M6 Major Works Junction 13 to Junction 15

Noah

Well-Known Forumite
Must say that I prefer managed motorways where the hard shoulder is open to traffic when it is busy rather than smart motorways where effectively the hard shoulder no longer exists as it is open to traffic all the time. On the latter it doesn't seem to occur to the speed merchants that there is the possibility of broken down vehicles on what used to be the hard shoulder before the warning sign comes on. Trouble is, smart motorways are significantly cheaper to build than managed motorways so naturally we get the cheapo version.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
It's much more comfortable to drive knowing that you can rely on a hard shoulder, should something untoward occur - even on a rural, single-carriageway main road.

Screenshot (9).png
 

Entropy

Well-Known Forumite
"They were created to ease congestion, using computers to monitor the roads and change speed limits".

My commute to work as well as visiting customers up and down the M6, these "Smart motorways" DO NOT ease congestion.....they actually cause more of it by varying the speed limits within a few hundred yards of each other, 40,50,60, 40, 60, 50, 60 , 40......causes a concertina effect by people constantly breaking, speeding up then the breaking....so many times I've seen accidents caused by this...
 

Mikinton

Well-Known Forumite
.... they actually cause more of it by varying the speed limits within a few hundred yards of each other, 40,50,60, 40, 60, 50, 60 , 40......causes a concertina effect by people constantly breaking, speeding up then the breaking ....
Maybe they should be a bit less variable.

I've started making a weekly trip from Baswich to Edgbaston early Thursday evenings, to get there for 8:00 - a journey that initially filled me with dread to the extent that I've been setting off between 6:00 and 6:30 in case there's problems. But it's been fine on all 4 occasions. No holdups except for the couple of times I went via the M5, but you sort of expect that. So in my admittedly limited experience, whatever changes they've made seem to have been fine.

But I take your point that the speed limits may be a bit too variable. Maybe scrap the 60mph limit and hold them at 50mph instead. (Last night's trip was manic at times.)
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
"They were created to ease congestion, using computers to monitor the roads and change speed limits".

My commute to work as well as visiting customers up and down the M6, these "Smart motorways" DO NOT ease congestion.....they actually cause more of it by varying the speed limits within a few hundred yards of each other, 40,50,60, 40, 60, 50, 60 , 40......causes a concertina effect by people constantly breaking, speeding up then the breaking....so many times I've seen accidents caused by this...
I would disagree... They are not perfect but in the years before they were installed on the way into Brum on the M6 you would always have traffic building up to Hilton park services and then be forced to tip toe for miles.
 

Entropy

Well-Known Forumite
I would disagree... They are not perfect but in the years before they were installed on the way into Brum on the M6 you would always have traffic building up to Hilton park services and then be forced to tip toe for miles.

True, most days it's still very much the same.....if you're not past J10 by 0705hrs then your screwed for the next 2 hours trying to get past J6.

Maybe they should be a bit less variable.

I've started making a weekly trip from Baswich to Edgbaston early Thursday evenings, to get there for 8:00 - a journey that initially filled me with dread to the extent that I've been setting off between 6:00 and 6:30 in case there's problems. But it's been fine on all 4 occasions. No holdups except for the couple of times I went via the M5, but you sort of expect that. So in my admittedly limited experience, whatever changes they've made seem to have been fine.

But I take your point that the speed limits may be a bit too variable. Maybe scrap the 60mph limit and hold them at 50mph instead. (Last night's trip was manic at times.)

Completely agree.....the 40mph is stupid, unless there's been an accident (most probably caused by the variation in speed limits). Alternative routs up ther or down the A5 or through Litchfield are viable should the M6 get clogged up.
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
True, most days it's still very much the same.....if you're not past J10 by 0705hrs then your screwed for the next 2 hours trying to get past J6
.
Well I can only speak as I find it. I leave Stafford most mornings during the week at 7.55am and get to junction 7 (Perry Barr) to loop back into the M5 at around 8.45....
 

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
I have worked in Walsall for 13 years and the only time I went down to Junction 10 before the 4 lanes was for my interview; I was an hour late. Nowadays it's probably 1 out of 20 trips where I get off at 11.
 
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