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...

[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.

[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.