moving about post SHTF.

if your going to be going anywhere post SHTF generally speaking you need to completely forget about main roads (A roads in the UK) and Motorways, either these will be full of abandoned and damaged vehicles of "the masses" or they will be used by the Military(if they still exist after the event) for rapid movement of troops and logistics. you will need to have a good knowledge of B roads and unclassified roads in your area. unless you still have fuel...doubtful after a month or so...you'd be better off taking to tracks, green lanes, footpaths and bridleways and "paralleling" the roads-use them as a navigation aid but not on them, you could also use railway tracks to walk along provided the power is off and no trains are running, but you will need to avoid the stations as these are good places for ambush of the unwary.

I agree on that but have you considered where thew military will actually be if tshtf?

I have not got time to look properly right now but a quick google gave a total armed forces total of around 175,000.

Even if you assumed that there where no troops abroad and bearing in mind that figure inludes the Navy and Raf at around 70,000 that means there is 1 troop for every 385 civilians.

Thats a lot of population to control, a lot of roads to moniter ect.

Also I imagine the bulk of the troops would be deployed to the major cities.

I live in a large town in the south west and can not imagine there bieng much call for troops in this area, never mind out in the sticks less than 2 miles away?


a reply to: bigpaul

a reply to: nonspecificI don't know about Navy or Raf(would TPTB use these in an event?) but Troop wise the Army is down to about 80,000 personnel and the Police only have 136,000 that's about the population of Exeter that to "police" a population of 64 million, now I've always said if TPTB even still exist after "the collapse" they will concentrate their forces on London(their powerbase) and a few others like Birmingham, Manchester etc. I think places like the far south west(I was brought up in Plymouth) will be left to fend for ourselves....no change there then!!

I thought my figures may have been a bit out, so factor in a good percentage of troops overseas bombing peasants in mud huts and that figure includes clerical staff ect and it' even less.

I would question how many police would remain loyal and continue to serve tptb as opposed to staying back to protect there children.

I know 1 police man and 2 people currently serving in the forces and I am pretty sure the police man would stay back to protect his wife and daughters and theres a good chance that both serving men would go awol given the chance.

My bug out plan would be to head to a freinds house, its only 12 miles away middle of nowhere. Wood fired central heating, livestock crops and shotguns.

a reply to: bigpaul

most Troops and Police would stay back to protect their own families...its human nature, some may go to London like they did in the riots a few years ago, their presence in anywhere like the south west will be minimal.

I imagine that what resources they had sent to the south west would not stretch much further than Bristol if I am honest, I can not think what else is worth trying to control.

a reply to: bigpaul

a reply to: nonspecific Troops and Police would not be bothered about you or me, they would be there to "protect" other things, like Plymouth Dockyard, Exeter Airport, Hinckley Point power station stuff like that.

My plan is to get to my bug out spot then just wait a few months by then many would have starved or killed each other of.
Then i get dressed up in my mad max outfit and rule the wasteland.
Or just hang myself If zombies.

a reply to: boymonkey74 wait a bit longer. the big "die off" will start after the first month when people start running out of food and clean water, starvation, disease,suicide and accidents will take their toll, I expect 95% of the UK population to be dead within 6 months to a year.

Have to sneak out some back alley in Manchester no doubt.
second

a reply to: Cauliflower get a street map and start plotting your way out now, walk it, cycle it, drive it if you have a car...take note of any bad areas, choke points and natural barriers, do not leave it until after the event.

a reply to: bigpaul

Good job I have a years worth of dried food and supplies stocked up.
Got fresh water in my bug out place and the great thing is it is 45 mins walk from my house.
Oh and ATS made me become like this lol.

a reply to: bigpaul

If there's an EMP, people will be hoofing it. Even the military won't have vehicles. That's why every base should have a few older vehicles around.

a reply to: StoutBrouxtrouble is even if you had an older vehicle all the roads will be littered with the abandoned vehicles that no longer work so travel at best will be on foot or on a bicycle.

just to point out the obvious [ in the event of an EMP // solar incident ] :

the number of vehicles littering the roads will ne in direct proportion to the time of the even

ie - if the event occurs at at 02:15 very few junctions will be impassable - and even those will be avoidable , but at 16:30 most m-way // A-roads will be totally impassable - unless you bulldoze a route

and even back roads [ single lane ] it only takes one vehicle to block them

The downside to that though is an emp at 02.30 means you will likely be tucked up in bed.

And you won't wake up early to avoid the rush as your alarm will not go off

a reply to: ignorant_ape

anything that uses electronics will be down, I expect the power will be down too.

a reply to: nonspecific

appologies - should have been clearer

an EMP // solar event at 16:30 Friday afternoon will catch millions of vehicles " on the road " and 95% of them will be disabled // abandoned

if you have a vehicle that still works // can be repaired // started - then its usefulness will be minimal - as the 40 million [ UK figure ] disabled vehicles will make roads impassable

but if the event happens at 02:15 sunday morning - when you waqke up and get your series one deisil landrover running - you will find the roads empty

does that make more sense ?

that is debateable, we have a 24 hour society these days, go out any time of the day and night and someone is on the roads, lots of the supermarket trucks travel at night and so do all those foreign trucks that come off the ferries in the early hours.so I don't think you can take it for granted just because its night that roads will be empty...even in the middle of nowhere like here there is traffic.

Yes I forgot that new cars work like that!

I intend to build a bug out van in the near future and park it up a few miles into nowhere, I was going to go for another LDV Convoy as the older ones have old school diesel engines and have land rover running gear.

There big and ugly but they are built like tanks.

a reply to: ignorant_ape