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Red mist for M6 drivers
Aug 4 2005
By Ben Hurst, Evening Mail
THE M6 is the highway from hell, according to a survey of motorists out today.
It topped the poll as the road that drivers most hate to use.
More than half of the 1,000 people questioned said the stretch of motorway through Birmingham was the worst in Britain for congestion.
The Midland M-way misery comprehensively beat the London orbital motorway, the M25, which polled a quarter of the votes, with the M60, Manchester's orbital route.
The poll was conducted by car retailer Virgin Cars.
David Cook, the firm's operations director, said: "With the introduction of the M6 Toll, we anticipated that this stretch of motorway would prove more popular in our poll.
"But it seems the scheme has not found favour with most. It's not just the actions of other drivers which can cause road rage between motorists. Thousands of drivers are losing their temper due to increased congestion."
Numbers of vehicles using the M6 Toll, which by-passes Birmingham, fell 5.5 per cent in June, compared with the same month last year, and prices have increased.
John Lamb, of from Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, said: " This is nor surprise. Every ten minutes of jams on the M6 costs millions to businesses in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
"The M6 Toll hasn't taken away traffic from the M6 as we had hoped."
