I do it regularly from J8 to near Victoria

In order of preference:
Bike - easy commute, free parking
Train - £7 a pop and be prepared to stand all the way
Car - have to be on the M62 before 7:30, central Manchester parking is not cheap

www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAnd ... G_10014876

www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAnd ... G_10014876

I have done the commute for 3 years now from Latchford to Machester city (Ducie Street next to piccadilly). Done the train a couple of times but sometimes it can be late and you stand all the way. On top of this, part of my benefits at work is a Fuel Card so i do not have to pay for my fuel but would have to pay to park my car then get the train (£10 a day)

I drive and it is very dependant on traffic obviously. I have generally found that between Feb school holidays and Oct school holidays the roads are good and I can do the commute from Knutsford road to M62 J11 (avoid J9-J10 at all costs) then on to manchester in around 35 minutes. During Oct-Feb I find it takes around 45-50 minutes. However on a really bad day it has taken me 90 minutes but bear in mind i work next door to piccadilly.

Salford Quays isn't such a bad commute as it is just at the end of the M602 and the right hand lane is usually flowing at around 30-40 mph.

With the offer of 5k-10k for an extra 20 minutes drive I would definately do it in the current climate if the company you are moving to is offering a secure position. £300+ a month extra would be bliss (or £240 dependant on tax band)

Unfortunately it is going to move me up to the next tax band.....

I feel privilleged to be offered the job and is a permament role which is what i wanted as i am permanent at my current job. I hear that they are flexible on working so if you can get in early you leave early. Just waiting to hear from them today, and then i can hand my notice in to my boss....can't wait!



Thanks for the info....!

I can see your neck of town from my desk Biscuit. We could go for a beer pre match (assuming you don't still want to batter me).

Well I tried it yesterday for the first meeting about the things that could see me working in Manchester. I had to go by car as it was short notice and was on the M62 for quarter to eight. I was there for twenty to.

Coming back I left at exactly five o'clock and was back at ten to six. The drive home was fine once past the Sainsburys on route to the Motorway. The junctions just before that are just terrible. Off ramps and on ramps combined which just means a chaos of cars trying to cross over each other. They should solve it all by making the roundabout where the Motorway starts constantly open. Take the Manchester road that goes past Sainsburys & the Casino etc over or under the roundabout and straight onto the motorway (With the option to turn off onto the roundabout obviously).

I think the Highways Department heard you were coming. The last two days the traffic lights at the bottom of the slip road onto the M62 at Birchwood have been working which causes a long queue to get on the motorway adding at least 5 minutes onto my journey. They may well assist the motorway flow leading upto the junction but that's no benefit to me.

Some places have a strict dress code if your wearing this years kit you wont even get so much as a luke warm shandy...

that would make too much sense..... They have been doing work on the underpass(subway) for at least 12 months. know I dont know how much pedestrian traffic they are expecting to Walk to RRG Toyota but its surely going to be the fanciest Underpass in the world .....

how much must 12 months continual work on a roundabout and 100 metre underpass cost.... I would imagine once its finished theres going to one dam fine statue on it that will probably cost a couple of hundred grand as well.

even better though up near the uni just past Salford Crescent they have done away with a bus lane......(a short bus lane but a bus lane none the less)

but before you all celebrate and think at last common sense...they havent turned it back into another lane for cars, they've turned it into more pavement ....!!

its almost a dual carriage way for pedestrians ....!!

Salford Council cant beat em....

I'm with you on that one. It's been effing ridiculous trying to get in the last couple of days due to this. I'd say it's adding far worse than 5 minutes to my journey. More like 15-20. In fact, it now takes me longer to get from Padgate to the motorway than it does on the motorway from Birchwood to Eccles.

The thing is, the lights dont seem to lighten the motorway traffic either. Still takes as long as it did with the lights off.

Well im sorry but there is going to be an extra one on M62 travelling to Manchester, got what i wanted in the end so am made up.....

Part time lights at Birchwood M62 Junction were much much better today and no traffic leading back towards Birchwood shopping centre.

Also, for the last week at around 8.35, same time each day, there is a police prisoner van (presumably) surrounded by about 6 police cars heading from the city centre towards Warrington/Liverpool. Curious to know what/who that is every morning. Anyone know?

I've just e-mailed ha_info@highways.gsi.gov.uk the following Can you PLEASE turn OFF the traffic lights on the entry to the motorway of the eastbound Junction 11 of the M62 at Birchwood (Warrington East). They hadn't been used for at least a year, and caused no tail backs . Traffic joining the motorway always flowed freely. In the last fortnight, the lights have been put back into action in the morning, and have caused CHAOS, ensuing in a 2 mile (at least) BARELY MOVING traffic-jam on the A574, causing a knock on effect on supply roads to the A574. The amount of pollution this causes must be of serious concern. This has added an extra 20 minutes to a typical journey into Manchester, when there was no problem in the first place. The traffic lights themselves, have not eased congestion on the Motorway at all, when people are trying to join it. If you could get one of your Highway Patrol vehicles to go down the A574 @ 7:45, the occupants could see for themselves the problems these lights have created. Can the lights be turned off please, so that traffic can flow freely in the morning. If you use the A574, vent your spleen towards them. If enough of us do, maybe they might turn them off

I've just e-mailed ha_info@highways.gsi.gov.uk the following Can you PLEASE turn OFF the traffic lights on the entry to the motorway of the eastbound Junction 11 of the M62 at Birchwood (Warrington East). They hadn't been used for at least a year, and caused no tail backs . Traffic joining the motorway always flowed freely. In the last fortnight, the lights have been put back into action in the morning, and have caused CHAOS, ensuing in a 2 mile (at least) BARELY MOVING traffic-jam on the A574, causing a knock on effect on supply roads to the A574. The amount of pollution this causes must be of serious concern. This has added an extra 20 minutes to a typical journey into Manchester, when there was no problem in the first place. The traffic lights themselves, have not eased congestion on the Motorway at all, when people are trying to join it. If you could get one of your Highway Patrol vehicles to go down the A574 @ 7:45, the occupants could see for themselves the problems these lights have created. Can the lights be turned off please, so that traffic can flow freely in the morning. If you use the A574, vent your spleen towards them. If enough of us do, maybe they might turn them off

Did you see them in action this morning? They were much better. Staying on green for about 20 seconds and then red for only a couple. When I got over birchwood way (near the roundabout with the scrap metal or whatever its meant to be) I was expecting the usual dead end of traffic just after but this morning I made it all the way to the junction and only que'd on the slip road for about 10 seconds. If it stayed like that things would be OK, but I willl email regardless.

It's not too bad, when you actually reach the slip road , but it's the getting there. I took the "long cut" @ 745, through the edge of Oakwood (and lived) and came out at Moss Gate (opposite Morris + Spottiswood) and looked down where I would have come from, and it was nose to tail. These light cause huge jams

They are a pain in the , agreed. I've emailed. What good it will do, who knows!?

good on ya, Wirefan. Hopefully a few more of us will e-mail, and MAYBE they'll listen (not holding my breath tho)

I've been going that way too lefty.

I cant begin to imagine what made the highways people have the lights off for a full 12 months then randomly turn them on again!

I reckon theres a big red button with a sticker that says "DO NOT PRESS" and some Joey just couldnt resist pressing it and now we are all shafted every morning.

whats worse with this queue is the car traffic goes either left to Liverpool or right to Manchester while the HGV's go straight on to the landfill... so why does some jerk think
"I dont know why these people are queuing here i'm going to stay in the left lane...oh dear it appears i'm going to the landfill site please may I cut in....?"

No you may not...

Speaking of s cutting in.. Do either of you come home via the 602 of an evening? The junction for the Eccles interchange coming back to Warrington is the worst pain in the anal passage I have ever known on a motorway. Where the 3 lanes go to two on the right (to Warrington/Liverpool M62) and one filter on the left (to Leeds / Bolton / Trafford etc. M60)...
Certain s happily continue in their merry way down the centre lane, past what must be 200 cars in a que on the inside lane and then think it's acceptable to just stop dead at the point where the junction veers off to the 60 and wait to be allowed in, sitting there with their left hand indicator on like they just forgot it was their turn off. Does my ing head in every single night.

What the HWA should do is put number plate recognition cameras in place. Fair do's if someone does it once or twice in error. I accept there may be people not local who probably dont realise how that junction is designed, but persistent offenders should be.. hung or something.

You've read my mind, WireFan. When I pass these MotherLovers going home, I sound my horn repeatedly, and have the tip of my thumb and first finger touching. I then shake my hand at them very fast at them. These MotherLovers mainly drive certain expensive German saloon cars and white commercial vehicles.

LOL, well I have an Audi A6 which kinda implicates there me somewhat, though I do as you do with the old horn thing - If only the hord buttons were rocket launchers eh!. I dont know who I'm more annoyed at, the pricks cutting in or the softies letting them do it.

This should have been point one on the grind gears thread for me.

They tend to be mainly A4 drivers, pal




I've just got an e-mail back acknowledging my issue. Let's see, eh

Can Goldblatt and biscuit please keep quiet about "long-cuts". That way is already increasing in popularity by the day.

If ya can't beat 'em, join 'em

Quote Thank you for your feedback regarding your journey through J11 on the M62 on the 3rd of February. The ramp metering (traffic lights on the slip road) at J11 on the M62 have been switched off for some time due to several faults. The site was re-commissioned on Monday the 24th and put back into service and has been carefully monitored for correct operation since. I am sorry you experienced delay to your journey. Although we have experienced high volumes of traffic during the week beginning Monday the 24th that have caused problems in this area, Our ability to count vehicles travelling across the stop line shows the ramp metering system has not reduced the number of vehicles travelling down the slip road onto the main carriage way. However, we have made some fine tuning adjustments to the site in order to optimise it performance. We are continuing to monitor the sites performance and the traffic patterns it experiences in order to best manage the converging traffic flows. From other sites we know it can take up to two weeks for the system and road users to adjust, which can lead to some additional congestion, and adjustment if necessary. Briefly the ramp metering system works by trying to break up the joining slip road traffic into small groups. This is done to minimise the disruption merging traffic causes to the main carriage way and to help speed up the recovery time when the main carriage way traffic is brought to a stand still. This is balanced against traffic building up on roads adjacent to the motorway and queuing on the slip road, releasing lager blocks on to the main carriage way to over come this. If overall traffic volumes in the area exceed the capacity of the main carriage way traffic will eventually come a stand still. This will cause traffic to queue up on the slip road and adjacent local roads. However as the main carriage way starts to flow again ramp metering will greatly reduce the time it takes to recover. We do regularly monitor all our ramp metering sites and will continue to do so as traffic flows in the area fluctuate over the next few weeks. Please be assured that we will not allow the system to cause unnecessary delays and that we take every available option to reduce delays to road users. I am happy to discuss further, either by email or telephone, which is most convenient for you and would value your continued feedback about this site. Regards Russell Pinchen Highways Agency | Temple Quay House | 2 The Square, Temple Quay | Bristol | BS1 6HA Tel: +44 (0) 117 3726039 | Fax: + 44 (0) 117 3728447 | Mobile: + 44 (0) 7787 891 039 Web: www.highways.gov.uk GTN: 1371 6039 '"

Quote Thank you for your feedback regarding your journey through J11 on the M62 on the 3rd of February. The ramp metering (traffic lights on the slip road) at J11 on the M62 have been switched off for some time due to several faults. The site was re-commissioned on Monday the 24th and put back into service and has been carefully monitored for correct operation since. I am sorry you experienced delay to your journey. Although we have experienced high volumes of traffic during the week beginning Monday the 24th that have caused problems in this area, Our ability to count vehicles travelling across the stop line shows the ramp metering system has not reduced the number of vehicles travelling down the slip road onto the main carriage way. However, we have made some fine tuning adjustments to the site in order to optimise it performance. We are continuing to monitor the sites performance and the traffic patterns it experiences in order to best manage the converging traffic flows. From other sites we know it can take up to two weeks for the system and road users to adjust, which can lead to some additional congestion, and adjustment if necessary. Briefly the ramp metering system works by trying to break up the joining slip road traffic into small groups. This is done to minimise the disruption merging traffic causes to the main carriage way and to help speed up the recovery time when the main carriage way traffic is brought to a stand still. This is balanced against traffic building up on roads adjacent to the motorway and queuing on the slip road, releasing lager blocks on to the main carriage way to over come this. If overall traffic volumes in the area exceed the capacity of the main carriage way traffic will eventually come a stand still. This will cause traffic to queue up on the slip road and adjacent local roads. However as the main carriage way starts to flow again ramp metering will greatly reduce the time it takes to recover. We do regularly monitor all our ramp metering sites and will continue to do so as traffic flows in the area fluctuate over the next few weeks. Please be assured that we will not allow the system to cause unnecessary delays and that we take every available option to reduce delays to road users. I am happy to discuss further, either by email or telephone, which is most convenient for you and would value your continued feedback about this site. Regards Russell Pinchen Highways Agency | Temple Quay House | 2 The Square, Temple Quay | Bristol | BS1 6HA Tel: +44 (0) 117 3726039 | Fax: + 44 (0) 117 3728447 | Mobile: + 44 (0) 7787 891 039 Web: www.highways.gov.uk GTN: 1371 6039 '"