M6 toll road

st999

I have never travelled down the M6 since the toll road opened but when I plot a route from a route planning site travelling south from Scotland they always pick the M6 toll road.

Is using the M6 toll road quicker and easier than not using, it given that I will probably get there in the late afternoon?

And will I save on petrol to pay the toll?

Stan

Mac2308

The Toll road is great if you want an empty straight road but dependant on the time of day it makes no difference time wise. I'm pretty sure you won't save enough petrol wise to cover the toll either. HTH

wallbash

Scotland driving south to London etc ??
The toll road is a breath of fresh air
Road becomes a pleasant place to be, a real break , a restful interlude .
I use it London to Manchester journey , worth every penny .

Hintza

And a decent service station without all the riff raff.....:)

You have to try it at least once just for the experience.

JonathanA

You definitely won't save enough on fuel to cover the cost, but you will avoid some of the sets of roadworks on the M6 south of Junction 12, and the lottery that is the traffic congestion on the M6 southbound. I use the M6 / M5 daily and between Junction 12 (Cannock) and Junction 8 (M5) can take anything from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the traffic.

M6 Toll has much less traffic, services are clean and I find it generally quicker than sticking to the M6.

Give it a go...

jaydeeuk1

Beware of undercover cops on m6 toll, sadly the speed limit is still 70.
Luckily, its pretty easy to spot them in the day time.

vikingaero

It's £4.70 for a car on the toll road.

cheeky

I would - the M54 to M5 section could easily add 30 mins to your journey if its chocca - and its a long enough journey by the sound of it!

i use 02's travel line (1200) and google maps on my iphone to see what the traffic is like before i decide which route to take

flyingscotno1

From and to Scotland I use it simply as a rest from the traffic when you are still blasting on up the road!

Ian_W

wallbash wrote: »

Scotland driving south to London etc ??
The toll road is a breath of fresh air
Road becomes a pleasant place to be, a real break , a restful interlude .

A bit like the M6 north of the Blackpool and M74 through the borders!
Engage cruise control, recline your seat and enjoy!

bunking_off

Late afternoon on what day? Weekend I wouldn't bother, during the week I would. But at £4.70 it's not moneysaving. The matrix boards just before the toll junction generally tell you what the delay is down to the M5 junction, so it's worth taking note of them.

The MSE approach...assuming you're heading for M1...is to come off at J15, take A500 to the A50, then A50 across to the M1.

If you do use the toll, take the opportunity to stop off at the Norton Canes services : because the toll is quiet, so are they. Just be careful to head the right way when you go back onto the toll, or it will cost you to do a u-turn...

Finally, if you've got a van or trailer, don't do it...you can be looking at £9.40 each way!