Is there a motorway junction worse than M1 J31

[didihearthatright123456]

I absolutely bloody hate it, it's so dangerous. You get on and then immediately have to cross 2 lanes if you don't want to go down the M18, then cars already on the M1 are looking to cross into the left lanes to exit the M18, so you get this criss crossing mayhem that always gives me a squeaky bum. It's surely got to be one of the most poorly thought out junctions in the UK

Any challenges out there who can beat it???

The Almondsbury interchange going from any direction to any direction, pretty much. Multiple lanes to cross, sometimes the hard shoulder on the M4 is a traffic lane, sometimes it's not, and half the drivers have - justifiably - no fucking clue what lane they need to be in or how to get there.

Agreed @Nothanksverymuch, I used to commute Crewe > Warrington and back. Friday nights were an absolute nightmare on that stretch of motorway, regularly took me 1.5 - 2 hours to get home.

J18 of the M6 is also very dangerous - traffic regularly backs up all the way down the slip road and into a live lane.

Agree with @BeQuietBrenda too. I despise going from the M62 eastbound onto the M60. There’s always a queue and there’s always someone trying to cut in across the solid white line.

Totally agree op. I passed my test 2 years ago and this junction was where I chose to lose my motorway virginity. Luckily for me I did it dead early at 6am on a Saturday so it was quiet but I nearly ended up on the M18. I won't do it at all now in rush hour. Too chaotic and it frazzled my brain

M6 junction 17, accidents there weekly. No real idea why as it doesn’t seem particularly bad but if I’m going to work and there’s an accident, 9/10 it’ll be there

I was going to say this one. It’s the crossover of people coming onto the motorway with those wanting to leave for Sandbach services that make it a problem.

Another vote for the M4 /M5 interchange at Almondsbury.
Not only is it an interchange but there's also a junction for the A38 out of Bristol. If anything crashes in the vicinity then the roads are stuffed as far as the M32 and both Severn bridges.

@Hernameisdeborah

Junction 43 of the M1, where it meets the M621. Traffic criss-crossing each other as they move right to stay on the M1 or go over towards Leeds. That annoys me. Junction 11 of the M1 always seems to be the Junction of Boy Racers. Love this thread already!!

I agree. You are crossing traffic coming off the M62. I travel along this piece of road quite frequently.

The Aston Expressway. Catapults you from Spaghetti Junction to right into Birmingham city centre. End of motorway regulations, just like that.

It isn't called the Aston Distressway for nothing.

Hernameisdeborah

That was my daily commute before wfh! Found at am it was much nicer than 8am!

@BogRollBOGOF

M42 j9/ toll road split is also confusing. It looks like j9 is going off, but the M42 also turns off with it. Stay right on what looks like the main carriageway and it will cost you...

Is that the M42/M6 split? So easy to get wrong!

6 am. That should say!

The last 3 times I did m1/m25 via 6a, there was a hold up due to a concertina accident.

And now if you don't come off at (or before) Dartmouth Circus, enjoy your Clean Air Zone charge. Which really isn't well signed on the Expressway - it's not very clear that this is your last chance to exit before the zone.

@lockdownmadnessdotcom

I think any junction where they send you left to go right or vice versa, can cause accidents as they take people by surprise.

Examples - M3/M27 junction - if you are coming from the "north", you turn left for Bournemouth and right for Portsmouth, which is just wrong.

I think the M40/M42 junction is similar, and so is J6 off the M3 coming into Basingstoke.

Any junction which requires lots of lane changing can be dangerous or with very short slip roads which don't give you time to sort yourself out. For example when you leave the M5 at Exeter to go onto the A30/A303, you also have traffic joining the M5, but it's a very long lane/slip road so everyone has time.

@lockdownmadnessdotcom Yes, this is an excellent point.

The signage leaving Birmingham on M42 is indeed, a choice between THE NORTH WEST (go right) and THE NORTH (go left) when I am heading for the East Midlands. It’s batshit crazy.

www.roads.org.uk/badjunctions

This website is far too entertaining...

M6 J7 Great Barr interchange, like BogRollBOGOF says! Built on a tight site with all the exits coming off to the right. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Never less than three times round to get it right, max so far 5. We have to use it when visiting DD and she uses it coming down to us.

Always shouty in the car by the time it's sorted.

Or if you want a higher-stress experience try getting into Houston with a lagging sat-nav (sorry, GPS, nobody says sat-nav in Texas) telling you to be in any of the 5 right lanes for an exit you're about to zoom past from three lanes away...

M1/M6 junction

@safariboot

And now if you don't come off at (or before) Dartmouth Circus, enjoy your Clean Air Zone charge. Which really isn't well signed on the Expressway - it's not very clear that this is your last chance to exit before the zone.

Depends on the age of your vehicle. If it was manufactured post 2004, you're all right.

@BogRollBOGOF

www.roads.org.uk/badjunctions

This website is far too entertaining...

See far worse than Broxden and Sherrifhall roundabouts that they have listed. Don't really know the rest.

M42 j8

left hand - entry slip onto M42 - then becomes M6 North - middle bit M42 - right of that M6 toll end - merging with M42 plus many panicked drivers trying to get over to M6 North - far right - M6 South (so you also have people joining and trying to get into that bit - basically a rush hour stand still with added crashes for fun

@BIoodyStupidJohnson

I'm reading all these in an Alan Partridge voice.

🤣 pmsl at Alan Partridge voice

Agree that the Aztec West junction - M4 / M5 interchange is terrible

10a - 11 of the M1 is awful because Luton

Eh @AutistGoth ??

I’ve got 7 cars on the drive at the moment, have definitely had to pay the Birmingham charge in two of them, just checked the reg on the rest and would have to pay on them too.

None of them older than 2008 - what’s 2004 got to do with it?

I nearly died on the M40/M42 junction recently, it’s terrible

Did somebody says favourite service station tho?

There’s one at Tebay with an amazing farm shop and café.

But I really don’t like all the horrid motorway junctions/merges when navigating round the edge of Manchester. I’m a very nervous passenger.

Not as bad as some mentioned here but the a1(m) round Newcastle has a series of scissor junctions (is that the right term?) Where you have about 300 yards to move out from the LH lane onto the main carrriageway. If you can't find a space you end up leaving at the next junction and then have to tackle the same exercise again. Always gives me the frights!