I am not very happy driving over Birmingham these days. Being stuck in the traffic for ages kills my working & driving time especially as some of us are quite time restricted if it comes to trunking and doing over 700 kms routes. I wonder if I can avoid this when coming from the north to the south.
One of my top 3 places I hate driving in. The other two being Bradford and London.
Use the toll road. The end.
M6 woz chocka from 11 to 8 this afternoon .
Used A5 and A34 to junction 7 then back up to M5 .
Almost nice
Isnt it about time they nationalised the toll road
Would ease the congestion tremendously
Ive never been on it as ive never had a boss who will pay
boredwivdrivin:
Isnt it about time they nationalised the toll road
Would ease the congestion tremendously
Ive never been on it as ive never had a boss who will pay
I agree, that stretch has been a bottleneck since I started 
I never understood how the plans for a parallel motorway, that due to it being private was never going to be used to it’s full potential, got past the environmentalists and the planning authorities in the first place.
Like you I have never used it either, nationalise it and the problem is sorted.
the maoster:
Use the toll road. The end.
+1
Depends on where you are ending up, but you could use the A50-M1, takes about 30 minutes longer (than using a clear M6) but you keep moving as long as a Numpty hasn’t gone over at Blythe Bridge, it will add a few more miles to the trip, but it keeps moving (90% of the time).
martinviking:
Depends on where you are ending up, but you could use the A50-M1, takes about 30 minutes longer (than using a clear M6) but you keep moving as long as a Numpty hasn’t gone over at Blythe Bridge, it will add a few more miles to the trip, but it keeps moving (90% of the time).
But surely the 30 minute detour, with all the slowing down through stoke (where a lot of people don’t know how to drive) would be less cost effective than paying the £10 or so to use the toll road?
With the ever increasing population (we’ve recently voted for more of the same) and resulting increasing volume of vehicles of all types being forced onto infrastructure never designed to cope, the days of regularly covering 700km are numbered.
Toll road is the obvious alternative (especially while they take forever to sort the M6/M5 split), but most companies for some reason can’t see it, presumably they think an hour or more in heavy traffic is cost effective.
Wilk:
I am not very happy driving over Birmingham these days. Being stuck in the traffic for ages kills my working & driving time especially as some of us are quite time restricted if it comes to trunking and doing over 700 kms routes. I wonder if I can avoid this when coming from the north to the south.
Over 700 klm a run is above 437 miles which to me sounds very much a schedule created by a computer which says A- B is X amount at 56mph Assuming that there is nobody else on the road,where in reality it dont happen,which in turn puts pressure on the Driver to achieve.
trubster:
martinviking:
Depends on where you are ending up, but you could use the A50-M1, takes about 30 minutes longer (than using a clear M6) but you keep moving as long as a Numpty hasn’t gone over at Blythe Bridge, it will add a few more miles to the trip, but it keeps moving (90% of the time).But surely the 30 minute detour, with all the slowing down through stoke (where a lot of people don’t know how to drive) would be less cost effective than paying the £10 or so to use the toll road?
Agreed, but I was just mentioning another alternative, + I hate the thought of handing cash directly to the Road Thieves, I know they steal it out of us in other ways through fuel tax & p.a.y.e. But at least I make a bit out of it in overtime payments.
lolipop:
700 klm a run is above 437 miles which to me sounds very much a schedule created by a computer which says A- B is X amount at 56mph Assuming that there is nobody else on the road,where in reality it dont happen,which in turn puts pressure on the Driver to achieve.
There is no way you can plan eta.s on that stretch, every day is different but more than likely you will be held up.
Maybe a computer as you say, but more than likely some ■■■■ that has a job title of ‘Logistical solution planner’ or some other bull ■■■■, that in reality really knows ■■■■ all about the job except for the theory side .
If a driver is daft enough to put himself under pressure to even attempt to meet tight arsed schedules set by these knobs, not only are they compromising road safety, but making life a lot harder for themselves when it needn’t be.
A radical idea I know for some on here, but…stand up for yourselves! , yeh you are allowed you know 
, …back off a bit on the limiter, fail to achieve these schedules, and explain WHY when you get back, …ie that a line on their computer (or God forbid… a map) is different in the REAL world.
Do this a few times, ignore the superstars around you that try (and succeed ) meeting and achieving …(as they will either burn themselves out, or end up in a ditch, or both)
This will result, trust me, in a more realistic relaxed and SAFE schedule set 
That is more polite and professional than the preferred (and more satisfying ) method of telling them to go and ■■■■ themselves, I have learned over the years.
Wilk:
I am not very happy driving over Birmingham these days. Being stuck in the traffic for ages kills my working & driving time especially as some of us are quite time restricted if it comes to trunking and doing over 700 kms routes. I wonder if I can avoid this when coming from the north to the south.
i`d get a day an half out of that.
The M6 toll road is like driving on the M1 (Northern Ireland) on a Sun afternoon 
The services on there must be the lowest grossing in the UK 
toll road
Other than using the M1 or using country roads the answer is no
If the traffic causes you so much of a problem, it’s got to be worth jumping on the toll road for £11. I’m on it all the time using the Key Fuels card to pay.
I echo comments made about nationalising the thing though. Must be cheaper to buy it out than do all the ■■■■■■■ about with managed motorways which will never work.
I used the M6 toll road once working for Roadways Container logistics and got a good boll*cking when I got back 
WE DO NOT PAY TOLLS! he said to me over a cup of tea and scones as I was having my daily appraisal
alder:
I used the M6 toll road once working for Roadways Container logistics and got a good boll*cking when I got back
Did he then tell you next time to ‘Crash the gate doing 98 shouting Let them truckers roll 10 4’ 