Safe Speed Forums

I used the M6 toll road today and the fee got me thinking, is it worth £3.50?

The whole 27 mile road is about the same length as using the normal M6
The general congestion on the M6 through Walsall area (slowing, speeding up and at times grinding to a complete halt) can add 20 minutes or more to the journey time compared with using the toll road, particularly on a Friday (today).
My total journey normally takes 2 hrs 40 mins, today it took 2:20 for about 120 miles.
I realise that there may be differing priorities for using a toll road, eg. time, less traffic generally, or a combination of both, but I've phrased the questions and answers as best I can.
So, for the convenience of using a road with lighter traffic combined with the time saved, how much would you pay?

Hi rigpig

I used the M6 toll road this month on a journey from Leicester up to Fort William in Scotland. We came down the M69 and hit the M6. The toll section was pretty much empty. But - just beyond the toll plaza, we had to merge with all the other M6 traffic. There was a huge jam, but Traffic Master seemed to indicate that there was an accident on the southbound M6, with the Northbound jam being caused by rubberneckers. We had to find a diversion, using the A449, and rejoined the M6 further up.

My brother, who was my passenger, said he'd always had problems with the M6 at some stage.

For the return journey, we decided to avoid the midlands section of the M6 altogether, routing M6 as far as North Manchester, then M61,M60,M62,M1 - no problems at all. And that's the route I'll take in future.

The other route would have been the M1 to Leeds, then the A65 across to the M6. The A65 is a good road. Some drivers forget how good some of our A roads are, and head straight for the motorways.

I used it a couple of times when it was £2, but I certainly won't at £3.50

Unless my employer was paying, of course

Another useful alternative is using the A50 between M6 J15 and M1 J24. This is all dual carriageway with only 3 or 4 roundabouts. It's normally not too busy and AFAIK has no fixed cameras.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Put me in the dusty skeleton in the traffic jam/toll fee ripped from my cold dead hands category. I wouldn't object if it wasn't for the fact that such a miserly proportion of motoring taxes goes back into the system, but as it is I damn well do object.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

if it was like a French autoroute where you get a higher limit and an even higher unofficial one to go with it as well...

I started using the M6 toll when it first opened and it was only £2.00. It was also quite a pleasant journey because not many people used it. When they put the price up to £3.00 pound I stopped using it (my principles took over). The price is now at £3.50 so as you can see like anything else to do with motoring, the prices just keep escalating. If only everyone stopped using it then they would have to reconsider their pricing structure.

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

Will definately not pay £3.50, that is far too expensive in my book, an extra £7 for a return trip.

Personally I avoid the M6 and my route from Burnley to London is via Halifax and the M1. However I recently went to Kent with a mate to pick up some alloy wheels for his Rangey and he went both ways on the Toll, but I thought it was pretty busy! I'm not saying it was as busy as the normal M6, but it was certainly comparable to what most motoways are like during the day(not rush hour) and it was a Sunday!

Surely, the equation is going to be "cost of fuel by avoiding toll roads" against " cost of fuel + toll " using toll roads?

I for sure, will not use toll roads, unless it saves me money, for instance the severn bridge crossing, it is cheaper to go the old route, than use the bridge, but with a time penalty of about 1 hour, fuel costs will be less in a cheap car by going this way.

Also I now reject any job that involves the London tax/scam, (sorry I mean the "congestion charge scheme") as a matter of princible, I pay road tax to use the highways and byways of this fair (??) land and resent being charged for what I have already paid for, (also includes parking anywhere, which means I have moved all my business and shopping out to places where parking is FREE.

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Brian of Plymouth
When will the government realise , that to err is only human, to be perfect is to be GOD.

As a one-off then I would pay £3.50. For instance if I was driving down to the south west, which would be my only reason for using the M6 toll.

If it was a regular thing then I would pay the difference in fuel costs unless I was in a hurry.

I think the M6 toll may be an experiment to find out just how much of the poor they can price off the roads.

I'd like to factor time saved and safety into the equation also.

I reckon given the infrequency with which I could use the M6 Toll route - probably twice per year, I was happy to pay the £2, even £3. But they are starting to rip us off, so I'll be using the old M6 now in the hope that the percentage who still use the toll road keep the old M6 reasonably congestion free at the times I choose to use it.

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Fixed ideas are like cramp, for instance in the foot, yet the best remedy is to step on them.

Ian

don't forget tyre, brake and clutch wear (and whatever else) from sitting in traffic jams every day...

Sort of, my equation would be "cost of fuel by avoiding toll road" versus "cost of fuel + toll + principle of the matter"

This has just made me check out the different distances of getting to London. My way - 228.5 miles. Everybody else's way to London from Burnley via the Toll - 233.5.

I had one guy say my route was "absolute tosh"! Ha! I was right all along! Plus I don't have to pay the toll! It's a moot point which is quicker, both can have good and bad days.

To go back to the specific point, if it was a question between the M6 and M6T only then I would choose the M6, unless my journey was time critical. I would not choose it for example, if the only reason was to get home a bit sooner. I would however consider it if I thought I was in danger of missing a boat/concert/plane/whatever but would do so with bitterness.

But so far I've never been faced with that choice.

I realise the 'equation' for deciding whether or not to use a toll road is going to be complex with each component being weighted slightly differently by different individuals, i.e.
How time critical our journey is
Our own tolerance threshold for sitting in queues or heavy traffic
The time of day, day of the week
Whether we can afford it or not
Whether we agree with the principle of toll roads
Etc etc

And each of us may arrive at a different solution (i.e. to use it or not) depending on how those components weigh up at that particular time.
Just try working it all into a simple poll question though

I'm a fairly frequent user of the M6 toll. I'm usually on a long journey to or from North Scotland and expect a £200 fuel bill. The toll charge seems fairly insignificant in this context.

Time saved, and a nice smooth quiet motorway to drive on are higher considerations on these long trips.

I would object enormously if forced to pay a toll. On the other hand I'm delighted to be offered a choice.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Workwise - my skeleton will remain in the cab.
The few times i venture north on the M6 in my car, I know i've got another 400 or more miles to go and don't relish sitting in a traffic jam.Means i can leave at a reasonable time and use the toll rather than haveto leave at 630 to get past j10 AND THEN with traffic volume stop and risk a rear ender.Problem is that now at £3.5 we're being blackmailed --and they say the days of Dick Turpin are long gone

Sssshhhhh. Don't tell anyone about that route