The M6
Toll is the country's first pay-as-you-go motorway. Formally known
as the 'Birmingham Northern Relief Road', it's been designed to bypass
the most congested parts of the M6 through the West Midlands. But
will it achieve this goal?
| Who
will pay to avoid the jams? |
Environmentalists
led a long battle against the toll road and lost. Business leaders
lobbied for it and won. The M6 Toll road has to be one of the most
controversial roads ever to be built in the UK.
 |
| A
typical traffic jam! |
The
idea of a bypass of the busy M6 was conceived in the late 1980s,
when congestion was already a severe problem during peak periods.
Nowadays the queues last all day and sometimes even into the late
evening.
It's a situation that badly needs a solution, but the big question
is will the M6 Toll provide it.
The answer depends which way you look at it. If you're a long distance
driver wanting to get from the south-east to the north-west quickly
whatever the cost, then it'll be great. However, if you a local
driver, perhaps commuting to Birmingham, then there's little prospect
that the new toll road will make your life any easier.
| Will
the Toll road free the M6 of jams? |
Many
people seem to think that the opening of the toll road will instantly
reduce the traffic on the existing M6. Unfortunately, there appears
to be little prospect of that.
It's true the new motorway will remove some traffic from the existing
corridor. However, the effects of what's called 'generated traffic'
will almost certainly fill it up again.
 |
| The
M6 Toll booth |
The
theory is that drivers who have been avoiding the area by using
other roads will begin using the M6 again and spare capacity, brought
about by the opening of the M6 Toll, will quickly be taken up.
Another factor will be how many lorries use the new road.
The standard toll for HGV's is £11, putting the road out of
the price range of many firms. Even some of the biggest haulage
companies have said at that price they won't be using the road.
And that means that HGV's are likely to remain on the existing M6.
| Some
routes may get even busier! |
With
little evidence of any reductions in congestion, the opening of
the M6 Toll doesn't bode well for West Midlands drivers.
Key junctions like the M5/M6, M54/M6 and M42/M6 will still be busy
and predictions about the growth traffic mean they'll get even busier.
Drivers from Herefordshire and Worcestershire could be worst affected.
Earlier this year transport ministers scrapped plans for a relief
road to the west of Stourbridge and Wolverhampton. That means that
there's little prospect of relief from congestion on the M5.
However, there's better news for drivers from Shropshire. Plans
for a new motorway linking the M54 with the M6 northbound are still
part of the national roads programme. The new road would also link
up with the M6 Toll.
| Your
comments on the Toll Road |
 Have
your say here if you want to comment on the M6 Toll.
Take
a look at pictures of the new Toll road and find out how much it's
going to cost - click here.
|
