M6 Autobahn

[DaveH23]

Having recently started a new job that has me all over the country I drove the M6 toll for the first time earlier this week.

Not knowing the roads and armed only with google maps on my phone I have been sitting strictly on the speed limit whilst up and down various motorways as I like my clean licence.

This brings me on to the M6 Toll. I was sat with the cruise at an indicated 70 so probably a few mph less in reality but I think just about every single car overtook me like I was parked up.

For those that drive this regularly is this the norm? I have to admit lane discipline was pretty good by all drivers which on every other motorway was appaling and even at 4:30pm when traffic everywhere else was heavy this road was pretty quiet.

Is this some kind of private road for PH'ers?

[zip929]

I think it's like the average speed cameras. Some people seem to have dispensation.
50 mph zone and they happily cruise past at 70+.
What do they know that I don't?

Wish I knew where I could get this dispensation from!

[Sam.F]

Not sure if serious....

... But if you are, it's kind of well known that the toll road is treated like an autobahn - that's why it's usually crawling with TrafPol.

[dcb]

DaveH23 said:

I was sat with the cruise at an indicated 70 so probably a few mph less in reality but I think just about every single car overtook me like I was parked up.

Time to adjust your cruise settings to reflect reality instead of a widely
ignored limit ?

UK Gov's own figures indicate that most UK drivers do more
than 70 mph on the motorway.

That's real speed, so about 75 mph indicated.

Scottish and Cumbrian Plod seem most keen to enforce the limits,
but other Plod don't start ticketing until 90 mph real, or about 95 mph indicated.

Average speeds on German autobahns are about 95 mph and increasing
a little bit each year, so the UK M6 has quite some way to go yet to
catch up with German averages.

[Geekman]

I'd say it's the best road in the UK for high speed driving, but there's no way I'd risk going over around 85 on it as I've heard of a lot of people caught by camera vans on the M6 toll. As much as it pains me to say it, the more I drive, the more I think going over 80/90 on the motorway just isn't worth it what with increased fuel consumption, camera vans, unmarked police etc.

[DaveH23]

Like I said it was the first time ive drove this road and wanting to keep a clean licence comes higher on my list of priorities than getting somewhere 10 mins earlier. I was just very suprised at how much faster everybodys average seemed to be.

Mind you im not sure what road it was but a motorway prior to joining the toll had a pretty big accident so a good chance that alot of the local plod would of been there.

As mentioned above ive also noticed roads with average speed cameras where people fly past and it leaves me thinking 'what do they know'.

[Super Slo Mo]

With regards the average speed camera areas, I routinely drive at an indicated 55 or so (so 51-52 real, according to sat nav), and very rarely find people going much quicker. However, there are a lot of people going a lot slower, like 40-45 mph.

And on the M6 toll subject, I believe there are still people around who think there's no speed limit applied to it. I had a similar conversation last year with someone, who was very surprised to hear that it was subject to the same 70 mph limit as every other motorway (nsl) in the country.

[AB]

I probably use the M6 toll 4 or 6 times a week, sometimes you'll not spot plod for days and all of a sudden you'll see 6 unmarked on the hard shoulder within 10 minutes having pulled someone over.

I don't go over 85 anywhere anymore, doing 1,000 miles a week, it's not worth getting caught.

75 and cruise control most of the time.