At least two people that I know spent their entire working days yesterday stuck on the southbound M1 between junctions 14 and 15. In normal circumstances I would have been caught up in that traffic stoppage as well because my office is in Newport Pagnell (jnct. 14). But, as luck would have it, I had already planned to work from home. The upshot was that I had a productive day whilst my friends/colleagues had a very frustrating time indeed.
The motorway closure was prompted by the discovery of a suspicious package, initially feared to be a bomb, under a bridge. The bomb disposal team called to the scene proved it wasn’t but was instead a toxic chemical deposit, possibly hydrochloric acid. The police are keeping an open mind as to how the package got there, but terrorism hasn’t been determined at this stage.
I was very grateful that I missed the ensuing travel chaos but the whole incident made it clear just how vulnerable our road infrastructure could be to stupid people or those with malign intentions. With the UK’s terror alert at its highest level, it only takes a prankster, an inconsiderate fly tipper or a radicalised-nut-job-murderer to close down large chunks of our transport network.
I drove to work today on the M1 and my journey went without incident, which was a relief. I did get stuck in some stationary traffic for a bit but nothing that stalled me for too long. I did however find myself reflecting that maybe I should equip my car for unexpected and prolonged hold ups. Armour plating and a hazmat suit obviously won’t happen but a pot to piss in, a stash of wet wipes, a stock of dry snacks, some H2O and a good book would be a sensible start.
And unexpectedly, but perhaps in an appropriate homage to the title of this post, that’s prompted a vivid flash back to being a parent to my much younger children. I thought the days of catering for every journey eventuality had gone – but I’ll go home this evening and check the loft to see if the porta-potty still exists.
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The motorway closure was prompted by the discovery of a suspicious package, initially feared to be a bomb, under a bridge. The bomb disposal team called to the scene proved it wasn’t but was instead a toxic chemical deposit, possibly hydrochloric acid. The police are keeping an open mind as to how the package got there, but terrorism hasn’t been determined at this stage.
I was very grateful that I missed the ensuing travel chaos but the whole incident made it clear just how vulnerable our road infrastructure could be to stupid people or those with malign intentions. With the UK’s terror alert at its highest level, it only takes a prankster, an inconsiderate fly tipper or a radicalised-nut-job-murderer to close down large chunks of our transport network.
I drove to work today on the M1 and my journey went without incident, which was a relief. I did get stuck in some stationary traffic for a bit but nothing that stalled me for too long. I did however find myself reflecting that maybe I should equip my car for unexpected and prolonged hold ups. Armour plating and a hazmat suit obviously won’t happen but a pot to piss in, a stash of wet wipes, a stock of dry snacks, some H2O and a good book would be a sensible start.
And unexpectedly, but perhaps in an appropriate homage to the title of this post, that’s prompted a vivid flash back to being a parent to my much younger children. I thought the days of catering for every journey eventuality had gone – but I’ll go home this evening and check the loft to see if the porta-potty still exists.
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www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-41334775
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