Secrets of The Motorway - M6 Toll - Midland Expressway 

This motorway has been such a godsend to avoid the M6 in Birmingham. Also a good place to check your car's 0-60mph times when you speed off from the toll booth :)

Gold artifacts, an unbuild aqueduct, man made reservoirs, mortar shells, racetracks and answering cows.... this episode has everything!

Brilliant that they’re finally linking it to the M54 I always thought that was a missed opportunity

Fun fact: when they were pitching it to the public (and school kids, they came to my primary school) back in the early 00's, they called it the BNRR, or Birmingham Northern Relief Road. I'm pretty sure that got dropped in favour of calling it the "M6 Toll" before it officially opened though. Does anyone remember the initial ad campaign for the M6 Toll Tag (their PAYG system with a special lanes)?

Thank you sir.... For years I've passed that bridge and seen it says aqueduct, but nothing connected either side, it all makes sense now!

David Suchet was involved with the canal aqueduct fund raising if I remember correctly.

I know its not a motorway but id love to see you do the a303, such an interesting road

Thanks for producing really entertaining and interesting videos. Often wondered when I’ve driven on the M6 Toll what that aqueduct was all about.

Love the fast show reference at the start 😂 Think there used to be a kart track at Chasewater somewhere

The locomotive working the train at exactly 8 minutes in Jon, is a class 08 shunter. I have one on my layout as well! Now you know! They have a nickname, Gronks! Now you really know!

Auto Shenanigans is starting to become a staple of Sundays. Like roast dinners, Songs of Praise and not being able to find anywhere to park in the supermarket carpark (when did Sunday become THE day to shop?!)

Love your fast show reference at the start 'This week........'

I just spent 11 minutes 29 sec watching a great video about a roadway i will never drive because i live in another country. God bless youtube!

The absurdity of the M6 Toll is that you pay the same one off fee regardless of how far you travel on it. On any European toll, payment is according to distance.

Not sure why I watched all 11 minutes of this but I found this very enjoyable

in my neck of the woods, friends work at Chasewater railway and i knew Fred and his projects back then. it's a great surface to drive. a friend got pulled over by police doing 97mph on m6 toll - they let him off as everyone else was going faster!

Been up and down there loads of times, nice that someone has some history about it all 👌🏻well done

Lovely and exciting episode. I use the toll road every time I go down south to save hassle. The one time I decided against it I got stuck in a 2 hour tailback

there's a number of toll motorways in Ireland, most of them are much more reasonably priced (€2-3 for cars as opposed to nearly £8), and they're much more well-used - there's a lesson to be learnt there for sure the course of the M6 Toll is in fact an alternative route for the M6 through Staffordshire that was proposed back in 1950ish - it was called the Outer Route, and was preferred by Staffordshire County Council, but it was rejected in favour of the Inner Route, which was preferred by Birmingham and Wolverhampton City Councils, and is the present-day route of the M6

You should do the M62, there are a number of bonkers junctions, not to mention Stott Hall Farm, situated between two carriageways with its own underpass. Then there is the bit that becomes the M60, for a few junctions. Then there are inaccessible slip roads at Fun Fur Dog Doggery, that are blocked off by barriers. The J21 on there is the go home you're drunk junction and J10 that just seems to be too big for anything other than to make it look pretty on google maps, and J31 which I'm sure made sense to a drunk dog at 6am on a Sunday morning. This might also be 3 episodes as there is a lot of hidden junctions, bridges, and general weirdness.

10:20 - Tomorrow's World, bringing back memories of childhood Thursday evenings! Cheers from a ruddy ex-pat.

Loving the music at the end - friend of mine was the trumpet player on the original recording...

Love these videos. Whole section on the canals yet you save the Rosie and Jim theme song for footage of a train 😅

Thanks John, that closing music is the (as I recall) last theme tune used for "Tomorrows World", a weekly look at developments in science and technology. I think all episdoes can be found here on YT.

Thank you. It was very informative especially the aquaduct as wondered everytime I use the toll why it was there and not connected to any waterways.

Went on the M6 toll around 18 years ago for work ...I wasn't paying .....could tell back then people never would pay to use it as it was empty with zero traffic 😂

Loving the content 👍

Cracking vlog fella, I worked on the M6 toll during construction driving a concrete mixer

Another fascinating video John, thank you very much. It seems that the stretch of motorway is unique for so many reasons. I live in Nuneaton and was brought up in Coventry which is an area in the middle of all this motorway madness. If I am heading ‘up north’ on the western side, Liverpool et cetera, then I always take the M6 Toll road. Since you pointed out so many interesting things I might drive up and down it a few times just to see the sites (sights). I know the speed limit on motorways is 70 mph but might you please consider slowing down to 50 miles an hour in your delivery and pace. It’ll give us a little bit of thinking time to soak in all the fascinating details that you are presenting to us. Just saying. Stay safe.

I've only travelled on the M6 toll road once on a Megabus from London Victoria to Glasgow. 9 1/2 hours and one library book later all for £4.50 inc £1.00 booking fee !

Used to drive up and down the A460 for 6 years to and from work. The Electrum Building looks very impressive at a distance, but when you get closer to it you realise that the floorspace is only just big enough for a small office + elevator well - in other words it's a bit farcical up close haha.

Thanks for the shout out! 👍

Norton canes here :D Love living right next to both the Toll road for easy access, but I'm not far from the M54 or the A38 to Derby / Nottingham, great little place to live in for travelling easy. Also Cannock Chase is stunning to walk through and I love seeing the Deer just walking around, I caught 11 one night while leaving a friends house, was just an amazing site. Chasewater, where you mentioned the Dam repair has a fantastic deal around parking all year round unlimited for £36, and if you have kids or are a dog walker, that's just perfect!

I only use the toll when I can claim expenses. I set sat nav as if using the toll and use the m6 you don’t save the much time by using the toll

A Sunday treat as always

I would use this more if the price was a bit lower, but then i suppose there'd be more traffic on the occasional times I'm on it. I use it as much as can possibly get away with if I'm driving for work, and it makes getting to Birmingham airport at peak times a breeze. edit: bonus hednesford hills raceway at the end. a really chill place to walk around, nice to see it on a video.

Spotted the pointless bridge and I thought what’s that for. Then I thought I know a man who will talk about it. Thanks 👍🏻

Thanks everso for such interesting info. I have today driven from Scotland to Brighton and used the M6Toll! Brilliant road. X

One of the most confusing aspects of the M6 Toll is that there's a lot of evidence that a lower cost would actually increase the amount of revenue as proportionally more cars would use it. But the company refuses to do so.

Some of my colleagues use the M6 Toll, but I normally take the A5 (which I still find quicker than the M6). I may use it for the occasional treat.

My brother was part of the team that designed the floor plan for the now holiday inn. Fred Pritchard still has land and business space as well is still trying to revitalise an area in decline

Loved the 80’s Tomorrow’s World outro music 👍

Good to see your video being referenced on Birmingham Mail 😁

Interesting stuff..the old Tomorrow's World theme is appropriate at the end too..

I hope the M96 is coming soon :)

One thing that's always bugged me about the M6 Toll is how if you don't want to use it you have to exit the M6 to stay on the M6. We've all missed a junction at least once in our lives. If you're heading north at least you can still dodge the toll, but if you're heading south and you do that you're screwed. Feels kinda money-grabbing imo. Is there an actual reason it's been built this way?

I love using the M6 Toll, always gives me a chance to clear out the pipes and see what my car can really do!

👍Turns out the Tomorrow's World ending theme tune still triggers a mild panic to get a move on and do my French GCSE homework. I'm 45.

Its not a bridge , its an aqueduct for the canal if they ever decide to go that way.

Been past that Lakeside Plaza a few times on my way into DHL in Cannock

I never thought I'd be quarry blue-ballsed in my life, but here we are.

Used some of it once when it opened , never since , I pay enough road tax . It should be free to use .

Thanks John, including the tomorrows world theme outro

You are going to have to face it. You've got rather good.

A brilliant addition to the UK’s motorway roads 🥰

Love the Rosie and Jim music

First time i ever rode a bike was on that trotting track. Also chasewater had a karting track until the ealy 90s

That pinch point between the M42 and the toll area is a daytime nightmare. Weirdly, if you pass through at 2am it's empty of traffic!

In recent years when I’ve had to use the M6 I always take advantage of the M6 Toll section to avoid Birmingham - it’s well worth the relatively modest toll fee to be able to cruise uninterrupted through this area 😀👍.

The only incentive that'll convince to pay the extortionate fee is if they reinstated the original motorway speed limit for the toll road when the Preston bypass was inaugurated back in 1958, even if it's on a variable speed limit system.

they should reduce the rate of the toll gradually with the aim of balancing the traffic but aiming to keep the toll route not congested.

love the tommorows wourld theme music

Like many others, we used to use it until the last price rise. Now it's just not worth it. If the traffic is bad on the M6, we just let Google maps take us round it. If they halved the price we would start using it again.

I never use the M6 toll and depending on my start point will use A5 or M6 comfortable in the knowledge that I don't have to pay the extortionate charges. I certainly would never consider it for use when on my bike as the effort to stop, partially disrobe, pay and then get kitted up again is too much. Other tolls simply allow motorbikes free use because of the delays they cause, which is sensible. Its an indictment of the cost that the M6 Toll is so little used, a case of pricing the customer out. I suspect the only users are those reps that can claim the toll fee back on expenses. It also annoys me that the approach to the toll road from both ends along the M6 give a priority to the Toll road despite it being an access off the M6, you have to be particularly attentive to ensure that you don't inadvertently take the toll road because you will have no option to divert off and will have to pay.

I remember when the toll road first opened and only charged 50p 😆🙈 can't believe price now

Great stream thank you

This week i have been mostly enjoying the fast show reference.

Was that the theme for Rosie and Jim you used for the Heritage Railway footage? A children’s program about…canals….

I've seen that bridge that goes nowhere, always wondered why it was there

Wonderful as ever. Thanks

9:42 the junction 11 roundabout should be a lot wider and should have a fly over if they choose to link the m54 with the m6 toll

Hednesford raceway, you were literally on my doorstep, I would even put the kettle on

More subtle Fast Show references please :)

Nice work John - The number of comments you receive must really help with YT income. For quite a few trips in the noughties I had a Dart Tag - It worked on the M6 Toll Road too. Sadly Dart Tag is no longer.

If the M6 is clear, there is little point in using the M6 Toll because it takes about the same amount of time to use the M6 all the way. I think I've only been down the Toll about 3 times in my life.

Wicked-sweet-awesome episode Jon. I've always avoided the toll whenever possible since it opened but having gotten stuck in jams this year i no longer like this part of the M6. Or those stupid bright (dangerously distracting) billboards alongside the raised Birmingham section. Your drone shot has made the decision easy.. when i go on holiday next year, down south, i will use the toll.

Always use the toll road to go home cause I live at one end and work at the other and cuts my commute home in half

Glad to see you filmed at my railway!!!!

Love the Tomorrow's World outro

Thank you again for a great video :) I'm better this Sunday, I was only in hospital for a planned surgery, but quite a big one. I wish you all the best 😊

wicked , sweet , awesome !!!!!

I love your use of music

Jon, you've forgot to mention the BNRR, the predecessor to the M6 Toll. I'll link the map of what it could have looked like in SABRE Roads - the thread about your channel. I'm Jackie Roads so sorry if it seems to be different on YT.

Metal Detectorist? Surely you mean a Precious Metals Discernment Navigator?? 🤣🤣🤣

There's absolutely zero chance it will be free to use in 2053 when it reverts to public ownership. The QE2 bridge at Dartford was supposed to be chargeable only until it was paid for, which happened in 2003. Government realised it was too big a money spinner to let go

why play Rosie and Jim for a train? - that should be for the barges!! :D

Is an aquaduct to carry the soon to be restored Lichfield Canal.

They definitely should of called it M6 First Class

Why am I even watching this? I dont even live in the UK!

Rosie & Jim music while a train goes by. Very ironic or Scorcese like.

anyone else get stampy vibes from the intro lmao

1:06 Is that Optimus Prime on the right hand side rolling down the road?

It can be handy at times

Thanks

tomorrow's world theme outro? Ive also used the M6-Toll in a truck, £12 but yes its great when you come up the M6 or M42 from the south and want to avoid J6 to J9 on the M6 during peak hours

Incorrect. They do NOT have there own recovery services it's the same as any other motorway. So you'll be waiting. Intact even longer as some local garages refuse to pick up off the toll due to the extra charges. It's patrolled and falls under same laws as a normal motorway so national highways traffic officers do attend incidents same for cmpg. But mantinance is done privately hence charges. This practice of using subcontractors to maintain motorways is common for the m40 and most of the Scottish trunk network which works rather well compared to the state the M6 m5 and M1 are In currently

Oh dear. Someone couldn't afford the license to use the 'Thomas the Tank Engine' theme tune at 7:56 , so they used 'Rosie and Jim' instead 🤣🤣🤣

Bruh i though this was gonna be some bullshit about a road, why have i watched it all and learned things, take my sub. Why have i never seen these before man.

Funny thing is I have been to that quarry before 😂

Wonder if the holiday Inn was intentionally designed to look like meat and 2 veg