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More of your messages:

Surely this is the A14's wake-up call ? The St Ives-Cambridge disused railway track is there and waiting - will someone in transportation make a decision and do something useful with it - and quickly.
Pat, Cambridge

I used to live near Bedford and commute first to Cambridge and then to Ipswich - that was a few years ago and now I live in Helsinki and see about one traffic jam a year - bliss. No pollution, no motorways packed with lorries - but it comes at a price. The whole society in Scandinavia is organised differently. Most people live in apartment blocks which are easy to serve by public transport - no rows and rows of tiny houses with their own gardens or countrside full of city commuters with their own cars. Car tax is about 100% to discourage car use and monthly bus/train/tram season tickets for the whole of the city are about 20 pounds, Motorways have bus lanes and bus loops at junctions and city roads have bus lanes that really work. Railway tunnels and bridges are big enough to drive lorries straight onto trains and move 100 lorries up the country with one train. These are the things that make a country work - but the UK is too fixed in it's old ways. It it really too late to change it now. I will never come back to UK.
Richard Bevan, Helsinki, Finland

The A14 is a god send,if anyone can remember what it used to be like travelling from west to east, will appreciate having a dual-carriageway..Having said that after having just one inch of snow fall (30/1/03) I can also see the point of the frustration of other motorists,as i sat in one of there jams for 10 hours.Thanks for all the help from the police and authorities. (NOT!)
JOE, nuneaton

Point 1: Get the freight back on the railways and it would reduce the necessity to have 50 footer giant lorries on our roads. Point 2: There is really nothing wrong with our roads, that the first point could not cure.
T.L.G., Near Peterborough

I would like to hear the local council's opinion on the matter. This has been an ongoing, rather serious debate for far too long. There seems to be a serious accident every week on the A14 and the matter seems to remain at the bottom of the pile. I recently heard Huntingdon have just voted themselves 7M to 'do up' the local office - pathfinder House ..... How can you they justify this????? Come on people it's time we started marching in the streets. Widen the A14!
Adam, St Ives

i have constantly used the A14 to travel from Peterborough to Cambridge for the past 8 years.Due to the price of housing around Cambridge myself and many other road users have no option but to do this journey to be able to earn a decent wage and maintain a reasonable standard of living.It is all to easy to blame HGV's for a lot of the problems on this roadway but as holder of a HGV licence (but no longer used) i know the problems faced by many lorry drivers ie cars doing less than 50 mph. Obviously this is one of many things that happen on this road JCB's, tractors and so on, so at the end of the day the only option is to widen this road to a minimum of three lanes especially from the A1m to the M11. Yes there will be arguements against this but lets take a reality check here virtually every household in the country own a car, not everyone will use the A14 but you may do one day and no doubt you would not want to be held up. We all need to think twice before we target individuals and vent our anger at the government and the county councils instead. We all pay to use the road system either thru vehicle tax or the tax we pay on fuel.
Neil, peterborough

Why not allow the traffic to move faster in cambridge by freeing up more road space? - But how on earth do we do that? - Easy GET RID OF THE STUPID BUS LANES!. The lefties who control Cambridge City are losing the plot.
Alex Barrett, Harlow, ex Cambridge.

A major part of the problem is the A14/M11 junction - surely one of the most badly thought out junctions in this country, if not the world. A major motorway and a heavily used A road that have a single filter lane as an interchange - and require two streams of traffic to dangerously cross each other! It's madness. Oh - and I think HGV's should only be allowed to travel at off-peak times and more use should be made of rail to transport goods.
Cameron, Cambridge

You should change your photo of the A14. It is somewhat unrepresentative of the status quo !!

The A14 is soul destroying. I am seriously thinking about retiring to a remote Scottish Island.
LK, St Ives, Cambs

The section of A14 from Cambridge to Huntingdon is the artery of the county. Motorway traffic meets local traffic - a recipe for disaster as every regular user Knows by the countless hours wasted each week because of a minor or serious shunt or accident. This road is is a disgrace - 3rd world countries have better. The police & highways propoganda tell us how they are reducing drink driving and speeding - when they seem happy to sit back & watch us playing russian roulette on a cart track of a road. The solutions are so obvious its frightening, however lets keep on squandering taxpayers money on surveys that we already know the answers to. I am so fed up that I am happy to go through all the expense & upheavel of moving just so the rest of my life isn't wasted going nowhere on a metal snake whilst politicians & civil servants sit in the land of nod and fantasy.
Patrick, Hemingford Grey

Very simple solution: Ban lorries, at least during rush hour.
Nick, Cambridge

The A14 West of Spittals interchange is just lethal - people use it like its a motorway, yet there are junctions for farm tractors and trailers to cross both lanes - without a sufficiently wide central reservation. Slip roads are too short, and roundabouts are too wide so no-one slows down.
Dan, Cambridge

The A 14 is just a disaster I have to travel into Cambridge using the A10 and A14 because even though I earn a resonable wage I cannot afford to buy a house nearer then 20 odd miles away. Then horror of horrors I have to work inside the city which is another big problem. If the Council stopped being holier than thou and realised that us working people do in fact need to use cars to make our living and are not driving just because we like it the better.
G Owen, Ely

On a day when snow has virtually paralysed all of Cambridgeshire, I have a question for the road-planning experts: How do they believe that their much-vaunted guided bus on the Huntingdon to Cambridge railway line would perform in the circumstances? Had it been restore as a railway, at least some commuters might have been able to get home.
Dr Brian Styles, Colne, Cambs.

Transportation costs are one of the main costs underpinning the price of almost everything we need and use in this country. Would it not be an idea if tax on diesel was reduced for lorry driver that filled up after 11pm and drove up to say 7am next morning. Mechanisms linked to tacho's could be used to ensure that lorry was driven in this time frame. Transport costs would drop, cost of goods should drop in line with this, congestion would ease, pollution would ease and commuter rush hours would be shorter and less frustrating. In effect everyone who uses the roads would be better off. OK the lorry drivers would potentially be forced to do night shift type work, but many of them already overnight in their cabs and it may turn us into a24hr a day country but we are already heading that way as it is.
Paul Ward, Norwich

The A14 is the the worst is road i've bin on and my mum was a taxi driver for a year and she hated it because she was stuck in traffic all the time and she had really enough of it.And where i live in farcet it is a night near becaue most morning's from whittlesey to farcet it is a road block really so people are trying to get a by-pass in stanground, they have'nt got on and i'm woundering why.
Daniel marshall Farcet, peterborough

I would love not to use the A 14. In Fact it is now becoming my ambition in life!! Working for the NHS I can not affrod to live any nearer to Cambridge (work at Addenbrookes).But when I moved here I was none the wiser. However leaving my house in St Ives at 0640 I don't then expect to get cambridge at 0920. And yes by the time I got to the hospital there wasn't any staff parking left, so had to park 25 mins walk away (I know thats a separate issue!). The thing that really riles me up is the fact this so called "developed" country cannot get its traffic system well enough "developed" to deal with the traffic. If we had better trains perhaps freight companies would use that instead of clogging our roads with lorries and their drivers who insist on either blocking a whole lane while trying to "overtake" or use their mobile phones while at the wheel.Now I feel guilty if I answer my phone briefly while driving, but these people are in charge of vehicles weighing 25 tons or more a! nd! are happily chatting away while they are supposedly "driving". It scares me and I find it worrying just how much these drivers get away with.
clare - St Ives

There is a very obvious answer to the A14 nightmare - a train between Huntingdon and Cambridge. I'd love to sit on a train and relax and read rather than brave the A14 and you do have to be brave to use it. I've never known such a dangerous road. All drivers, take a big deep breath and slow down. You'll only get to work 5 minutes earlier (and very stressed) by tailgating the person in front of you. And pay attention. There is no excuse to have an accident when you are doing 10 miles an hour in rush hour and all that's required is driving in a straight line!
Anne - Huntingdon

People laughed when I moved here and said I'd go back to Milton Keynes at the next opportunity! You can always get around MK, even in busy periods, even when there are accidents, because there are alternative routes for every journey. In this part of the world there are very few options. When the A14 goes belly up, there's no way round. What do you mean, 'do something about it'? We're just the council tax paying victims, we're not in a position to do anything about it, we can only moan on this handy webpage! I'm not a wonderful driver, but I do think Huntingdonshire has the highest percentage of drivers worse than me I've ever come across - but I've never lived in London! Perhaps you're all riled up by the A14? Don't worry, it'll all be sorted out by 2016...
Mark, St Ives, Cambridgeshire

A bit of effort improving rail links would help, imagine a good freight rail link between Felixtowe and the A1(M). That might reduce some of the HGV traffic. Getting on with a decent rail link on the old St Ives line would also help with commuter traffic, the sooner the council stop messing around with their inadequate misguided bus proposals the better.
Dave

Hi, I have the misfortune of using the A14 twice a day, every day between Cambridge and Huntingdon. I do it because I live outside Cambridge and work in Huntingdon, not through choice but because I enjoy the job so that it what I have to do!! I don't pretend to know the best solution for the future of the A14 as I am not a traffic expert but I am capable of applying a little common sense, which means that we all need to do our part to keep the region moving! If we all take a little more care, don't take stupid risks just for the sake of getting there a couple of minutes earlier. Is it really worth it? I don't think so! To the lorry drivers out there I ask, or beg if necessary, please don't use your size to intimidate other road users as some of you do. I have seen lorrys just indicate and pull out at the same time, without even looking and nearly push cars into the central reservation! You don't all do it, as with! everything, generalising isn't fair. For every bad lorry driver, there are at least an equal amount of bad car drivers! But if cars have a smash, it doesn't usually result in the region grinding to a halt! If we all do our own bit to help, we can avoid at least some of the accidents which benefits us all, while the councilors, politicians and hopefully, a few consulted experts decide what is the best way to go for the future.
BM, Cambridge/Huntingdon

in response to jeremy edwards comments, i aggree that cars with single occupants are a considerable part of the problem. However i would like to say that i am one of these people but what choice do many of us have? I am new to the area and don't know anyone in my area to offer a lift to.I also as a single female would not be inclined to accept a perfect stranger into my car or put myself into theirs. There is no public transport from where I liive that i could get to work as it would not get me there until 2 hours after I need to start.In response to "i don't use the a14" comments about working in huintingdon, he is seriously disillusioned! I had to move to huntingdon to afford a house on a single persons wages but have worked in Cambridge for over 10 years now. I have tried desparately to find work in huntingdon or peterborough that pays sensible wages! i could not afford to drop my wages by 1/3 as i would have to ! if i wanted to work closer to home.I would dearly love to be able to work 10 minutes down the road instead of having to do the daily battle on the a14! I'm sure none of us on there would do either given the choice but sadly not all of us can afford that luxury!
rebecca, huntingdon

The reason there is so much commuter traffic from the Huntingdon side of Cambridge may be as a result of the buses taking the direct route to Cambridge City Centre and they run in pairs, rival companies after the same passengers. I presume this is the case from all directions. If some the buses were routed via the employment hotspots rather than the most direct route more people would use the srevice. At present all bus services travelling into Cambridge only really service area's on the direct route and the city centre. Timescales and convieniance, and having to use a second bus journey to reach your final destination make the bus more trouble than its worth.
Steve, St Ives Cambs

re: I don't use the 14: Its alright to be smug, you've got your nice little job in Huntingdon, some of us however have no option but to work in Cambridge and the A14 is the only viable way to do so. I work shifts, so public transport is not an option for me. The Problem as I see it does rest largely with HGVs, were they restricted to the inside lane during peak times... and maintained a reasonable distance from one another instead of tailgating, this would allow other traffic on and off while allowing the outside lane to run relatively freely. The Spittals roundabout at Huntingdon needs traffic lights to slow HGVs coming round and stop them overturning. Car drivers need to learn to have patience and show consideration for other road users too. The authorities' reliance on the speed camera has led to a general degradation of driving standards across the board by reducing the physical and visible presence of traffic police on our roads.
Mick Hard, St Ives

Does anyone think that it is ironic that the county's speed cameras are on the A14?
Mark, Huntingdon

The strategic alternatives being considered are fine - combining alternative routes past Huntingdon with widening the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge. The proposal to re-use the old railway line is also obvious - however one does wonder how people are to get off the A14 to the proposed tramstop in St Ives. In the mean time there needs to be some tactical improvements to smooth flow. This can only be done by removing access points to the A14 and reducing speeds as has been done on the M25. It is not surprising that a large vehicle pulling out of a layby during rush hour, or a JCB trundling along at 15mph, should create the stop-start effect we all wish to avoid.
Mike Tooke, Huntingdon

If the A47 was dualled from Peterborough to Great Yarmouth then this would relieve the pressure on the A14 as the only major east/west route
a47 user, Norfolk

Having read through the correspondence it is clear there is some disagreement between the cars and the lorries. How about the idea that restrictions on lorries (eg. keeping to one lane) would only apply at peak periods and would only be an emergency measure until the new road described in the CHUMMS report could be built. I am a daily (car) user of the A14 and my perception is that the problems are caused by lorries taking far too long to overtake other lorries. To combat this the cars drive nose to tail to prevent the lorries from pulling out, and the next accident is just waiting to happen. A speed limit of 50 or even 40 mph at peak times would help to keep things moving and at a steady 40 I might get home faster than I do now with speeds up to (and above) the national limit. How about a variable speed limit shown on the next overhead displays?
Dave, Bar Hill, Cambridge

I travel from Stamford to Cambridge every day and its a nightmare. What surprises me is that although there is a track in place between Huntigdon and Cambridge there is no train service!! This seems ludicrous. Alternatively, widen the road and have the M11 run into the A1 as one long motorway.
frustrated commuter, Stamford/Cambridge

The whole stretch of the A14 should have been a minimum of 3 lanes in the first place. It's always the same miscalculation of projected traffic use. For such an important E/W route it's ridiculous. Lorries main problem I feel. I use stretch near Kettering as well as having partner using Kettering to and from Cambridge at times and it's hours of a day wasted. Cost to the country must be excessive and so unnecessary.
p coates, Kettering

I think that there are two main problems with the A14. The first is that of too much traffic as this is supposed to cope with all the commuter traffic to Cambridge and on down the M11 as well as acting as a major link road for the Freight Terminals. The road cannot cope with the volume and this is only going to get worst. Another contributor suggested car sharing - I would suggest that freight sharing should also be considered - I have seen plenty of empty trucks on the 14!!!! The other problem is the difference in speeds between the main road users - the cars that want to get along at 70mph and the trucks that are legally obilged to do 50mph (and of course being only an A road anyone with a tractor, moped or for the really insane bicycle are legally entitled to use it). Of course there is another problem but this is more of a general problem of driving standards and unbelieveably poor lane discipline - I came ! across a van in the outside lane of the A1M struggling to overtake up a hill the other day!!! Why cos the car he was trying to get past was in lane 3 with two empty lanes to his left!! Nuff said.
Andy, Huntingdon

How noticable that most of you are just victims of the congestion, not part of the problem, and how it is the lorry drivers fault, or the tractor, or some other poor soul, and not the countless single occupant cars who plough up and down the road day in day out. There is of course a massively pressing need for greater commitment from Government to deal with these problems, not to mention from employers, public transport operators and the like, but don't be blind to your own roles in this!
Jeremy, Cambridge

why cant the dissued rail line that goes from st.neots to cambridge be re-used? This would eliminate the need for car journeys from all the villages to cambridge and if the line is extended to ports such as felixstowe or down to london then no need for lorries either! Everyday i do the A14 and M11 to Duxford, my journey can be fine as long as a lorry doesnt overtake for 5 miles at a time.
Smart?, St.Ives

I don't know when Paul Davies of Chatteris uses the A14 but in rush hour I'm lucky to hit 20mph so introducing a 45mph speed limit would be pointless. As for lorry drivers over taking and complaining about how long it takes to slow down or speed up. Do some maths, if you are going 1/2 or 1 mph faster than the lorry in front of you, you will gain about 1 minute per hour on your journey time if you overtake, however a car driver will lose 10 minutes per hour for the same delay. So lorry drivers, think, save your self maybe five mintues in a day or add tens of minutes to tens of drivers who queue up behind you. As for the lorry driver having ago at car drivers for not indicating for an appropriate amount of time, this applies to lorry driver to? Does not seem so to me.
Richard, stamford

I am another who uses the road daily, and whilst I agree with the suggestion that a lower speed limit be ENFORCED (i.e. not just nominally imposed) - this helps on the M25, after all - I think it should be extended at least back East as far as Catworth or even Wellingborough, as there are just as many problems there, too. And in addition, we need the road once mooted between Felixstowe and Newark across the fens. I bet the Dutch could do it. This would relieve a great deal of the congestion, which is mainly caused by lorry traffic.
J. Hyde, Huntingdon

I feel it is pointless to blame any particular type of traffic (tractors, trucks etc.). The problem is a simple one... too much traffic - not enough road. For years successive governments have turned a blind eye to the increasing volumes of traffic and the expansion of ports such as Harwich and Felixtowe. The A14, A12 and M11 are all at saturation point. It is going to take a forward thinking government to invest the sort of money required to create roads capable of taking such volumes. ..I wouldn't hold your breath!
R Jones, Diss

Almost all of the accidents on the A14 are caused by idiot car drivers who are unable to adjust their speed on a slip road to match the traffic already there. Quite what they expect a lorry to do when they pull out in front of it at 30mph is beyond me. The easiest solution is to segregate the lanes - outside lane for HGV - no exits between Huntingdon and Cambridge, and the inside lane for cars. I of course am not so stupid as to try to work in Cambridge. I live and work in Huntingdon, but I can see the chaos from my desk as I can see the Spittals roundabout.
Chris Cowdery, Huntingdon

I travel from Diss to Cambridge every day via the A14. Whilst it is not nearly as bad in that direction as the Cambridge-Huntingdon stretch (which I *used* to do every day), it is nevertheless true that a good 90% of congestion is in one way or another due to HGVs - either breaking down, or when groups take it in turns to overtake each other at half a mile and hour difference. This is particularly annoying because most car drivers will pull out to join the growing queue of cars, whilst most heavies happily trundle up the empty inside lane and then immediately start to overtake when they get to the "blockage". This self-perpetuating behaviour can cause *miles* of tailbacks. It's time to either remove the Governor restriction (speed limiter), or, more safely perhaps, restrict them from using the outside lane of 2-lane carriageways (they're already banned from the third lane or more), at least so that they may only be ! al! lowed to overtake if it's actually clear to do so (as in *not* rush-hour).
Simon, Diss, Norfolk

Needs a new road!! 3hrs this morning to do 22miles think it's a joke!! rail systems a good idea. A14 needs its capacity increasing somehow, worst road in the country
Howard Jones, Warboys

I recently moved to Huntingdon and only have to use the A14 between the A141 and A1198 so when there is a hold up it doesn't affect me too much. When I did drive to Cambridge I just couldn't believe it. The first thing I noticed was the amount of traffic driving too fast and too close together. Commuters cutting infront of one another and not caring about braking distances. The A14 feels like a dual-laned country road, nowhere near as safe as the A1M, yet holds probably twice as much traffic (or so it seems). Where are the Hardshoulders for those brokendown lorries?? Problems are caused by motorists driving at excessive speeds and then slamming their brakes on for the speed camera, traffic not allowing for sliproad traffic merging on to the road. What doesn't help is that the A14 splits at the spittles roundabout and all the west bound traffic has to stop to allow non A14 traffic past. I have to drive round this roundabout four times a day an am amazed at the number of vehicles that pull out of the sliproad infront of you leaving little room to stop. This road needs to be expanded with improved sliplanes - escpecially where the A14 and A1/A14 merge at Huntingdon
Claire, Huntingdon

For goodness sake stop talking about it and do something about it. It's almost as boring going over and over this as sitting in the daily jam!
ajt756, Somersham

Lorry drivers! If they didn't use the road between 7.30 - 9am and 4 - 5pm then it would cut down on traffic jams. They have all day to use the road, so missing out on a few peak hours wouldn't hurt.
James, St.Ives

Oh how I would love to settle down on a train, open my book up or have a snooze and have a relaxing journey to work...and get the freight on the railways too!!! Failing that why not a car share scheme - most vehicles on the A14 have 1 person in them. Let's not ruin what countryside we have left with roads.
Anon,

I hear there are plans to build even more new houses in Huntingdon. I struggle every day to get from home to work in Cambridge down the A14 and it can't cope now - how on earth will it cope with even more people doing this journey? The A428 is no longer a good alternative as it also is hugely congested. The answer? Wider roads, more roads BEFORE more new houses are put up without the infrastructure to support them!!!!
Jo, Huntingdon

"Mind you,given the average car driver's complete failure to recognise basic traffic law-eg.give way to vehicles already on a dual carriageway,give way to larger vehicles,indicate in good time BEFORE changing lane etc etc - " What a joke - give way to larger vehicles indeed - you mean lorry drivers who think putting an indicator on gives them right of way to pull out in front of faster traffic? Germany manages to cope with lorries being restricted to one lane at peak periods. If you left a realistic braking distance gap between other vehicles it would NOT be a problem. Just the other day I followed a truck failing to overtake another one and blocking the OVERTAKING lane for 6.5 miles. Oh and Mr Watson I hope you only buy things and visit Doctors etc that come from or live in Cambridge. If you have a car I hope it never leaves the city boundaries.
Andrew, Cambs

The only way forward to improving road conditions, is to improve the roads and public transportation infrastructures. Ban all non-essential transport from the city centres (excluding residents). Usage of the park and ride facilities enforced, but this must be a 24by7 service, or used guided trams
Anon

There needs to be a speed limit imposed along the whole stretch between the A1 and Stow cum Quy. Vehicles travelling at 45 MPH will have more time to brake and avoid serious collisions. There will still be accidents as is the nature of the world today however they will be much less severe and thus take much less time to clear up. Those who will moan I say would they rather sit in raffic like this morning.
Paul Davies, Chatteris, Cambs

Historically, it seems to me that the A14 has always been worst between January and March. After March, it seems to calm down, and even Autumn isn't usually so bad. Something still needs to be done though.
Steve W, Suffolk

One accident on the A14 and it closes - not just for "a while" but for a whole day. Life in the village is bad enough with large lorries going through, people breaking the speed limit but when the A14 is completely closed it is a nightmare and potential death trap. The village roads are not designed to take this and shouldn't have to! I so wish that the transport minister has to travel on that road today! Oh and of course the powers that be who think that Longstanton/Oakington is a great place to build more houses (and allow even more cars on the A14... when it is open!)
A Longstanton Resident,

It's about time this governement got off it's behind and did something about this road. How many more millions of pounds of money must be wasted (in terms of insurance losses and lost time to business) and lives lost before they do something about this road? I would move away from the area tomorrow if I got the chance. But wait... more houses being built to the north, Felixstowe being expanded and potentially an airport being built at Alconbury. Maybe their policy is to grind it completely to a halt; you can't have a car crash if you car is completely stationary?!
Gerald Thulbourn, Huntingdon

yes the A14 is BAD, and yes there are roads that are equally as bad elsewhere in the country. The problem is that it is a single point of failure - once the A14 is shut, there are no alternatives. Answer = widen the A14 and try to divert the east-west freight traffic via a viable alternative (A428 / A1?)
Colin, Balsham

The grid lock in Godmanchester is appalling and getting a lot busier. It is very worrying that there are more houses being built in the area which will only add to the queue of slow moving traffic winding its way into Huntingdon each day.
Anon

The A14 is a fine, if very busy, road. BUT the trouble is as with every east to west/west to east road is that people fail to adjust their driving styles according to the conditions. At this time of year the sun is obviously very low. Where does it rise ? The East, where does it set ? The West. during winter it also fails to rise very high. So, where's the probblem ? People driving into virtual oblivion into the glare FAR too close to each other and are then unable to react in time beacuase they haven't seen that the vehicle in front is braking. BANG, impact.
SJM, Sussex

I work in Cambridge, because there aren't enough jobs in the North. A once or twice weekly commute from Chesterfield on a Kawasaki 900 is how I do it. Here's my answer for everyone else... Widen it! Let's have 4 lanes each way on the A14 and build another Cambridge-M11 link road further down - with at least 2 lanes each way. For Cambridge - let's have more car parks where people can use and access them. If they were sensitively designed and located I can't see why multi-storey car parks would be a problem, just outside the centre. Some of the roads connecting to these could then be improved.
Roland Lovatt, Cambridge-Chesterfield

Stop messing about. Finish the M11 in at least three lanes until it joins the 4-lane A1.
John Ellis, Peterborough

L Radley, I simply want to thank you for your comment, nearly the same I have put in a discussion on de 大象传媒 website a few months ago. It is about time people start realising what lorry drivers do and why they do so.............thank you very much, a lorry drivers wife who's hubby is driving in UK every week
Erna Butcher, The Netherlands

To all the anti-lorry repliers......Why should we have to work at night, why don't 'you' change to nights so you don't get caught up in traffic????? To detail all my comments would take up too much web space...
Lee Richardson, Northampton

My advice to reduce problems on the A14 is to close off those silly little junctions where the on-slip to the A14 is about as long as my back garden, and enhance those junctions where the slip roads are a bit more adequate for the amount of traffic that the A14 carries. The less frequent but more regulated merging of traffic onto the A14 might improve the overall flow and the safety of the road. For those roads that lose direct access to the A14, access should be provided to those roads that don't.
Matt, Reading-soon-to-be-Cambridge

As a new road user (Sorry for adding to the already congested roads) i havent had too much problems on the A14. Just at Milton Roundabout which leads onto the A14 where no bugger is in the correct lane! I have no solution to the problem i just wanted to to make a point that some drivers should have more consideration for other road users, if they don't then thats when accidents happen.
J, Cambridge

Ban lorries during peak times, direct them via other routes or transport means. The A14 is a MAJOR connection route for haulage from the north/midlands to the docks in the south east. Alternative measures MUST be made to reduce this burden on the A14. Using the road is just causing too much stress for it's non lorry users. Reduce the lorries, reduce the anger and frustration.
Chris, Bar Hill

I am a lorry driver.I drive a container lorry,mostly out of Southampton, but occaisonally use Felixtowe.I would like to take this opportunity to address some of the suggestions raised above. a)Restrict lorriess to driving at night - We are only allowed LEGALLY to drive for a maximum of 10 hours a day,spread over 15 hours.It takes up to 4 hours to unload a container.Places which order the freight which is carried in containers are open during the day.So if we drive all night,when are we supposed to unload? Are all warehouses going to start working nights? b)Slowness of lorries - The legal speed limit for an HGV over 7.5 tonnes is 50mph on a dual carriageway.Did you know that?
c)Get rid of lorries - Do you really think that we are all driving around for the good of our health? Take a look around you.Everything in the room got there by truck,somewhere along the line.Sure,ban lorries,just don't expect to be able to buy things when you want to.
d)Restrict lorries to one lane - the result would be simpe.No-one would be able to get onto the road,and very few people would be able to get off where they want either.Mind you,given the average car driver's complete failure to recognise basic traffic law-eg.give way to vehicles already on a dual carriageway,give way to larger vehicles,indicate in good time BEFORE changing lane etc etc - we'll probably just have greater carnage at rush hour...yippee!!!
e)slow overtaking - do any of you have any idea how hard it is to i)slow down and ii)speed up 44tonnes? Have any of you ever asked a truck driver why they do this? Didn't think so.Try visiting Trucknet.co.uk and learn something... It may be also worth noting that duel carriageways and motorways were designed with lorries in mind,and we pay FAR more in tax to maintain them.When the new per-mile system comes in - which it will - if you ban trucks,there will be a whole lot less money to spend on improvements. One final thought - the fuel protests caused half their chaos because lorries couldn't get fuel,so you lot didn't get your stuff.Enough said.
L.Radley, Portland,Dorset

The simple answer is to charge for the use of the A14. This combined with decent public transport, eg. a railway link that could take a significant proportion of both commuter and goods traffic instead of a guided bus lane. Also there should be zero vat on fuel for trains and the extra should go on petrol. The only thing that will move traffic from the roads to trains is a financial incentive. European countries like Germany where car ownership is higher still use their cars less because of a sensible policy. The last thing we want is more spent on the roads - that will only encourage more congestion. The other thing that should be done is congestion charging in Cambridge. This is clearly needed on top of the car parking charges as the city car parks are regularly full despite a good park and ride scheme. Regular car driver in last job, (occasional driver in present job in Fulbourne.
Dave, Downham Market (Norfolk)

If you think the A14 is bad, try driving west out of Southend during the rush hour. There are only two practicable routes - the A127 and the A13. if there is the slightest traffic problem on one of these, the other takes so much traffic that gridlock becomes inevitable. Traffic flows down here in south Essex are so heavy that an accident as far away (20 miles) as on the M25 can have disastrous effects on all other roads. The real problem is that the government treats motorists as milch cows, spending insufficient amounts on roads whilst promising (but never actually managing) to improve public transport as a viable alternative to driving.
Harry Gower, Southend, Essex

well..........there are many issues here, the A14 is awash with HGV's and they should be restricted as in holland and other parts of europe, but of course Cambridge city council and Cambridge county council are the real culprits!, who ever let the science park be built on the main link from the east coast ports! dingbats......When the Alconbury airport is open then the A14 will start to quieten up coz most businesses will want to be in Huntingdon....the county town..... The best option for most is to avoid Cambridge at all costs, Peterborough is better for shopping, Huntingdon has loads of jobs and work and well if you must work in Cambridge then don't winge..it's your choice
I don't use the 14, Huntingdon

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