75ZT Community

Last time I went through I found myself in a "cardholders only" lane!! I was too close to a booth to open my door, had a car about a foot behind me, the barrier was down in front, and no one in the booth? eventually someone came to my car, took my payment, and told me to "use the manned booth next time" but they did not tell me how the heck I find out which lane is for what?

So.... I have to go to London on Thurs, I also need to keep fairly strictly to a timetable, so I can't risk going via the M6 M5 Junctions because of the possible delays..

Sooo, I intend to use the M6 toll road again and pay cash, can anyone tell me how I can tell which lane to get in when I arrive at the M6 toll gates please? and how much is the toll for a car now??

Thank you
...

The manned booths have a little sideways pictogram of a man sitting down on the overhead gantry as you approach the toll booths.

It means slowing down so you can see it in time though James

Toll was £4.50 today but I think it's cheaper at the weekend.

Hiya Paul and thanks for that..

Slow down huh, never thought of that! never noticed a gantry either...

I will slow down and look for the lil man icon next trip..

Thanks again Paul...
...

James.uk wrote:Hiya Paul and thanks for that..

Slow down huh, never thought of that! never noticed a gantry either...

I will slow down and look for the lil man icon next trip..

Thanks again Paul...
...

Thinking about it, the "little man" is green, but you can't tell which of the green symbols is the man and which of them shows coins until you get quite close to the overhead gantry James.

Ha ha Paul... you forgot I am colour blind eh? take that sir! and that! do not pass go, do not collect £200 ...

So coins and lil men icons are the same colour? hmmm.. That's OK I will take some coins with me, that way either man or coin lane will do?
...

James.uk wrote:Ha ha Paul... you forgot I am colour blind eh?

And for those of us who can't tell the difference, the green one is the one which isn't the red one

...

Sorry to say they no longer accept groats James

I would have asked, what to do when there are no manned booths. On some of the exits, prior to the main toll, the toll booths are coins or card only, no attendants. Luckily I did have a card with me, as not enough coins.

Shutcha face Dave I got enuff problems without you startin! Next time I see yer car unatended I'll steam iron yer headrests..

Hiya Dunc, I fawt the booths were always manned?

Seems it's coins or coins then innit...

I have been down the toll road several times in the past, I must have been lucky each time and picked one of the right lanes, till last time..
...

I think the toll road is grossly overpriced but on the way home from Lates this evening it seemed like either pay up and have a reasonably swift run or go on the M6 and get stuck with the antics of the 'sunday drivers' who seem to think it's OK to overtake a car doing 58 mph by driving at a speed of 58.00000001 mph

That's with another in lane 3 doing 58.000000015 mph Some of the overtakes I witnessed were longer than the 48 ton artics on the M54 that take a mere 8 miles to complete an overtake.

Oh, and hogging lane 3 in beatific style even though their speedos were clearly up to 10 mph over-reading. In fact, I even saw an HGV undertake one of these clowns in lane 2, illegally of course, because the dozy tw£t in lane 3 wasn't going to be budged so you can imagine the speed he was doing assuming the HGV was limited to 56 mph.

So yes, perhaps being able to switch cruise control on and maintain a steady pace on the toll road was worth it... just this once.

Ellow Paul..

Then there are the dreaded never ending roadworks at the M6 M5 junction that goes on forever... and ever................. Almost up to the toll road junction innit..
...

Hmmm, been checking my intended route times.. It looks as though.. In order to be where i need to be in London at noon, I have to leave here at 8am.. That means going through Stockport, past the Airport, and onto the M6 Southbound during rush hour... NOT good ---

Sooo.. I am considering going over the Pennines via Wood Head, and aiming for Rotherham till I get to the M1, then following that all the way South into London...

I shouldn't lose too much time doing that unless... there is low cloud on the day.. Which is like a pea soup fog up in the peaks!!

But it's a rock or a steel chair innit..

I will prob leave here at 7am and go over the Pennines though...

No time constraints on my return trip, so will be aiming to get home at around 7pm via the toll road *fingers crossed" .. Thank you for your help gentlemen..

...

Well did the drive to London yesterday, what with road closures, broken down cars in contraflows,*** and lorries crashing on Mways it took me 7 hours to get there, and five coming back, but I did stop for a refuel on the way back..

I am all aches n pains today, seems 12 hours driving is too much in one day for me now! ouchies..

I also got ripped orf on the way back! I chucked 3 one pound and a two pound coin in the toll road box bin and nuffink! the arm stayed down! then it came up onscreen = pay 90p ?? So I had to throw anuvver pound in! That was a total of £11 in tolls for the return trip!

***In the contraflow (M1 going North) lane that crosses over the Central reservation. a car had stopped with steam coming out from under the bonnet.. thus trapping about 300 cars behind him!!! So be warned, DON'T take the single lane crossover!!! Luckily it had backed up so far I was unable to get into it and had to wait for someone to "let me in" to the middle lane again...
......