M6 J2-4 Smart Works

[Big L]

The speed cameras went up a couple of weeks ago. I guess work will begin soon.

[clive1975]

Cue years of 50mph crawling........

[A9NWIL]

Oh great thats one good option for heading to Yorkshire to see family from where I live scuppered. I guess its the A46 and M69 instead!

[fras]

It won't do the finances of the M6 Toll any good either.

[Johnathan404]

Miles of roadworks on the north-westbound approach to J3a will be a very effective promotion for the M6 Toll. The fact the roadworks end barely half a mile after doesn't matter: you won't know that if you're on the BNRR! People like to think they've made a wise move and I suspect there will be a lot of people paying their money thinking they've done exactly that.

(I realise there will be signs counting down to the end of the roadworks, but most motorists won't trust these as they don't explicitly say where the end of the roadworks are and are actually counting down to the change in road layout. Then you have the classic case of the M3, where 7 miles of roadworks ended with a sign saying saying "more roadworks 6 miles ahead".)

[brummie_rob]

Miles of roadworks on the north-westbound approach to J3a will be a very effective promotion for the M6 Toll. The fact the roadworks end barely half a mile after doesn't matter: you won't know that if you're on the BNRR! People like to think they've made a wise move and I suspect there will be a lot of people paying their money thinking they've done exactly that.

(I realise there will be signs counting down to the end of the roadworks, but most motorists won't trust these as they don't explicitly say where the end of the roadworks are and are actually counting down to the change in road layout. Then you have the classic case of the M3, where 7 miles of roadworks ended with a sign saying saying "more roadworks 6 miles ahead".)

They don't bother on the M6 J16-J19 even signing how long the roadworks are, presumably as they are so long in length.

[Robert Kilcoyne]

They don't bother on the M6 J16-J19 even signing how long the roadworks are, presumably as they are so long in length.

Whereas the M6 in Cheshire goes through a largely rural area with no very large towns nearby, the M6 between Junctions 2 and 4 is effectively a northern bypass of Coventry, therefore severe delays in these road works could have a significant impact on traffic volumes on the roads around Coventry, in particular on the A45 between the M42 and Tollbar Island and the A46 between Tollbar Island and the M6.

Fortunately, the M40 and M42 provide an obvious alternative route for long distance travel from London and the South East to Birmingham and the North West.

[Robert Kilcoyne]

Miles of roadworks on the north-westbound approach to J3a will be a very effective promotion for the M6 Toll. The fact the roadworks end barely half a mile after doesn't matter: you won't know that if you're on the BNRR! People like to think they've made a wise move and I suspect there will be a lot of people paying their money thinking they've done exactly that.

However, if you are travelling south on the M6 Toll towards London, you could avoid these road works by staying on the M42 and using the M40 instead. I wonder whether Highways England will erect any signs on the M6 Toll and on the southbound M42 suggesting that traffic heading to London should use the M40.

[M19]

The M42 & M40 will be even wiser, as the "Smart" motorway works between J13 & 16 of the M1 are due start in May. Going by the time it's taken between J16 and J19, including the barrier works, that will be about four years. For that amount of time you could have built a new motorway from scratch, and who'd have thought it, widened it properly in even less time with the proper junction improvement that were planned.

Are the contractors doing this for a fixed cost or by the hour? Makes you wonder doesn't it?

[Robert Kilcoyne]

The M42 & M40 will be even wiser, as the "Smart" motorway works between J13 & 16 of the M1 are due start in May. Going by the time it's taken between J16 and J19, including the barrier works, that will be about four years. For that amount of time you could have built a new motorway from scratch, and who'd have thought it, widened it properly in even less time with the proper junction improvement that were planned.

In that case, the M42 and M40 will become the obvious route to London from the North West and Birmingham. The distance between Junctions 13 and 16 is 23.6 miles, so that is even longer than the distance between Junctions 16 and 19 on the M6 in Cheshire. Highways England should erect signs on the M1 in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire to warn drivers of the road works further south, so that drivers could use the A42, M42 and M40, or even the A14 and A1/A1(M) to reach London. I appreciate that it would mean that drivers heading to north London would have to use more of the M25, but it may still be better than having to negotiate over 20 miles of motorway at 50 mph at best, but probably at little better than 40 mph.

[tipsynurse]

Oh great the queues approaching M40 j4 southbound will be even more unbearable if it becomes the only 50mph SPECs free route from the Midlands to the south east!

[Arcuarius]

"Smart" motorway works

You know it's really bloody annoying when people put it in quotes like this. Please stop.

[hoagy_ytfc]

Oh great thats one good option for heading to Yorkshire to see family from where I live scuppered. I guess its the A46 and M69 instead!

Really? All for a few minutes?

The longest such stretch I can remember seeing in recent times is the M6 in Cheshire which must be about 15 miles. The difference between 50 and 70 is all of five minutes.

[A9NWIL]

Oh great thats one good option for heading to Yorkshire to see family from where I live scuppered. I guess its the A46 and M69 instead!

Really? All for a few minutes?

The longest such stretch I can remember seeing in recent times is the M6 in Cheshire which must be about 15 miles. The difference between 50 and 70 is all of five minutes.

Just annoyed thats an option thats slower, its not just driving at 50mph you get bunched up traffic ect. Im glad I still have other options though.

[M19]

"Smart" motorway works

You know it's really bloody annoying when people put it in quotes like this. Please stop.

..but it's quite a irony wouldn't you agree?
Hence.

I find the way that some people few put things across quite annoying myself but I do like to exercise a degree of tolerance rather than snipe.

Anyway back to the topic in hand.

Thank you.

[owen b]

They don't bother on the M6 J16-J19 even signing how long the roadworks are, presumably as they are so long in length.

I drove that stretch southbound yesterday and there was an electronic board somewhere near J19 stating 18.7 miles to the end of the roadworks.

[Alderpoint]

Really? All for a few minutes?
The longest such stretch I can remember seeing in recent times is the M6 in Cheshire which must be about 15 miles. The difference between 50 and 70 is all of five minutes.

The problem is when all you are doing a really long journey, like 1000 miles door-to-door (which I do about 4 times a year), and then these "extra" five minutes really start to add up when they appear regularly.

[brummie_rob]

Not forgetting the sheer number of breakdowns and accidents in these sections which cause chaos. On the face of it the travel time isn't much difference but the numptys make it terrible.

[hoagy_ytfc]

The problem is when all you are doing a really long journey, like 1000 miles door-to-door (which I do about 4 times a year), and then these "extra" five minutes really start to add up when they appear regularly.

But it's not lots of "extra five minutes", is it? It's a few, while we go through this massive programme of capacity improvement. And, the person I responded to was suggesting a route that would cost way more than that five minutes anyway. I don't get it.

Through that Cheshire section I just put the CC at 52mph indicated (basically 50 actual), and relaxed. I don't get why this vexes people so much.

[Bryn666]

The problem with the Cheshire section of the M6 is it was already tedious enough without the added tedium of roadworks related congestion.

A boring length of road, heavy traffic, and roadworks are why it's always stuffed on a daily basis.