To be honest, there's very little I actually hate.
But the one thing that regularly riles me beyond the usual background level of mild irritation is a shoddy piece of civil engineering - the junction of Spen Lane and Oxford Road, the two major roads in Gomersal, West Yorkshire.

Gomersal is not on any major routes, so although they're both A-roads they're narrow single carriageways. Although they're both fairly straight at the point of intersection, they intersect at nearly 45 degrees and the junction is built up on all sides, so it's quite a nasty blind corner. Till recently, there were no lights and it was a real black spot for accidents; now it's signalised, accidents are rare but the junction is now like a turbine that generates frustration instead of electricity.

Both roads are usually busy, and each gets several minutes on a green light while a nice long tailback builds up on the other - sometimes half a mile in peak times. On the two busiest parts, some genius decided to put bus stops literally five yards beyond the lights with a lay-by so shallow it doesn't give the traffic behind any room to pass (narrow single carriageways, remember?) so any bus setting down or picking up passengers ends up holding up the poor sods behind them who end up blocking the junction and creating more congestion. Then when the lights go red again, a grand total of six vehicles have moved off and the tailback builds up even more. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH.

My dislike of this junction is irrational in that it's completely out of proportion; I'd be the first to admit it's a tiny insignificance amongst all the world's lunacies, but it's the little things like this that build up and slowly erode your inner peace and goodwill like the sea against a limestone cliff. There's a financial aspect to the annoyance too - you spend so long sitting in queues it makes you piss your petrol right up the wall.
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Thu 31 Mar 2011, 20:03, Reply)