Decision on M6 improvements to be announced today

Less · 10-01-2006, 06:53

The decision will be announced today about what will be done to relieve the congestion on the M6 between Manchester and Birmingham.

It seems there are two choices:-
1/ To widen the existing motorway by two lanes (I imagine they mean two lanes per side but it wasn't made very clear)
2/ To build a completly new Toll road type motorway.

I personally would back number one, why? Because it seems ridiculous to me that any of us should have to pay to relieve the existing situation.
O.K. if you want to avoid the congestion on the existing road you pay and go 'private', but hang on, every car, van, lorry that pays and travels on the toll road is releasing more space on the existing road for those that don't want to pay. Hmm, somehow that doesn't seem right.

Also surely to build this new toll road running parallel to the existing road will be more expensive to construct than adding extra lanes to a system that already exists? Extra hard shouders will have to be constructed, extra crash barriers extra lighting and tons upon tons of extra white paint!

I leave it to the greenies amongst you to work out which system would have the worst effect on the environment.

I just ask that those amongst you that are anti-cars etc. make your own thread of protest, please don't bore me with it!

This motorway is essential and something does need to be done to improve it, but what would be the best way of going about it?

Neil · 10-01-2006, 07:48

I agree with widening the current road. The only problem is that many motorists don't know what to do with all the lanes. I have used the M6 a lot over the last 18 years. I used to work just near junction 15. I watched them build the extra bridge over the ship canal and saw the improvements that it made. What I do find is that when the moterway increases in lanes around junction 21 the traffic flow does not appear to improve. The CARS not trucks just spread out accross all the lanes. You don't get extra empty lanes like you might think you would. You can be traveling at 80mph on the 3 lane part and when the extra lanes appear you are still doing 80mph because everyone just spreads out.
I think driver education is needed as well. For example I was driving home yesterday on the pathetic 2 lane M65. I was behind a, dare I say lady, doing 80mph. Nothing in the left hand lane and she would not change into the lane she should have been in so I could pass.

WillowTheWhisp · 10-01-2006, 08:03

80mph?

Yes Less I agree with you that widening what is already there seems the greenest option.

We've been on that toll road down Birmingham way and it is always much quieter than the original motorway so not much space is being freed up on there by those paying to go on the toll road but I do see your point about people having paid then freeing up more road for people who haven't paid.

As for teaching people how to use roads why oh why oh why do people persist in hogging what they call "the fast lane" when there are two or more lanes to the left of them completely vacant? Grrrrr @ such people.

entwisi · 10-01-2006, 09:17

The plan is for one extra lane each side. I know a loady who owns a farm just off J19. She has been told that if the plans go ahead she will lose most of her farm under compulsory purchase. The value they have given her is approx 25% of what she could have sold it for on the open market before these plans were announced.

I too spend more time on motorways than most(2 hours a day minimum) and have to say that there are three major causes of congestion.

Lorries that are trying to overtake each other at a speed difference of 1mph if that. You often see two lanes effectively blocked because all cars are having to squeeze into the outside lane to get round them. I was once stuck behind two lorries that took over 3 MILES to complete an overtake. I would make it such that when a lorry is being overtaken by another lorry the driver has to slow down by 10 mph so that the manouvre is over and done with quickly

Poor lane discipline. People think that just because they are doing 70 they can stay in teh outside lane. You then end up with drivers who are going faster but are unwilling to undertake(although there is no such offence) block up behind them. Irrespective of what speed I am travelling at I move over to the left hand lane if I am not going to be overtaking anything for the next 20 seconds

The third is probably my biggest bugbear. When there is an accident teh motorways become enormous car parks. This is normally due to teh offending vehicle being left where it was blocking X number of lanes. IMHO once all teh people are out of teh vehicles a few pictures could be taken to assert any blame etc then they should be removed by whatever means necessary. If that is dragging them on their roofs/sides and destroying the vehicle then fine, get the roads clear asap. At worst case we are talking about a lorry with cargo worth say £250K. Yet we are happy to completely block the roads for hours which costs billions in lost time. I normal journey is just about an hour. Before Christmas it took me 3 and a half hours to get home one evening. This is not the first time and I regularly have journeys of 2 hours +

garinda · 10-01-2006, 10:20

The M6 could be left as it is, and more people could be encouraged to use the canal system for non esential journeys.

In some cases this would result in quicker journey times, and if the barges were horse powered, the resulting fertiliser would be an added bonus.

Neil · 10-01-2006, 10:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

the resulting fertiliser would be an added bonus.

Sorry Gary but I think your idea is a load of fertiliser.

Yes willow 80mph. It's between 70mph and 90mph or in other words between what the speed limit is and what it should be.

garinda · 10-01-2006, 10:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

Sorry Gary but I think your idea is a load of fertiliser.

Not convinced.

All the jobless chavs wouldn't see the light of day, as they could be employed in the tunnels to walk through the barges. Thus killing two birds with one stone, getting the chavs off the street corners and giving them a worthwhile career.

WillowTheWhisp · 10-01-2006, 12:11

Get the lorries off the road and the cargo onto canal barges. That would solve two problems in one.

Less · 10-01-2006, 12:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

Get the lorries off the road and the cargo onto canal barges. That would solve two problems in one.

Canal boats don't deliver to asda and kwik save, your precious little tomatos and other such stuff wouldn't be in the best of condition due to the time it would take to transport them.
You and Rindy are getting close to being in the etc group in my first post! The idea is to talk about the M6 not alternatives, there's plenty of room for you to start your own alternative threads!

Quote:

I just ask that those amongst you that are anti-cars etc. make your own thread of protest, please don't bore me with it!

WillowTheWhisp · 10-01-2006, 12:39

OOOh I've never been an etc before. Have you Rindy?

I don't eat tomatoes Less. I'm alergic to them. They make me wheezy.

SPUGGIE J · 10-01-2006, 13:09

I have had the misfortune in the past of trveling to Stoke and it is madness at the rush hour south of Manchester. Widening the present road or building a new one will just add more to the conjestion to the point even synex wont work.The number of cars me and my collegues passed with just one person in was madness especially as some must have been going to and from the same destinations is crazy. A little commen sense is all that is needed. At work we have guys traveling from Glasgow and Fife who car share and that is helpful.

I know how bad the M8 M9 M90 and the Forth Road Bridge get the Pandimonium into and out of Glasgow And Edinburgh is beyond belief but until there is an optoin that is viable and workable is put in place all motorways will still be conjested regardless of how many carrigeways and new ones are built.

Debbie J · 10-01-2006, 15:31

I too think the M6 should be extended rather than building another toll road. The congestion is bad enough under normal circumstances but put road works on it as well & it beggers belief. Last year we travelled to Coventry once a month by the time we got to the toll road we were glad to use it as we could make up most of the time we had lost getting through 'the works' at Sandbach. Where one saturday night they decided to take it down to 1 lane & those of us who took notice were left sitting there for over an hour while the ignoramouses decided to 'move into' said lane when the cones prevented them from going any further.

Neil · 10-01-2006, 17:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Debbie J

Where one saturday night they decided to take it down to 1 lane & those of us who took notice were left sitting there for over an hour while the ignoramouses decided to 'move into' said lane when the cones prevented them from going any further.

So who is ignorant of the road then, you who sat crawling along or the ignoramouses who flew down the outside and nipped in at the last minute?

pendy · 10-01-2006, 18:07

There is a simple answer. Most motorways in France are toll roads, and have only two lanes. So why does the traffic move better? - Simple. You drive in the inside line. You use the outside lane ONLY for overtaking. If you stay in the outer lane, you risk an on the spot fine, which is quite hefty. So, all traffic is in the inside lane, leaving the outer one free, so you can always overtake. The only exception is that on some hills they have a slow lane for lorries.

If people only used the motorway properly, half the congestion would be wiped out. You drive in the driving lane, i.e. the inside. You use the two outer lanes ONLY to overtake.

Very simple, and with the added advantage that it doesn't cost anything!

Debbie J · 10-01-2006, 23:21

Those of us who try to abide by the rules and use good manners are invariably the ones who suffer.