M42/M1 vs A38 in rush hour

M42/M1 vs A38 in rush hour

Author
Discussion

oldbanger

Original Poster:

4,327 posts

252 months

Thursday 13th January 2011
quotequote all
I need to commute from Solihull to just north of Derby for a week next month. I know that the M1 at Nottingham can be pretty poor, but is the A38 any better, particularly through Derby? Also what's the most pain free way to pick up the A38 without using the toll road?

mike50001

164 posts

176 months

Thursday 13th January 2011
quotequote all
the toll road helps get out of solihull faster.

but the a38 in derby at rush hour isnt fun.

depends how much further north your going

oldbanger

Original Poster:

4,327 posts

252 months

Friday 14th January 2011
quotequote all
I'm heading for Ripley so another 20 miles further north.

andy-xr

13,204 posts

218 months

Friday 14th January 2011
quotequote all
No, depending on what the A50 is doing

M69 might be a better option

Richard-G

1,728 posts

189 months

Friday 14th January 2011
quotequote all
m42 m1 is your best bet, i live in tamworth and when heading north at rush hour the m42 m1 is always smoother. However m42 northbound near tamworth is one lane with avg speed cams at the mo so it could get snarled up. Check the higways agency traffic history. Hope thts of some use

Richard-G

1,728 posts

189 months

Friday 14th January 2011
quotequote all
m42 m1 is your best bet, i live in tamworth and when heading north at rush hour the m42 m1 is always smoother. However m42 northbound near tamworth is one lane with avg speed cams at the mo so it could get snarled up. Check the higways agency traffic history. Hope thts of some use

chriscoates

801 posts

174 months

Friday 14th January 2011
quotequote all
Richard-G said:
m42 m1 is your best bet, i live in tamworth and when heading north at rush hour the m42 m1 is always smoother. However m42 northbound near tamworth is one lane with avg speed cams at the mo so it could get snarled up. Check the higways agency traffic history. Hope thts of some use
Now the M1 roadworks have finished, I would go M42-M1

oldbanger

Original Poster:

4,327 posts

252 months

Saturday 15th January 2011
quotequote all
cheers for the replies - M42/M1 it is then

YoungOne

194 posts

173 months

Saturday 15th January 2011
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M1 is now 4 lanes from 25 to 28 i think, its a lot better than it used to be

GPR13

1,970 posts

203 months

Saturday 15th January 2011
quotequote all
YoungOne said:
M1 is now 4 lanes from 25 to 28 i think, its a lot better than it used to be
This is correct. Its still busy but traffic tends to be free flowing. A38 between Derby and M1 j28 can be an absolute we at times and there are often roadworks or accidents causing delays.

paddyhasneeds

58,332 posts

224 months

Saturday 15th January 2011
quotequote all
Right now the M42 southbound as it passed Tamworth is just one giant mess every morning. I don't use it as I go down the A5 but I think there are roadworks going on and it seems very stop start to just stopped.

I suspect you may want to use a couple of routes - the M42/M1 up to J28.

Also there's the A38 all the way down to the A446 and take that to Coleshill and then nip down the Stratford road and into Solihull.