Traffic from J25 to J24 in the mornings /evenings M1

SandA

Hello

As a new driver and still a little hesitant i'm just wondering what the traffic is like on the M1 between 8-9am and 4-7pm at night?

I suspect it will be busy but would it be gridlock? I'm just asking for a generalized answer as I know at times accidents happen etc but on an average day what type of traffic should I expect?

Will it be so busy its a struggle to get off the sliproad and onto the M1? or is it just 'busy'.. or gridlock?

I'll be going from J25 to J24 and coming back in the evenings from J24 to J25.

If you don't have direct experience with these junctions, but do drive on the m1 at these times, please could you tell me your experiences?

Thank you

zartel

Hi SandA,

I do the same trip every day and its just a case of waiting and seeing at the time.

Mornings aren't usually too bad although I've gone through before the time your looking at.

Evenings tend to be the worse, although its never the same any 2 nights in a row. Some evenings you will find it at a standstill, other nights there will be plenty of traffic but moving freely enough.

Where are coming from/going to as its worth considering going up the A50 rather than using the M1?

Hope this helps

SandA

Hi

Its from Stanton by Dale, so I could go through Sawley and down A50 that way, but seems I can't use the same route coming back. My only other alternative is head the other direction towards Nottingham and back down through Trowell, although getting so close to the city centre I suspect will just increase my journey more then the M1.

I'm thinking of trying the M1 way and giving myself a good 45 minutes to get from Junction 25 to 24 at around 8am (so to arrive at J24 at 8.50ish) does that sound doable?

Thanks

balletshoes

Can you do the A50 route?
My BIL drives over from Uttoxeter to Chilwell every day, straight along the A50 then takes the Long Eaton turnoff just before the M1 junction at 24.

eta ignore me, cross posted!

LincolnshireYokel

The M1 along that stretch from the M42 up past Nottingham can be a nighmare gridlock or it can be empty, you never know. Just takes one good accident somewhere to turn it into an omnishambles, tho.

SandA

How is the A50 in the mornings and evenings? is it very busy or?

Thanks

balletshoes

SandA wrote: »

How is the A50 in the mornings and evenings? is it very busy or?

Thanks

its not as busy as the M1 generally.

balletshoes

you could try planning your route avoiding the motorway here -

http://www.greenflag.com/routeplanning/

forgotmyname

Take some lessons at joining and leaving the motorway.

Some people just dont have a clue. Accelerate to 60+ mph on the slip road and as soon as you can see the motorway start looking for your gap.
Then match your speed to the traffic already on the motorway.

Watch for muppets on the motorway who actually brake or even come to a stop to allow other cars to join. IDIOTS. That was almost one major accident.
Car on the motorway stopped to allow a car join but who also stopped.

DONT drive down the sliproad at 20 - 30mph unless the motorway has fully stopped. Build your speed to match the speed of the traffic.
Go a little faster than them. Its easier than trying to accelerate into a gap.

Just ask MR JAG driver who joined the M6 at J6 last Tue Morning. I thought only boy racers smoked their tyres that much.
Slip road to outside lane in one swift move. Shame he couldnt see the outside lane because of the lorry he was 2 feet behind in the centre lane.
Hit the outside lane and i bet his pants changed colour. When he eventually spotted the outside lane stopping directly in front of him.

Wonder if a car with ABS would have done better or not? Not as dramatic maybe.

SandA

I no how to join the motorway, just at peak times and drivers hanging in the left lane tailgating one another thats the issue.

Ive ran into a problem once before, going down the slip at 70, noticed the traffic in the left lane is practically tailgating but still travelling at about 40-50mph, no gaps because there tailgating so much.. so I slow down, the person behind me is roaring behind me at 70mph.. what is one to do in that situation? It wasn't a nice experience, I did manage to get on but I did have to slow down quite rapidly, was a bit of a heart throbber when the slip road was coming to an end and there was no gaps and no one was moving over for me.

I'd hope my experience was rare, however I fear that it wasn't and its an everyday occurance.

SandA

zartel wrote: »

Hi SandA,

I do the same trip every day and its just a case of waiting and seeing at the time.

Mornings aren't usually too bad although I've gone through before the time your looking at.

Evenings tend to be the worse, although its never the same any 2 nights in a row. Some evenings you will find it at a standstill, other nights there will be plenty of traffic but moving freely enough.

Where are coming from/going to as its worth considering going up the A50 rather than using the M1?

Hope this helps

Had a play on google maps and it appears I can do the A50 route.. for some reason google maps was dragging me near nottingham city for on the way back, but after a fiddle i have worked out the way back onto the A50 and back to Stanton by Dale.. strangely when I ammended the route manually the route I made was 6 miles less then the one google maps had made for me.

Thanks for the advice, will definitely be avoiding M1.