Avoiding the queues on the M5/M6 interchange
As the M5/M6 interchange is named the worst traffic bottleneck in the country, Peter Carroll asks if anything can be done to improve it.
A colleague of mine regularly sails through the worst traffic bottleneck in the country on his way to Wolverhampton, without a care in the world writes Peter Carroll.
But then he tends to arrive at the M5/M6 interchange at around ten to six in the morning.
Those who have to contend with the full force of the rush hour on this blighted stretch of road are not so lucky.
And it will come as little surprise to these unfortunate souls that the M5/M6 interchange officially ranks as the most congested stretch of road in the UK.
According to data provided by traffic information company Inrix, the northbound section of the M5 leading to the M6 was clogged for 63 hours a week in 2009/10, with an average speed below 15mph when congested.
This makes it busier than even the notorious approach to the Blackwall Tunnel in London, or the regularly grid-locked M8 at Glasgow.
The firm analysed road data from six countries and found that UK drivers spend more time in traffic compared with those living in Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg or Holland.
The result appear to back up what drivers who cover a lot of miles already know.
Monday mornings are generally the worst for congestion. Friday mornings are the most traffic-free, while Friday evenings are the busiest for jams.
So what can be done to alleviate the daily chaos on the M5/M6? Not a lot, unfortunately, because of the sheer weight of traffic using the road.
Until work begins to widen the interchange to three lanes instead of two it looks like remaining the blackest of traffic black spots.
The only alternative to grinning and bearing it is to plot a diversionary route on your sat nav. . .
Or aim to hit the junction at ten to six in every morning.
Top 10 worst UK traffic bottlenecks:
West Midlands: The M5 heading towards Birmingham at the M6.
London: The Blackwall Tunnel approach at Blackwall Lane in south-east London.
London: Canterbury Way heading towards the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at the M25.
Newcastle: The A19 at the Tyne Tunnel north approach.
London: Canterbury Way heading towards Purfleet at the M25 in east London.
London: The M25 headed towards Rickmansworth at junction 19 in Hertfordshire.
Glasgow: The M8 heading towards Kingston Bridge at junction 22.
London: The M25 heading towards Dartford at junction 18.
Glasgow: The M8 heading towards Kingston Bridge at junction 20.
Glasgow: The M8 heading towards Seaward at junction 21.
