Morning commute advice- A22-M25-M3

[mzard]

Hi, I'm taking on a new role in deepest darkest Sunbury-on-Thames and am moving south of the river for the first time ever to avoid commuting there from Bow in zone 2. I am looking for advice on traffic levels on the M25 in the morning going from junction 6 to junction 12 then in for a few miles on the M3. Google maps is saying 37 miles will take me 47 minutes which seems wildly optimistic.

Does anyone do this regularly who can shed some light on the conditions? I'll be doing regular 9-5 hours so no way to avoid the crush, but on the plus side I'll be abroad for one week every two months so will get a commuting break then. In addition I drive a Polo or an Audi A3, but I'm thinking maybe to save petrol I should ditch the Polo and grab a tiny like Fiat 500 or similar...

[edc]

I work in Sunbury. The M3 from the M25 into town is fine. But that is all of about 5 mins. I used to do Woking to Redhill on the M25 and it was always a pain and unpredictable.

[SimesJH]

Literally working 9am-5pm will be a sod, traffic-wise.

No way to get in much earlier and leave, say, at 4?

Fuel economy is one thing but, in my opinion, you need something that offers you a great place to spend time in with comfort.

[dcb]

mzard said:

Hi, I'm taking on a new role in deepest darkest Sunbury-on-Thames and am moving south of the river for the first time ever to avoid commuting there from Bow in zone 2. I am looking for advice on traffic levels on the M25 in the morning going from junction 6 to junction 12 then in for a few miles on the M3. Google maps is saying 37 miles will take me 47 minutes which seems wildly optimistic.

Commute J6 to J12 of the M25 is a lot of the M25 ten times a week.

Since the M25 is one of the busiest roads in Europe (aka hell on earth)
from 7am to 9am and 5pm to 7pm every weekday, you are making a bad problem
worse with your long commute.

In the job's in Sunbury, suggest relocate to as close as you can
get to Sunbury.

Either that, or change your working hours. 7-3, 8-4, 10-6 ?

[mzard]

That's not really what I was hoping to hear- I'm used to a long commute- my school commute used to be 1.5 hours each way back in the day. Maybe I'll just have to try it. The problem is this house is just so perfect in every other way and Sunbury has sod all there. The other bonus is that the income that I get from renting my place in Bow perfectly covers my outgoing rent and bills, so my only cost each month would be petrol/car stuff.

[FuryExocet]

The M25 is a nightmare, it's so unpredictable. I would not want to do that journey and I spend a lot of time on the M25

[sixspeed]

Most mornings you'll be fine until you get to Jct 9. Jct 9 to Jct 12 (M3) are hell on earth. That's on a good day. Throw an accident/breakdown/car fire into the mix anywhere along that route and you may as well stay at home until lunchtime.

Same coming home, but in reverse.

[omgus]

If you are commuting to the very big office located in Sunbury then use the train and the free buses or get there earlier. At 9 you might find the car park is getting full. At 5 it can be a sod to get out of. At 8 it's easier and at 4 you will beat the rush.


Also you will notice that anyone who can works from 7-4. That makes a massive difference to how much time you have away from work.

[mzard]

Wow, ok. That's a pretty damning review of the M25's capabilities. There are a couple of other routes which cut across the inside of the M25, for example I could cut in across from junction 9 so I might try that. The problem is that I'm a new starter at this company at a junior level so I won't be able to negotiate different start/end times for a while. At least I only have a three month minimum on this rental contract so if it really is awful I can move. I can also get the train across if all else fails but then I would probably end up spending a lot more on the commute.

I didn't think it would be quite as bad as it sounds, I've driven from Tunbridge Wells to Bow through the Blackwall Tunnel in rush hour a few times and while it isn't exactly pleasant I've never had an issue with the M25.

[stain]

Don't try and cut across at J9 because you will hit even more jams. As has been said already, either change your hours or move closer.

[omgus]

mzard said:

The problem is that I'm a new starter at this company at a junior level so I won't be able to negotiate different start/end times for a while.

Gym membership, either before or after work. Moves you out of the really bad traffic, or as you are new just go in early anyway, being there at 08:00-08:30 might seem excessive but you will get more done early than you will in the afternoon, you will probably only have to leave your place a little earlier to do it. And, it never harms you to always be there early when others might be late.

If you say you finish at 17:00 then be out of the door by 17:01. Just a few minutes later can make a huge difference to your overall journey time.

Or even if it's the worst option suck it up like lots of others do and just get comfy in your car. I hate traffic but after years of the "A30-M25-M3-A30", or just "A30 all the way home" commute i have realised that sometimes you just have to put up with it.

[bigdom]

mzard said:

I didn't think it would be quite as bad as it sounds, I've driven from Tunbridge Wells to Bow through the Blackwall Tunnel in rush hour a few times and while it isn't exactly pleasant I've never had an issue with the M25.

The best way to treat the M25 in rush hour, is that its going to be st. If you start at this viewpoint, when its not, its a nice surprise. You hear the traffic news, theres an incident prior to your junction, you know your journey will be a little nicer. I used to drive from outside Maidstone to near Bracknell for 3 years, about 75 miles each way. On a good day, could do it in 1hr 15min, a bad one, 4hr > when there's a an accident you cannot go around the queues as everyone else is doing the same. I ended up moving closer to the office. I wouldn't go fiat 500, being on the motorway, a larger car is a nicer and safer place to sit.

I used to go down the A2 when I lived in South London, the difference is that is predictable, something the M25 isnt. Also from T Wells to Bow, your only on it for 2 junctions and against the main flow of morning traffic.

Edited by bigdom on Friday 24th October 11:26

[ookware]

I would not go clockwise J6 - J12 at rush hour in the morning, I used to work nights in Guildford travelling anti-clockwise around 7/8-9am and I can't think of a single day I didn't drive past stopped traffic J9-11, it really is shocking how many people drive into a standstill every day.

Seriously, you need to relocate your home or your job (or do the gym membership someone else suggested)

[ffc]

Basically the M25 is a car park from J10 to J16 in either direction for the rush hour on most days. Friday morning may be OK as lots of people only seem to work a four day week. Friday evening however will be terrible. I only travel on that part of the M25 in the rush hour if I don't have any other choice.

[ismellburning]

I'd like to offer a counterpoint to the naysayers.

But I can't. You have thousands of cars on a small stretch of road, and even on a "good" day you're going to spend quite a long time stationary.

As mentioned before the tiniest shunt/truck fire/etc will make a bad situation worse. The road can't handle the number of cars that want to drive down it so the only thing you can do is get a feel for how long it takes and resign yourself to learn all sorts of new things about the world from Radio 4.

Or as suggested elsewhere, get a gym membership near your work, leave early doors and try to skip the worst of it.

Better yet, if at all possible, take the train. Yes trains are st, but not as st as wearing out the clutch in your car at an average speed of 8mph five days a week.

[FurryExocet]

The girlfriend came to visit me the other day, took her 2hrs to do a 45 minute journey because the M25 was gridlocked due to an accident

[Roo3Stuart]

I have to agree with most of the above. I drive the opposite direction, M3 to M23, most mornings at about 7am and the opposite carriageway is nearly always knackered from junction 10, often further back. I'd say it starts from 6:30. Oh, and in the evening it is often bad on the other side as the same people go home.