Driving to Birmingham airport at 0300 tomorrow...

[AndyT77]

,...from the North, Toll Road or not?

[Krikkit]

Nah, fk that. Toll road is hardly worth it at rush hour, never mind during the night.

[Jonwm]

I always use the toll, depends what time you hit the M6 jn 10, toll is more direct anyway to the airport

[antspants]

AndyT77 said:

,...from the North, Toll Road or not?

Don't think it will be busy enough to warrant it, although I often find it handy to make up time if I'm running late.

Oh and go to sleep, you're going to be knackered in the morning!

[barker22]

The M6 isn't anywhere near as bad since they did the upgrade.

[Lites]

I like to use the toll purely for gunning it away from the booths... but at that time in the morning you should be absolutely fine without!

[Blakewater]

I've been known to turn a profit on the M6 Toll Road. Check the coin reject trays. You can get £s out of there.

[Jimmyarm]

Depending on what you are driving and how brave you are, one could envisage that the toll road would be completely empty at that time in the morning tommorrow and could be taken at a fair old pace

[Super Slo Mo]

Don't bother wasting your money on the toll at that time of day. The roadworks on the M6 don't extend beyond a mile or two past the toll road junction anyway, although of course there are camera gantries all the way down to J8, although it's not that far.

There's very little in it if both roads are clear, other than one costing a few quid in toll fees.

I went past Birmingham at 03:00 a couple of weeks ago, it was pretty much deserted apart from the odd truck. Weather was horrific, but the toll road won't change that.

[Sheepshanks]

Using the toll road avoids all the irritating steel joints on the extensive elevated section of the M6.

You'd be taking a massive gamble going much over the speed limit on the toll at that time though. If there happens to be a patrolling police car you'll stick out like a sore thumb and they'll likely have nothing else to do.

[B17NNS]

Absolutely not.

[Welshbeef]

The normal M6 will be deserted at that time of the day so unless the M6 Toll is shorter or you prefer the route go normal M6.


Whenever we work or socially drive up & back we do use the M6 toll every time - that said its either hitting it at 7am ish or 8-9pm so potential for heavy traffic - when you have kids in the car who don't like stationary traffic it makes it a no brainer

[Jimmyarm]

Sheepshanks said:

Using the toll road avoids all the irritating steel joints on the extensive elevated section of the M6.

You'd be taking a massive gamble going much over the speed limit on the toll at that time though. If there happens to be a patrolling police car you'll stick out like a sore thumb and they'll likely have nothing else to do.

You could say that about any section of the motorway network though, it would seem to the thinking man that the toll would be less policed at that time.

Go toll, go balls out =)

[mybrainhurts]

If you lived on the civilised side of the country, you'd be using the M42 instead of the M6 and this problem would not be a problem.

Silly boy....

[Sheepshanks]

Jimmyarm said:

You could say that about any section of the motorway network though, it would seem to the thinking man that the toll would be less policed at that time.

If I was a thinking cop, wondering where to hang out for best chance of success, I'd be thinking the toll would be great place to nick people in the early hours. Why else would people use it at that time?

There's also the advantage that there's not much danger from other traffic in making a stop.

[KungFuPanda]

Surely you'd always use the toll to do a full bore launch from the toll booths???

[mygoldfishbowl]

Of course not. It's longer & costs money.

[AndyT77]

Thanks, i've just had a few hours kip and will sleep on the plane also. I will avoid the toll.
Merry Christmas!