Non-Footy: M1 rush hour, Leeds

Hi all,

Wondering if any Barnsley or Sheffield commuters to Leeds can tell me roughly when the M1 north starts getting those terrible tailbacks on a morning? It's been a while since I travelled in and I'm heading into the centre for my first day tomorrow. Ideally for around 8am if possible.

To celebrate I watched just the last episode of 'Make us Proud' which was highly enjoyable until the maudlin-twee-alt-folk version of Marching on Together at the end made me vomit into switching it off.

Thanks in advance for any advice!.

 

Been a while since I travelled at that time but it used to be around 7.15 when it got busy...but it gets earlier all the time, I'd deffo try to get on before seven

 

The smart motorway has made a big difference mate, you still get problems if there is a breakdown or an accident but by and large the traffic flow is OK.

I work in Roundhay, been doing the journey for just over 1 year, and I get on the M1 at Haigh (J38) just after 7am and its busy but flows OK. You get the odd day where it just seems more sluggish but generally its fine. If I'm 10 minutes later getting to the M1 then traffic is noticeably heavier, but I'm generally in Roundhay for 7.50. I get off the M621 for the A61 past the city centre bus station so not sure what it's like beyond that junction, but the good news is that the roadworks to put in the concrete central reservation have been completed. This coming week is obviously start of school journeys again.

Safe journey.

 

It depends how far you’re going as the M1 branches off and the m621 goes towards the centre. Anyway, since they added the extra lane you should be ok if you get to Wakefield (junc 40 turn) by 7.30 if you’re heading for the centre ish. If you’re intending to go around the loop past the train station I’d give yourself another 15 minutes.

 

Thanks everyone, that's really helpful! I still can't get my head around the motorway being busy at 7AM. It just shows how poor the other travel options are in terms of reliability and cost. I liked the idea of getting a train in from Sheffield but it costs a fortune for a season ticket..

 

Be at wakey before 7:15 and you should normally be ok pal. If it’s your first day though, be there for 6:45 then you can sit in the car park and watch your new boss slip in dogshit as he/she gets out of the car

 

There are rarely terrible tail backs since the smart motorways.

If you are on the m1 by 7.15am you’ll pi55 it.

 

Heheh! I hope that actually happened to you once (not as a boss...)

Cheers mate. On a day I came up for an induction after my interview there was an awful accident where a van had flipped over on to the opposite side of the motorway and I was really late. Thankfully that's a rare accident, but it made me wonder how early I need to be to avoid heavy traffic

 

Traffic only seems busy after 8 am now on M1 , Park and ride at cross green exit off M1 if you don’t want to park in town too

 

Stopped working in Leeds 12 months ago after a 10 year stint. Echo the above, it's a breeze since they put in the smart motorway, it was hell when they were doing it mind - used to queue from 39 to the centre.

 

I’ve been commuting there for last 6 years and to start at 8am to. I’d be on no later than 7 to make sure your there in time. It’s usually a 35-40 min drive but depends if there’s bad congestion or an accident. That’s from getting on at junct 38 from Mapplewell though

 

I agree with those who recommended 7am. It’s one of those things where you’re going to be early or late. It’s easy to think that you could have set off later when you get there with plenty of time to spare but in reality a 5 or 10 min later start means 45mins stuck in traffic. The end of the day is just as bad around 4:30pm - 7pm.

 

I commute to Headingley 4 times a week from Royston. I normally leave around 06.30 and even then the traffic is quite heavy. I leave Headingley around 15:50. Takes me around 40 minutes to get in and around 40-50 minutes to get home from there. Pretty horrendouns - being doing this for the last 3 years or so.

Good luck with the job. You will get used to the commute. I used to commute to Bradford 5 days a week and that was a proper ball-ache. Anything less than that is bliss!

 

Thanks mate,

Took around an hour from Meersbrook into Leeds hitting the M1 at Barnsley just after 7. Great advice- was already getting busy in all three lanes then. And Jamdrop couldn't have put it better- you're either rather early or rather late in that situation, and better to be early ...

 

One bonus of shift work is never hitting rush hour traffic.

 

Are you nearly there yet?

 

M1 been shut at J38 for a while now

 

Took me 1.5 hours to do 11 miles from Shepley to Calder Park at junction 39.

 

I feel your pain mate

 

I finished nights and was going home from jtn 37 to jtn 41 and got diverted off at 38 via West Bretton. Even at 6.15am it added an extra 30 minutes to my journey.

Overturned car apparently.

Hope whoever was involved is okay.