M6(Toll) taking shape

[Johnathan404]

Then it's CBRD thats wrong then!

[IAN]

There's just been a feature on BBC Midlands Today. 20th anniversary of opening (14.12.2003). A few facts from the report:

Toll for cars when opening was £3.00, now it's £8.90

65,000 vehicles a day use the road (more than I realised) but 80% of traffic still uses the original M6.

80% of transactions are now contactless, the reporter walked through a tunnel underneath the road and showed where the money used to fall from the money baskets above.
New technology is going to be introduced, which means that the users will only be charged for the length of road travelled if they don't use the whole route. (There is currently a reduction if you leave at some junctions). It would be interesting to know a little more about how this technology will work.

[ravenbluemoon]

New technology is going to be introduced, which means that the users will only be charged for the length of road travelled if they don't use the whole route. (There is currently a reduction if you leave at some junctions). It would be interesting to know a little more about how this technology will work.

That would be good. On the times I've used it (when it was still £3 or so) I would only ever find the section from Lichfield (T4) to Cannock (T8) to be useful. I assume some sort of ANPR would be used?

[jnty]

There's just been a feature on BBC Midlands Today. 20th anniversary of opening (14.12.2003). A few facts from the report:

Toll for cars when opening was £3.00, now it's £8.90

65,000 vehicles a day use the road (more than I realised) but 80% of traffic still uses the original M6.

80% of transactions are now contactless, the reporter walked through a tunnel underneath the road and showed where the money used to fall from the money baskets above.
New technology is going to be introduced, which means that the users will only be charged for the length of road travelled if they don't use the whole route. (There is currently a reduction if you leave at some junctions). It would be interesting to know a little more about how this technology will work.

I wonder what the 80% figure refers to. It's obvious that long distance traffic generally favours the free road, but surely if it's just counting traffic at a given point then some of it will be doing journeys for which the toll road wouldn't be suitable.

[Big L]

…I would only ever find the section from Lichfield (T4) to Cannock (T8) to be useful…

Cannock to Lichfield is cheaper* than Lichfield to Cannock, at the moment.

*or less expensive, depending on your point of view.

[Owain]

…I would only ever find the section from Lichfield (T4) to Cannock (T8) to be useful…

Cannock to Lichfield is cheaper* than Lichfield to Cannock, at the moment.

*or less expensive, depending on your point of view.

"Cannock to Lichfield costs less" should satisfy all perspectives!

[KeithW]

80% of transactions are now contactless, the reporter walked through a tunnel underneath the road and showed where the money used to fall from the money baskets above.
New technology is going to be introduced, which means that the users will only be charged for the length of road travelled if they don't use the whole route. (There is currently a reduction if you leave at some junctions). It would be interesting to know a little more about how this technology will work.

Most work using ANPR, the Dartford Crossing has been doing this for years.

[Vierwielen]

…I would only ever find the section from Lichfield (T4) to Cannock (T8) to be useful…

Cannock to Lichfield is cheaper* than Lichfield to Cannock, at the moment.

*or less expensive, depending on your point of view.

At 21p/km, the M6 Toll is far more expensive that tolls roads on the Continent. For example, Calais to Lyons works out at about €0.09/km and Rome to Naples at €0.08/km. Even travelling between Milan and Mulhouse across Switzerland and discounting the vignette over teh 288 km Swiss sector, the cost is CHF 0.13/km.

[orudge]

£8.90, yikes! It was something like £4 when I used it last (which was, admittedly, around 15 years ago).

We may well have a trip coming up where the Toll would certainly be the quickest route, but presumably our 9-seater minibus will count as a van and be charged at £15 or so. At that price I’m inclined to take the slow route!

[exiled]

The French autoroutes and Italian autostradas exist within a toll network. The M6Toll does not, it exists as an optional paid extra within a free network. Therefore I do not think that one can compare the M6Toll with the A6 Autoroute du Soleil.

In Europe is closer to some of the Spanish toll autopistas like the R radiales from Madrid, or the AP-7 around Malaga and Marbella which are often empty for the same reasons.

[wallmeerkat]

There are a few toll roads in the republic of Ireland, it's kind of accepted as the price for getting the motorway network. But they're usually key routes, like Dartford crossing etc. (eg. M50 Dublin). M6 Toll probably like Dublin port tunnel which is expensive for cars, but if you want to cut out going through the city you can pay it. The only times I'd find myself on the M6 toll is a road trip from one of the Irish ferries to somewhere in SE England, and I'm usually prepared to pay, though I remember it was a Sunday morning on the way back I took the regular M6 as it was quiet. Spaghetti junction was a dissapointment - from the M6 it's just 2 bridges

[AndyB]

To be fair, the Port Tunnel is only expensive (€10) at peak hours, and even then only if you’re travelling with the main flow of traffic. Off-peak and in the quieter direction it’s only €3 for cars.

More reasonable tolls on the M6 Toll would surely take away a significant amount of the M6-M1 traffic because £8.90 can hardly be a fair return on the time and fuel saved on avoiding the congestion shared with M5 (and other) traffic.

[exiled]

There are a few toll roads in the republic of Ireland, it's kind of accepted as the price for getting the motorway network. But they're usually key routes, like Dartford crossing etc. (eg. M50 Dublin). M6 Toll probably like Dublin port tunnel which is expensive for cars, but if you want to cut out going through the city you can pay it. The only times I'd find myself on the M6 toll is a road trip from one of the Irish ferries to somewhere in SE England, and I'm usually prepared to pay, though I remember it was a Sunday morning on the way back I took the regular M6 as it was quiet. Spaghetti junction was a dissapointment - from the M6 it's just 2 bridges

The Irish tolls seem to be at a point where it is not worth shunpiking, and that means the tolls can be kept low.

[Steven]

More reasonable tolls on the M6 Toll would surely take away a significant amount of the M6-M1 traffic because £8.90 can hardly be a fair return on the time and fuel saved on avoiding the congestion shared with M5 (and other) traffic.

It depends. At peak times it can save up to an hour, so it's worth it. It is definitely hideously expensive, and I notice you don't even get tag discounts any more.

As someone who worked near one end and lives near the other, an eastbound trip in the AM is generally not worth it as you just hit the M42 queue. Westbound is more often worth it.

I worked out from my hourly rate as to whether it was worth the money or not - and approximately once a fortnight in the westbound evening pre-peak it was; whilst the eastbound morning pre-peak it was roughly once every couple of months.

There are a few toll roads in the republic of Ireland, it's kind of accepted as the price for getting the motorway network. But they're usually key routes, like Dartford crossing etc. (eg. M50 Dublin). M6 Toll probably like Dublin port tunnel which is expensive for cars, but if you want to cut out going through the city you can pay it.

The Irish tolls aren't worth avoiding at all, though the Port Tunnel is definitely one to breathe in before choosing at peak tolls.

The M50 one is a complete PITA though without an e-Toll tag - whoever thought that 8pm was a good time to ask people to pay by definitely wanted people to miss paying though. And the website doesn't like GB plates, but does handle NI ones.

[AndyB]

By design. €2.10 or Drogheda congestion is not a difficult question.

[AndyB]

The M50 one is a complete PITA though without an e-Toll tag - whoever thought that 8pm was a good time to ask people to pay by definitely wanted people to miss paying though. And the website doesn't like GB plates, but does handle NI ones.

I strongly recommend registering for video tolling - saves 50c a journey and the hassle of remembering!

[Steven]

The M50 one is a complete PITA though without an e-Toll tag - whoever thought that 8pm was a good time to ask people to pay by definitely wanted people to miss paying though. And the website doesn't like GB plates, but does handle NI ones.

I strongly recommend registering for video tolling - saves 50c a journey and the hassle of remembering!

Yes, it does - but 99/100 times I use it I'm in a hire car!

Some hire car companies offer tags which is great, others don't. And as it's booked through my corporate team, I don't always get the choice.

[wallmeerkat]

The M50 one is a complete PITA though without an e-Toll tag - whoever thought that 8pm was a good time to ask people to pay by definitely wanted people to miss paying though. And the website doesn't like GB plates, but does handle NI ones.

Both my cars are on their original GB plates, registered at NI addresses, and never had an issue :shrug:

NI folks tend to like non-standard fonts, I'd assumed the ANPR would be extra tweaked.

[Steven]

The M50 one is a complete PITA though without an e-Toll tag - whoever thought that 8pm was a good time to ask people to pay by definitely wanted people to miss paying though. And the website doesn't like GB plates, but does handle NI ones.

Both my cars are on their original GB plates, registered at NI addresses, and never had an issue :shrug:

NI folks tend to like non-standard fonts, I'd assumed the ANPR would be extra tweaked.

Yeah, mine just wasn't accepted at all on the website. I wrote to them and they sent me a bill in the post a few weeks later for the original amount rather than any extra.

[Chris5156]

65,000 vehicles a day use the road (more than I realised) but 80% of traffic still uses the original M6.

I wonder what the 80% figure refers to. It's obvious that long distance traffic generally favours the free road, but surely if it's just counting traffic at a given point then some of it will be doing journeys for which the toll road wouldn't be suitable.

Yes, without knowing more the 80% figure is worthless. Many vehicles on the old M6 will be making journeys for which the M6 Toll isn't an option.

I seem to remember being told that the M6T actually captures a very respectable percentage of journeys between M6 J3A and 11A, and that much of the traffic on the free M6 between those points is (as you'd expect) local in nature. The reason it's quiet while the M6 is busy is more to do with the fact that most M6 traffic is heading to or from somewhere in the West Midlands conurbation. But I don't know that I've ever seen an actual figure for the proportion of through journeys it captures.