M6 hotspot among the worst
A stretch of the M6 through the West Midlands is among the worst congestion hotspots in the country, it was revealed today.
And another which runs through Staffordshire also regularly throws up one of the worst jams for frustrated drivers.
The section between junction 11a near Churchbridge and junction 3a, between the NEC and Coventry, was fourth in the list. The two junctions connect the crowded motorway with the M6 Toll road, which was built to relieve the M6.
In fifth place was the section between junction 11 near Cannock and junction 21a, east of Warrington in Cheshire.
The M1 between junction 6a in Hertfordshire and junction 11 near Luton in Bedfordshire topped the list of jams in a report from Trafficmaster and the RAC Foundation.
The second-worst spot was the M25's western sector between junction 9 near Leatherhead in Surrey and junction 20 north of Watford.
Another stretch of the M25 – between junction 21 near Watford and junction 28 near Brentwood in Essex – was in third position.
The congestion was measured in the 12 months ending April 2007, with the table-topping M1's jams almost twice as bad as those on the M6 through Birmingham.
Trafficmaster said congestion in the first three months of this year had increased 0.8 per cent compared with the same period in 2006. Results also revealed that while the majority of rush-hour commuting happens between 7.30am and 8.30am, peak commuter hours get earlier as the week progresses.
The report also found that 20 per cent of company car drivers spend more than five hours a week in congestion – but half find their employers "not at all" supportive over flexible work practices to avoid commuting.
