Toyota yaris - Avoiding Birmingham Southbound M6 rush hour.

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Sun 20 Sep 2015 10:52
Toyota yaris - Avoiding Birmingham Southbound M6 rush hour. - Otherkid89

Hello,

I travel fromBarrow-in-Furness, down to Essex, on Thursday evenings.

I leave Barrow at 3:30 and normally hit Birmingham by 6:00-6:30.

Is there any way to avoid the M6 gridlock, that I always find myself sitting in? And potentially any other traffic jams likely to occur.

Thanks!

O

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Sun 20 Sep 2015 11:22
Toyota yaris - Avoiding Birmingham Southbound M6 rush hour. - gordonbennet

Apart from the obvious, a pre booked well in advance cheap train ticket you mean..:-)

Thankfully its not a Friday journey from hell.

Not a lot you can do about the Thewall Viaduct unless you're good as ducking and diving around back roads.

For a change you could try the A50 via jct 15 across to East Mids Airport, then down M1 to Catthorpe, A14 then M11.

If you prefer the M6/M40/M25 then i would try the M6 Toll if you believe B'ham is solid (goes agsint my principles using it too), the M5 exit from M6 is still down to one lane thats whats causing the s'bound problems and from what i can see when i pass over the top it looks like another yet to be recruited team of apprentices may well draw their pensions before its ever finished.

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Sun 20 Sep 2015 22:55
Toyota yaris - Avoiding Birmingham Southbound M6 rush hour. - Bromptonaut

I concur with my learned friend GB. A50 is the way to avoid Brum and the North Staffs section which can also snarl up at drop of a hat. Note he mentions leaving M6 at J15 rather than the more direct line via J16 and A500 which just adds Stoke's congestion to the lottery.

Doesn't help with Thelwall or section south to Crewe though

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Sun 20 Sep 2015 23:14
Toyota yaris - Avoiding Birmingham Southbound M6 rush hour. - galileo

Hello,

I travel fromBarrow-in-Furness, down to Essex, on Thursday evenings.

I leave Barrow at 3:30 and normally hit Birmingham by 6:00-6:30.

Is there any way to avoid the M6 gridlock, that I always find myself sitting in? And potentially any other traffic jams likely to o

I fear you are doomed to hit congestion somewhere if you leave at 3.30 pm.

As an alternative (as suggested by Google Maps routing for Barrow to Colchester,for example), you could go by way of: M6/M61/M62/A1/A14/M11.

This is shown as 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hours leaving at 4 30 , ten minutes longer leaving at 3 30.

Their route via M6 uses the toll road to achieve a similar journey time, would leaving later avoid the worst congestion?

Edited by galileo on 20/09/2015 at 23:16

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Mon 21 Sep 2015 09:05
Toyota yaris - Avoiding Birmingham Southbound M6 rush hour. - daveyjp

As an alternative travel east earlier? M6 south to M62 east then A1/M11.

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Mon 21 Sep 2015 09:34
Toyota yaris - Avoiding Birmingham Southbound M6 rush hour. - gordonbennet
you could go by way of: M6/M61/M62/A1/A14/M11.
would leaving later avoid the worst congestion?

The northern crossing is indeed possible but the M62 does cross vast urban areas, just exchanging B'ham @ 1800/1830 for Manchester /Bradford/Leeds @ 1730, rock and hard place.

You're right about leaving later, leaving about 1800 would in theory see a faster journey, but once 2100 comes you then have the danger of badly publicised night motorway works and either full road closure, or as is often the case single lane traffic control with miles of standing traffic...and not a road worker to be seen for miles just to put the icing on the cake.

They get you one way or another.

Just as an aside, i had the original Trafficmaster YQ units, with pre paid 12 months key to operate, for many years, without doubt they were the best live traffic early warning system you could get, miss that system still.

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Mon 21 Sep 2015 11:16
Toyota yaris - Avoiding Birmingham Southbound M6 rush hour. - daveyjp

If traffic avoiding is key consider M6 south, A65 Skipton, A59 Harrogate, A1 south.

They are slower roads, but it avoids West Yorkshire conurbation and Midlands.

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Mon 21 Sep 2015 11:42
Toyota yaris - Avoiding Birmingham Southbound M6 rush hour. - craig-pd130

If traffic avoiding is key consider M6 south, A65 Skipton, A59 Harrogate, A1 south.

They are slower roads, but it avoids West Yorkshire conurbation and Midlands.

Another vote for this, those roads aren't bad at all and avoid major towns etc.

The A50 cross-country between the M6 and M1 is also good but the traffic can start to back up after the Thelwall Viaduct on the M6 southbound from 4:30p, which can really slow you down too.

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