped with a few cars and a caravan hitting it and the whole of the motorway was blocked, after about an hour the police cleared one of the lanes and began moving cars but it took ages to get through as there was so much traffic.
There was bits of the caravan, clothes and the contents of the truck all over the road, total mayhem.

Not sure if I could cope for 8 hours, especially if it was snowing and you couldn't really go outside, even worse if you are on your own.

[pappillon]

Quote: Originally Posted by dietcokeplease

... Ended up peeing in one of my sisters vases.

Quote: Originally Posted by dietcokeplease

Luckily I had a stash of drinks and food ...

.. dietcokeplease - I hope there's no direct connection between those two statements...

[Johnny225]

Just two weekends ago, President's and Valentines day. Coming back from Lake Tahoe on Hwy 80on Monday, pres. day, 8 HOURS!!!!! What should be a 3-4 hour drive. Raining hard, and stop and go the entire way.

[dansmini]

Coming home from North Carolina, we were in the mountains of Virginia and a tour bus had caught on fire and burned completely. Stuck there for a couple of hours, running low on gas, but we finally made it out ok.

[pnut_jet]

Driving anywhere NEAR Los Angeles on any given weeknight!

It's something I try to avoid like the plague...

[tavis1]

Quote: Originally Posted by pnut_jet

Driving anywhere NEAR Los Angeles on any given weeknight!

It's something I try to avoid like the plague...

I agree!!! All LA city council needs to be horse whiped for not updateing the 405. Then again they might like it. So, scratch that.
Tavis1

[EBMCS03]

Hahah LA Comments... hehe I agree but WOW Pauline... yikes... I dont think I've every been a traffic jam where I wasnt able to get anywhere... worse I can remember was driving home to LA from San Diego on Chinese New Years Eve... if little to no traffic it usually takes me about 1hr 45mins to get from my Apt in La Jolla to San Gabriel (~110miles) but that day it took me a little over 4 hours... I was pretty upset in the car... squirming around and ing at traffic...

[Hat]

i heard about that one pauline. thats not a place you want to be stuck at the best of times, never mind when the weather is bad. I use the M62 further down between leeds & bradford & there were signs there warning the the motorway was shut.

The wost one i had was a thursday before a bank holiday in the west midlands. it was when the IRA had the bright idea of threatening to blow up the flyovers at the M6/M5 interchange & we were stuck on the M6 near Wednesbury for 6 hours.

On a lighter note Pauline, did you know the Charlatans are touring in May/June & have a new album coming out?

[SoggyCornFlakes]

A few weeks ago during the snow, nearly 6 hours to get home, normally a 30 minute journey

[dietcokeplease]

Quote: Originally Posted by pappillon

.. dietcokeplease - I hope there's no direct connection between those two statements...

Well they were her drinks, crisps and chocolates. All her leftover stuff from Uni........ so it was only fair that I peed in her vase. I was stuck on a section of motorway with no nearby tree cover and it was a sight to watch all these men pee openly in desperation.

[SoggyCornFlakes]

Yes DC, and no doubt you were taking pics too

[bobnobski]

got stuck on a remote Caribbean Island for 3 weeks - it was hellish!!

[Ginger]

Eight and a half hours in the snow storms in January 03, closely followed by four and a half hours in last months snoe storms - that trip normally takes me an hour!
G

[BRGreenie]

Blimey - you lot had it bad, my worse was in West London about 7 years ago on a Friday night. Traffic just gridlocked so I managed to park up and find a decent pub,
By the time the traffic cleared I didnt care as I was too ed to drive anyway!

Thinking about it it was quite a nice evening.