What a boring road this is. Give me the +3 minutes on journey + risk of traffic on M6 proper than driving on this abomination. Who’s with me?
Nah, sod that! Toll for me every time if I had my way mate. As it happens I don’t, so it’s the cluster ■■■■ that is the M6 most times. Like others I’ve done it so long that the whole PITA of it just washes over me like I’m almost immune to it, but the sheer bliss of empty and well surfaced motorways wins hands down every time.
I have the tag with me but found myself skipping it past few days. Nice smooth road admittedly but it’s so boring. They need to put some statues up or sumat to look at.
I wouldn’t necessarily use it early hours due to cost for no gain, but once the great unwashed are up and about and out trying their level best to kill themselves and every one else, then hell yes Toll every time.
Birmingham section is now so heavily trafficked that the govt should buy the Toll Road for the country and make it free for all users.
One of the rew joys left in lorry driving is the ability to vary routes on a whim, so fair play to you SMB for mixing it up a bit, and I totally understand that. For me tedium would be the same route more than twice a week, but the lure of “easy” gets me every time.
I went through spaghetti at around 9ish and got slowed briefly to 50 a couple of times and 40 once but never stopped. Quite surprised by that.
Half 2/3 ish coming back was heavy ish but moving. I just floored it down the hard shoulder which no one wanted to use 
I need to endure the M6/M5 junction as my company do not have the toll tag and i refuse to pay for a road out of my own pocket, surely by now this road has paid for itself umpteen times over, and should be open up to the public to use for free… whats road tax for after all!!!
Gordy81:
I need to endure the M6/M5 junction as my company do not have the toll tag and i refuse to pay for a road out of my own pocket, surely by now this road has paid for itself umpteen times over, and should be open up to the public to use for free… whats road tax for after all!!!
That’s M6 toll road was privately funded.
Gordy81:
I need to endure the M6/M5 junction as my company do not have the toll tag and i refuse to pay for a road out of my own pocket, surely by now this road has paid for itself umpteen times over, and should be open up to the public to use for free… whats road tax for after all!!!
Haha your having a laugh, the M6 toll will never be paid off as its currently running at a loss to the tune of £30 million pounds plus a year, would of taken more money if the toll was cheaper.
It’s privatly owned and the owners wanted £1.9 billion for it, the M6 “upgrade” was a cheaper option.
Gordy81:
I need to endure the M6/M5 junction as my company do not have the toll tag and i refuse to pay for a road out of my own pocket, surely by now this road has paid for itself umpteen times over, and should be open up to the public to use for free… whats road tax for after all!!!
You can pay using a shell fuel card if you have one
Night-and-day:
Gordy81:
I need to endure the M6/M5 junction as my company do not have the toll tag and i refuse to pay for a road out of my own pocket, surely by now this road has paid for itself umpteen times over, and should be open up to the public to use for free… whats road tax for after all!!!You can pay using a shell fuel card if you have one
Also keyfuels card.If you overnight at the services then the toll is free.
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daftvader:
If you overnight at the services then the toll is free.
I’m curious…
I don’t do nights out anymore but, if your southbound, how would staying overnight at the services make the road toll free for you?
Once you’ve paid at the toll booths how do they know your going to overnight at the services?
i think that makes sense
You don’t pay until you come off, booths are on exits.
Oh yeh…
Just spotted the other toll booth on the Google satellite.
SuperMultiBlue:
I went through spaghetti at around 9ish and got slowed briefly to 50 a couple of times and 40 once but never stopped. Quite surprised by that.Half 2/3 ish coming back was heavy ish but moving. I just floored it downr the hard shoulder which no one wanted to use
No one uses the hard shoulder simply because it becomes an exit for the next junction.
But there are several miles of unused road on the M42 and M6 .
I’ve cleared miles on the hard shoulder. However, I remember being on the M6 S/B one time, and a vehicle had become stranded and the red X signs hadn’t been illuminated. As many on here have said, there will come a time when there is a serious pile up due to “smart motorway” failures.
Butcher:
SuperMultiBlue:
I went through spaghetti at around 9ish and got slowed briefly to 50 a couple of times and 40 once but never stopped. Quite surprised by that.Half 2/3 ish coming back was heavy ish but moving. I just floored it downr the hard shoulder which no one wanted to use
No one uses the hard shoulder simply because it becomes an exit for the next junction.
But there are several miles of unused road on the M42 and M6 .
I’ve cleared miles on the hard shoulder. However, I remember being on the M6 S/B one time, and a vehicle had become stranded and the red X signs hadn’t been illuminated. As many on here have said, there will come a time when there is a serious pile up due to “smart motorway” failures.
Absolutely. Full alert required when driving on the ‘hard shoulder’.