London to Shropshire with least traffic?

London to Shropshire with least traffic?

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montecristo

Original Poster:

1,043 posts

176 months

Sunday 26th April 2015
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What would be the best London-Shropshire-London route for regularly avoiding traffic?

I have to do this regularly, and I am not so worried about shaving 10/20/30 minutes to get the best possible route, so much as minimizing the chances of occasionally having a 5 hr leg, as can happen with traffic.

(NW6-Church Stretton-NW6, for what it's worth).

Edited by montecristo on Sunday 26th April 16:06

MattHall91

1,268 posts

123 months

Sunday 26th April 2015
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I would go M1, M6, M6 Toll, M54.
Any route will be a nightmare if there's a sniff of an accident, but providing this isn't the case, I'd be going that way.

Red Devil

13,055 posts

207 months

Monday 27th April 2015
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Bear in mind that the M6 Toll doesn't feed into the M54, you have to exit near Cannock and take the A460 to J1 at Featherstone.

Given the choice I would always pick the M40 over the M1. YMMV.
So this might be worth a punt - https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Western+Ave%2FA...

OP, if you're doing this journey regularly, try both and see how they compare.

mmm-five

11,227 posts

283 months

Monday 27th April 2015
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I do Liverpool to Brentford and back every week.

If I leave Brentford before 3pm or after 6pm then I regularly get to work on Monday morning & back home on Thursday afternoon in about 3.5h-4h. Very rarely is there a big enough jam on the M6 to require a diversion (or to make the diversion worthwhile), but you won't have worry about that as you're not going that far north (J14-J20).

Depending on traffic, my route from Brentford is A4/M4/M25 to M40 or Western Ave/Perivale/A40 to M40 - then M40 -> M42 North -> M6 Toll (then M6 & M56/M62 to south Liverpool).

You wouldn't need the A4/M4/M25 bit of course, so I'd get straight on to the A40 and use the M40. As you get past Warwick you need to decide whether to take the M42 south of Birmigham and cross-country from there, or the M42 to the north and take the M54 (which can snarl up if you've left at 3pm - but much better if you've left after 6pm).

I'd say the M42 south is the better option and you won't risk getting caught up in traffic on the managed motorway section of the M42 or on the M54.

smithyithy

7,192 posts

117 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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M40, M42, A458.

M6 to M54 is a nightmare at the moment.

gazchap

1,523 posts

182 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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smithyithy said:
M40, M42, A458.

M6 to M54 is a nightmare at the moment.
This.

Those roadworks on the M54 between J3-5, and on the M6 at J8 are going to add a butt-load of time on to your journey every day.

smithyithy

7,192 posts

117 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
quotequote all
gazchap said:
This.

Those roadworks on the M54 between J3-5, and on the M6 at J8 are going to add a butt-load of time on to your journey every day.
It's my employer that put them there so I do apologise laugh

But there's so much work going on in that area it's probably better to avoid it if you can.

Wait until the M6 Jct 10 rebuild gets going nuts

theboss

6,878 posts

218 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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What days/times of the week are you likely to be doing it?

Very simliar journey (but in reverse) - I drive Much Wenlock to NW1 and back on a regular basis and generally go down to Stourbridge/Hagley to M5/M42/M40 and then all the way in on the A40.

The M54 through to M6 is currently bad due to roadworks and is regularly closed overnight... the M1 also bad due to the roadworks between Rugby and Northampton... but I would say that for the 'inside the M25' stretch the M1 then down to West Hampstead or the Finchley Road area where you're heading, is consistently much better than the A40 in to the Marylebone flyover, which is where I'm heading.

Edited by theboss on Tuesday 28th April 17:00

montecristo

Original Poster:

1,043 posts

176 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
quotequote all
theboss said:
What days/times of the week are you likely to be doing it?
I have flexibility, although many of the trips will be Fridays out of London, Sundays back in.

Some good suggestions in here, I'll try them out, especially the ones that avoid the roadworks.

smithyithy

7,192 posts

117 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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I'm not sure of the construction times for the M54 / M6 works, but generally speaking night closures will be between 7:30pm and 6am if it's just weekdays.

Friday nights usually have to start later, say around 9pm so if you were coming up on that evening you'd probably avoid the closures, likewise if you're coming back on Sunday as there shouldn't be any closures then.

But it can still be incredibly slow through that area and an accident or breakdown can severely increase delays, so I'd still avoid it if possible.

I'm lucky in that I live down the road from Junction 10a where the two roads meet, but I'm based in Telford so I can hop on the M54 at Jct 1 and just cruise through the average speed cameras (which have added about 5 minutes to my journey time in truth) rather than being based at the Brum office and having to sit in the M6 car park every morning laugh

theboss

6,878 posts

218 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
quotequote all
montecristo said:
theboss said:
What days/times of the week are you likely to be doing it?
I have flexibility, although many of the trips will be Fridays out of London, Sundays back in.

Some good suggestions in here, I'll try them out, especially the ones that avoid the roadworks.
Pretty much the ordsr I do things in.

Sunday night heading down you won't have any problems whatsoever taking the M40 - I have done Wenlock to Marylebone in 2 hours.

Friday you're in for busy traffic out of Londonif and sometimes all the way up to the M42 if you leave in the evening peak - again the later you do it the better.

For Church Stretton the route linked above inGoogle maps getting off the M5 at Droitwich and up towards Tenbury Wells is a lovely drive.

gazchap

1,523 posts

182 months

Wednesday 29th April 2015
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smithyithy said:
It's my employer that put them there so I do apologise laugh
:P

Out of interest then, do you know the reason why the M54 eastbound roadworks are set to a 50mph limit, but westbound its 40mph? Doesn't seem to be anything particularly different about the works on either side to warrant it?

smithyithy

7,192 posts

117 months

Wednesday 29th April 2015
quotequote all
gazchap said:
:P

Out of interest then, do you know the reason why the M54 eastbound roadworks are set to a 50mph limit, but westbound its 40mph? Doesn't seem to be anything particularly different about the works on either side to warrant it?
Works access. Because they're working with concrete, they need gaps in the barrier for mixers and large vehicles to enter, and they need to slow down quite a degree to be able to enter the works. As they generally approach from the east, the westbound side needs to be kept down to 40mph due to the larger barrier gaps and slowing speeds of those vehicles.

Red Devil

13,055 posts

207 months

Wednesday 29th April 2015
quotequote all
theboss said:
For Church Stretton the route linked above inGoogle maps getting off the M5 at Droitwich and up towards Tenbury Wells is a lovely drive.
yes That's why I suggested it. smile

gazchap

1,523 posts

182 months

Wednesday 29th April 2015
quotequote all
smithyithy said:
Works access. Because they're working with concrete, they need gaps in the barrier for mixers and large vehicles to enter, and they need to slow down quite a degree to be able to enter the works. As they generally approach from the east, the westbound side needs to be kept down to 40mph due to the larger barrier gaps and slowing speeds of those vehicles.
Makes sense. Cheers.

smithyithy

7,192 posts

117 months

Wednesday 29th April 2015
quotequote all
gazchap said:
Makes sense. Cheers.
Lots of work going on in that area. I'm designing all of the resurfacing schemes from M54 Jct 7, past Shrewsbury to Montford Bridge, West Felton, Mile End all the way up to where the A5 reaches Wales at Rhoswiel!

theboss

6,878 posts

218 months

Wednesday 29th April 2015
quotequote all
smithyithy said:
gazchap said:
Makes sense. Cheers.
Lots of work going on in that area. I'm designing all of the resurfacing schemes from M54 Jct 7, past Shrewsbury to Montford Bridge, West Felton, Mile End all the way up to where the A5 reaches Wales at Rhoswiel!
Do you take requests? hehe

smithyithy

7,192 posts

117 months

Wednesday 29th April 2015
quotequote all
theboss said:
Do you take requests? hehe
Not sure I can persuade Highways England to move £millions around but I'm listening laugh

One that might be of interest, if you know the M54.. We're changing the eastbound entry slip at Junction 7 from a 2-lane merge to a single-lane. Quite a few accidents there as it's unlined once the chevron starts and the merge continues into a bend on the main carriageway.

So I'm removing all the current lining, extending the chevron length and width to create a single lane of merging traffic, pushing the dashed 'merge' markings back, replacing all the road studs, clearing loads of vegetation on the nearside of the slip road and the splitter between slip and main to improve visibility, and installing new signs on both sections to suit the new layout.

It can be quite interesting work to be fair, I prefer schemes like this where I get to do 'improvements' rather than just 'renewals'. Alongside that, we're re-signing the whole A449 from M54 Junction 2 to A5 Gailey Roundabout, to change the majority NSL section to 60mph.

Edited by smithyithy on Wednesday 29th April 19:41


Edited by smithyithy on Wednesday 29th April 19:42

theboss

6,878 posts

218 months

Thursday 30th April 2015
quotequote all
smithyithy said:
theboss said:
Do you take requests? hehe
Not sure I can persuade Highways England to move £millions around but I'm listening laugh

One that might be of interest, if you know the M54.. We're changing the eastbound entry slip at Junction 7 from a 2-lane merge to a single-lane. Quite a few accidents there as it's unlined once the chevron starts and the merge continues into a bend on the main carriageway.

So I'm removing all the current lining, extending the chevron length and width to create a single lane of merging traffic, pushing the dashed 'merge' markings back, replacing all the road studs, clearing loads of vegetation on the nearside of the slip road and the splitter between slip and main to improve visibility, and installing new signs on both sections to suit the new layout.

It can be quite interesting work to be fair, I prefer schemes like this where I get to do 'improvements' rather than just 'renewals'. Alongside that, we're re-signing the whole A449 from M54 Junction 2 to A5 Gailey Roundabout, to change the majority NSL section to 60mph.
Okay stop right there smile I don't use J7 often but when I do I'm certainly known to use L2 of the eastbound joining slip just as it was originally intended. As you know the slip is quite steeply inclined and its nice to have an overtaking lane because other traffic will often ascend very slowly. I will mourn its passing.

Seriously though the accident stats can only speak for themselves and it's good to know people out there are looking to make logical improvements to improve traffic flow and safety. It's a job I'd find interesting myself.

Are you responsible for the recent A5 improvements on the East/SE edge of Shrewsbury? I regularly go B4380 - A5 - A49 and back, and that traffic flow is much improved now.

FiF

43,960 posts

250 months

Thursday 30th April 2015
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For me the M40 /M42 is the obvious route, and as I drive the road most days would head off Droitwich towards Tenbury Wells as that's a lovely drive. For a bit of variety might mix it up with the northerly A458 version Bridgnorth or even across the middle for a while skirt round Kidderminster, Cleobury Mortimer and out to Ludlow.