£5 to use the M6 toll.....

[on the road]

...and it's only at 50% capacity at the moment, sending all the traffic onto the M6, which it was built to ease.

Suggestions? £5 to use the M6?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8500556.stm

No, because traffic will just use the A roads instead.

 

[Danny]

If there is spare capacity on the M6 Toll Road why not convert a lane in each direction into dedicated bus routes.

 

[GilesM]

If there is spare capacity on the M6 Toll Road why not convert a lane in each direction into dedicated bus routes.

Buses and coaches can enjoy the spare capacity on the M6 toll, they just have to pay the toll as all other vehicles do, not sure the price for a coach, but if it's around ten quid, not too much deivided between the 40 or 50 passengers, absolutely no need for a dedicated lane.

The M6 toll road offers a great choice, it's a shame that the idea of an additional M6 toll running along side the existing M6 north of Birmingham has been shelved.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Buses and coaches can enjoy the spare capacity on the M6 toll, they just have to pay the toll as all other vehicles do, not sure the price for a coach, but if it's around ten quid, not too much deivided between the 40 or 50 passengers, absolutely no need for a dedicated lane.

The M6 toll road offers a great choice, it's a shame that the idea of an additional M6 toll running along side the existing M6 north of Birmingham has been shelved.

The problem is that it wouldn't be that long before that one was full of nose to tail traffic all the time as well. Building more roads never works in the long run.

 

[GilesM]

The problem is that it wouldn't be that long before that one was full of nose to tail traffic all the time as well. Building more roads never works in the long run.

The current M6 toll has not filled up to capacity, so I don't see why another Toll motorway heading north of Birmingham would, especially if it had reduced exits and a toll system that favoured those travelling longer distances.

 

[Tigerbiten]

I've only used it a couple of times.
I tend to go M1-A50 if I'm heading north.

Luck ..........

 

[Rhythm Thief]

The current M6 toll has not filled up to capacity ...

Give it time, it will. And if it was free to use, it would probably already have done. But aside from that, I'm not sure (even speaking as a commercial driver) that the cost - environmental and monetary - of a second M6 would justify the end result.

 

[upsidedown]

I've only used it a couple of times.
I tend to go M1-A50 if I'm heading north.

Luck ..........

The Tame Valley canal's a good way to avoid the M5 - M6 junction:

 

[Black Sheep]

I ride over the M42 junction 4 every day. Active traffic management is always on, and the hard shoulder's open, doesn't seem to do much good.

I had to do the M42 active traffic every day last summer and the one and only day it ran smoothly was the day the system broke and had everyone treating it as any other motorway.

people sprint and brake between the cameras, people cut lanes - the system appears to need people to chill out and relax while driving, something that isn't going to happen.

I've reffered to the M6 near birmingham as broken when I nearly had three car crashes due to the active traffic being fitted, the first gantry was set at 40, so people braking down to 40 for it, someone nearly into the back of me. the next was set at 60 so people sped up, the one after was at 30, some one cut infront of me while braking so i nearly hit them and the following one was at national speed limit where someone went to undertake me into a gap being closed by a lorry changing lanes and nearly took me out.

M6? thats the motorway that ends where it crosses the A444 and re-starts somewhere in Cheshire, no?

 

[domd1979]

I had to do the M42 active traffic every day last summer and the one and only day it ran smoothly was the day the system broke and had everyone treating it as any other motorway.

people sprint and brake between the cameras, people cut lanes - the system appears to need people to chill out and relax while driving, something that isn't going to happen.

The numbers show traffic flow up, accidents rates down and emissions down....

 

[jonesy]

The numbers show traffic flow up, accidents rates down and emissions down....

Yes, but this discussion is about transport don't forget, so personal opinion is far more important than objective facts...

 

[al78]

The current M6 toll has not filled up to capacity, so I don't see why another Toll motorway heading north of Birmingham would, especially if it had reduced exits and a toll system that favoured those travelling longer distances.

But what has happened is that the congestion has now spread north up the M6 where the M6 and M6 toll merge, thus using the M6 toll doesn't necessarily gain you that much in journey time.

Problem is that building these short extra roads ultimately encourages more car journeys so that the traffic density just ends up higher where these new roads rejoin the existing road network.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

But what has happened is that the congestion has now spread north up the M6 where the M6 and M6 toll merge, thus using the M6 toll doesn't necessarily gain you that much in journey time.

Problem is that building these short extra roads ultimately encourages more car journeys so that the traffic density just ends up higher where these new roads rejoin the existing road network.

Good point. I remember thinking when they built it that sooner or later six lanes of traffic were going to have to compress themselves into three.

 

[Black Sheep]

The numbers show traffic flow up, accidents rates down and emissions down....

that may be true,

but it is also much more stressful to drive along that stretch of the M42 due to the way in which some people choose to drive,

on the whole most people settle into the (most often seen) 50mph limit, similar speed to the trucks which increases the number of vehicles that can be put through that section as there is less overtaking needs to be done for people to make as much progress as they legally can.

one issue I do have however, as someone who has had to wait about three hours on the hard shoulder, I would not want to break down on a section of motorway that has the hard shoulder in use for traffic flow, it just seems dangerous.

I also have the issue that the hard shoulder was intended as both, a refuge in the event of break downs but also as a lane for the emergency services to use to speed their journey to the incident, if you've got traffic that's been using the shoulder do they have to get back into the other lanes of the quickly forming traffic jam to let the emergency services through?

 

[domd1979]

one issue I do have however, as someone who has had to wait about three hours on the hard shoulder, I would not want to break down on a section of motorway that has the hard shoulder in use for traffic flow, it just seems dangerous.

I also have the issue that the hard shoulder was intended as both, a refuge in the event of break downs but also as a lane for the emergency services to use to speed their journey to the incident, if you've got traffic that's been using the shoulder do they have to get back into the other lanes of the quickly forming traffic jam to let the emergency services through?

There are a series of emergency refuges at regular intervals so there are places to pull off when the hard shoulder is in use. Accidents are down on the M42. There are loads of dual carriageways like the A38 and A50 which are seriously busy roads and no refuge or hard shoulder if you breakdown, so its no worse than that. There is continuous CCTV coverage of the motorway, so if there is an accident/breakdown the signs can be changed in advance of the blockage to close the hard shoulder again.