Local football teams ‘Bounce Back’ with help from M6toll
Midland Expressway Ltd (operators of the M6toll) have supported two local children’s football teams enabling them to fund training kits and equipment for their teams after what has been a difficult few years for children’s sports due to Covid.
Chasetown FC Youth U14s is a newly formed grassroots junior football team playing home fixtures at Lichfield Sports Club. The team consist of 20 junior footballers who play on Saturday in the Midlands Junior Premier League and Sunday in the Central Warwickshire District League.
Matthew Thomas, Team Manager of Chasetown Youth Knights U14s said; “I’d like to thank Midland Expressway for their generous support. We were so excited to tell the team about our award for funding. The last couple of seasons have been really tough with the COVID-19 pandemic putting life and football on hold.”
Ace Inter U7’s are also a newly formed team, starting their football journey in the Walsall Junior Youth League; playing under the umbrella of Ace Academy a local development football academy based at the facilities of Rushall Olympic FC and match days throughout the region. Ace Inter have exceeded all expectations during their first couple of months together as a team, winning the first of three Trophy Events planned by the WJYL finishing above 37 other Under 7 football teams.
Neil Page, Team Manager said; “I would like to thank Midland Expressway for their donation which means we can purchase the much-needed kit and equipment for the boys. Covid restrictions have meant that any planned fundraising events have been curtailed, your donation goes a long way to building a bond between the boys who have been previously prevented from any group sports during lockdown”.
Kay Stevens; Social Squad member added: “I am so pleased we are able to support the teams with training wear and equipment allowing them to restart their football journey after a tough few years due to Covid. We wish them every success in their upcoming season!”
Midland Expressway Ltd’s (MEL) donation forms part of a wider initiative to support local schools and community projects. MEL’s Social Squad is always on the lookout for local charities and community projects to support. To register your charity or community project with MEL for consideration to receive fundraising or practical (volunteering) support now or in the future visit www.m6toll.co.uk for further information or email d4c@m6toll.co.uk
Read another article about Our Community Work Here.
Back to newsVote for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity and M6toll’s Lifesaving Partnership
The M6toll in collaboration with our partners Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, have been shortlisted for a national charity award for Partnership of the Year 2021 alongside one other charitable partnership. It’s now down to a public vote to help crown the worthy winners.
Between Monday 8th and Wednesday 10th November, a poll on Twitter will be activated and live for three days as voting opens for the 2021 Charity Today Awards. There is a two-step voting process:
- Follow @CharityAwards on Twitter
- Vote on the poll and retweet
The Sky Champs schools programme, one of the partnership’s initiatives, provides teachers with National Curriculum Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stages 1 and 2 work plans to give children a fun, yet educational insight into the charity. The packs were also given to more than 300 parents across Gloucestershire and the Midlands, who needed to home school children during the pandemic.
Get involved and make your vote count for a local cause that saves lives in your area. Find @CharityAwards on Twitter, follow the account, vote on the poll and retweet to your own followers. The poll will open on Monday 8th November and be live for three days so you can vote for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity and M6toll’s Sky Champs initiative as the winner for the Partnership of the Year accolade.
Pam Hodgetts, corporate partnerships manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “We are delighted to have been nominated for this national, prestigious accolade for our collaborative work in partnership with longstanding supporter, M6toll.
“We hope the people of the counties we cover, get behind us and vote for our partnership via Twitter to help us achieve another award win, as well as help make our future missions possible.”
Sarah Loizou, HR & Business Services Director for M6toll, added: “We are extremely proud of this nomination which recognises our long standing and successful partnership with the Midlands Air Ambulance. It’s been a pleasure to support the life-saving missions the charity carry out all year round and we hope local people vote to raise even more awareness of this fantastic charity.”
To find out more about Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s vital, lifesaving work in your local area, visit midlandsairambulance.com and follow the organisation on social media.
Find out more about M6toll by visiting www.m6toll.co.uk. Alternatively, to read more news on our charity work, Click Here.
Back to newsMaritime drivers give 100% approval rating to new M6toll ANPR system
Drivers from Maritime Transport Ltd, the UK’s fastest-growing intermodal transport operator and the first business to trial the M6toll’s new ANPR technology, have hailed it a success with an overwhelming 100% approval rating for the system.
As part of an ANPR trial survey, Maritime drivers were asked about their experience of the new ANPR based tolling system. It included how they rated the ANPR system’s overall performance, its main benefits and any recommendations on how it might be enhanced or improved.
Every one of the drivers surveyed said the new ANPR technology made using the M6toll even better, with an average approval rating score of 9.6 out of 10 – similar to a Trustpilot style scoring criteria – recorded in the responses.
Furthermore, when asked how the M6toll compared as a driving experience to alternative routes, all the respondents rated it as better with 77% citing faster journey times as the main reason for its superiority to alternative regional routes.
In the hierarchy of reasons why the M6toll was a better route, 73% said it was more stress free, 44% said they considered it a safer road to travel on and 41% considered it to be a more predictable and reliable route.
Driver suggestions for improvements to enhance the performance of the ANPR system, included more lane demarcation and signage to indicate ANPR lanes and an increased number of ANPR enabled lanes.
Paul Heyhoe, Fleet Director at Maritime Transport, stated: ‘The positive feedback provided by our drivers is true recognition of the many fantastic advantages the M6toll’s new ANPR system has to offer, including improved reliability, fuel, and time efficiencies that enable seamless, contactless journeys for our drivers and other road users via one of the UK’s most important routes.
We have no doubts it will continue to assist us with quicker and consistent journeys for our valued customers.”
Julie Davies, Commercial Director at Midland Expressway Ltd said: “We welcome the feedback from Maritime’s drivers on the new ANPR trial and are delighted to have received such positive approval ratings for the system.
“One of the key ambitions of the trial is to gauge the user experience and assess how successful the ANPR system is in delivering seamless, efficient and cost-effective journeys for our business customers.
“From the Maritime driver survey responses, the new ANPR system is achieving its ambitions and it’s very encouraging to see that the drivers using it are viewing it as a further benefit to using the road.”
The Maritime driver survey is the first user feedback obtained from businesses to have joined the trial. Since Maritime first trialed the ANPR system in April, a further 11 companies including Huntapac, Culina, Menzies Distribution and Wincanton have been added to the pilot project.
Drivers from Huntapac, the Lancashire based vegetable producer with its own transport division, have also praised the ANPR trial for its ability to ‘keep them moving’ in the midst of increased congestion on the M6 and the surrounding regional road network.
Joanne Cleece, Huntapac Head of Transport, said: “Our drivers have really enjoyed the ANPR trial and there have been no complaints from them using the new system.
“With the country now back in full swing and the roads such as the M6 becoming more congested as a result, our drivers just want to keep moving and the M6toll and the ANPR system has enabled them to do that.
“By getting on the M6toll, we can avoid the stop start traffic experienced on other routes and enjoy the time saving benefits vital to our business. We were happy to take part in the trail and given how well it’s gone, we plan to continue on the ANPR system going forward.”
All the vehicle fleets on the trial pay for their journeys on the M6toll via the new Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) based tolling system. ANPR cameras identify licence plate data, removing the need for card payments at the toll plazas and replace them with a remote payment system.
It enables seamless end to end journeys and means customers can manage all transactions via the M6toll website, whether for a single vehicle or larger fleets spread across several depots.
The new transformational ANPR-based tolling system is part of Midland Expressway Ltd’s (MEL), who own and operate the M6toll, wider ‘Road Ahead’ digital transformation programme.
You Can Read Another Article on the M6toll Here.
Back to newsM6toll supports local Pre-School
Midland Expressway Ltd (operators of the M6toll) have supported a local pre-school in Tamworth with a donation of £1,000 to purchase a new gazebo and resources for an outdoor art area.
Fazeley pre-school offers care and education for children from 2 1/2 to 5 years. As a small charity run group they rely heavily on fundraising and charitable donations to buy the extra materials they wouldn’t normally be able to afford. The pre-school plan to use the money to purchase a new gazebo, table and resources to use for an outdoor art area. The rest of the money will be used to replace old and used equipment and a woodwork bench.
Paula Thompson, Fazeley Pre-school Manager said; “I am very grateful to Midland Expressway Ltd for their very generous donation of £1000 which is a huge sum for us as a charity run Pre-school. It will go a long way to buy some new equipment that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford. A special thank you to Shaun Brown for nominating us.”
Shaun Brown, Customer Support Administrator added: “It’s not only a privilege to work for the M6toll but an honour to champion them for this amazing donation. Fazeley pre-school really need support and this funding will help better the education of our local children, being a father to one of the children I understand the difference this funding will make.”
Midland Expressway Ltd’s (MEL) donation forms part of a wider initiative to Support Local Schools and Community Projects. MEL’s Social Squad is always on the lookout for local charities and community projects to support. To register your charity or community project with MEL for consideration to receive fundraising or practical (volunteering) support now or in the future visit www.m6toll.co.uk for further information or email d4c@m6toll.co.uk
Back to newsLocal Motorists needed to shape M6toll’s game changing product
Motorists from Lichfield, Shenstone, Tamworth and the surrounding areas could be amongst the first to get their hands on a new limited release product allowing them to use the M6toll for as little as £2.90 per journey using new ANPR technology.
Fresh from a successful Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) trial for HGV fleet customers, the M6toll is launching the first wave of its consumer version of the system, allowing FlexiPass holders the ability to chalk up discounted local journeys for £2.90 a trip.
The trial, which is part of the M6toll’s ‘Road Ahead’ transformation programme, benefits drivers by automatically recognising their number plate and providing discounted rates for 10 pre-paid trips between T4 T5, and T6 junctions around Lichfield, Burntwood, Shenstone and Tamworth. All payments are managed virtually in an online account, so there’s no need to stop to pay at the plazas.
Initially the offer will be available to just 200 local motorists as the M6toll seeks their feedback, followed by a staged roll-out expected to start at the beginning of 2022.
M6toll Commercial Director Julie Davies is delighted that the new technology is allowing local drivers to get even greater benefit from the road.
She said: “It has been a long-term ambition to provide more efficient and better value options for local drivers, and ANPR-enabled accounts like FlexiPass are game changing on that front. Once signed up drivers can easily hop on and off the M6toll whenever the need arises, saving around 15mins even on really short local trips compared to taking the A5 or A38 for example.
“The ‘Road Ahead’ programme is transforming our tolling systems, but we need customer feedback to put the new system through its paces to make sure we get it right. We’re committed to becoming one of the most advanced toll roads internationally, and this new trial is another great step forward.
“The ANPR trial will be the most convenient way ever to use the M6toll, with no payment at the barriers, just sign-up and drive-up. We’ve got just 200 places on the trial, so those interested are encouraged to get in touch and secure their place!”
Read Another Article on the ANPR Trial Here.
Back to newsM6toll confirms continued support for Ride to the Wall
Midland Expressway Limited (operators of the M6toll) have confirmed they will again provide free passage to motorcyclists heading to this year’s Ride to the Wall event.
Around 2,000 bikers are expected to flow through the booths on their way to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas on Saturday 2nd October. The annual charity event attracts bikers from across the UK and overseas, all riding to the Armed Forces Memorial to pay their respects to serving and fallen service men and women and raise funds for the Arboretum.
Sarah Loizou, HR & Business Services Director at Midland Expressway Ltd, said: “This is the fourteenth Ride to the Wall, and we are proud to have supported the event every year. With last year’s event being cancelled due to Covid-19, we are thrilled that the event can again proceed this year and we’re honoured to provide free passage to the participating riders travelling with the official groups on their inbound journey to the National Memorial Arboretum, enabling them to save in excess of £4,000 in toll costs.”
Riders will set off from eleven different starting points across the Midlands, assembling at the 150-acre site for an act of remembrance.
Registered riders are expected to travel in official groups, accompanied by volunteer marshals, along the M6toll and through TS (Shenstone) and T6 {Burntwood) plazas between 10am and 11am.The wide load lanes {far left lanes) at both plazas will show a green arrow to allow the Ride to the Wall participants to flow freely through. The event organisers request that riders do not exit at T4 (Weeford) to avoid congestion at the traffic lights.
Martin Dickinson, founder of Ride to the Wall, added: “Despite the cancellation of last year’s event, Ride to the Wall supporters raised a staggering £115,000 for the Arboretum which was presented at a virtual event. We continue to be so grateful for the support of M6toll in making this route affordable for all the bikers taking part.
“We have more than 7,000 registrations for this year’s event and a team of volunteer marshals on hand to ensure a smooth and successful Ride to the Wall 2021. We are asking all participants to familiarise themselves with the routes and follow instructions from our marshals to ensure everyone arrives on time and safely.”
Anyone interested in supporting the Ride to the Wall charity can find out more here.
Details of community and charity support work undertaken by M6toll under its Drive For Charity programme can be found here: Drive for Charity – M6toll
Alternatively, check out some more of our Drive for Charity Work Here.
Back to newsM6toll supports Muscular Dystrophy Support Centre
Midland Expressway Ltd (operators of the M6toll) have supported The Muscular Dystrophy Support Centre with a donation of £1,500 to fund 25 hours of much needed therapy for people diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy who have suffered disproportionately during Covid-19, as lockdowns and shielding have meant their muscle condition has deteriorated.
The Centre helps people aged 18+ with muscular dystrophy to live well with a degenerative muscle-wasting disability – providing physiotherapy and other physical therapies on a long-term basis. They are the only organisation in the Midlands region to do so as regular physiotherapy is not provided on the NHS. Therapy is provided from their Centre in Coventry, and satellite clinics in Birmingham, Leicester, and Tipton.
The charity currently has an 8-month waiting list and need to increase capacity by at least 20% to help all those in need. The funding provided by the M6toll will be used for therapy sessions for service users in the Midlands in the main centre in Coventry and satellite clinic in Birmingham.
Natasha Sweet, Head of Fundraising says; “The Muscular Dystrophy Support Centre is delighted to receive this funding from the M6toll’s Drive for Charity scheme. The funding will provide specialised physical therapy sessions for people with muscular dystrophy, helping them to live well with this progressive, muscle-wasting disability. Many people with muscular dystrophy have been particularly badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, as long periods spent shielding have led to a detrimental impact on their mobility. This funding will
help us increase our therapy hours this year to meet increasing need among people who are unable to access therapy for their condition anywhere else in the Midlands.”
Rachel Smith; Social Squad member added: “I am delighted we are able to support the Muscular Dystrophy Support Centre as this is a service close to myself as I have a condition that comes under Muscular Dystrophy. The work the charity does is fantastic, and I am so pleased we are able to support this charity and help patients like myself get the much-needed help and treatment to help manage their symptoms and independence.”
Midland Expressway Ltd’s (MEL) donation forms part of a wider initiative to Support Local Schools and Community Projects. MEL’s Social Squad is always on the lookout for local charities and community projects to support. To register your charity or community project with MEL for consideration to receive fundraising or practical (volunteering) support now or in the future visit www.m6toll.co.uk for further information or email d4c@m6toll.co.uk
Back to newsAnthony’s Travel get on board with M6toll RHA summer offer
Anthony’s Travel, a family-owned coach company based in Runcorn, has become the latest business to sign up to the M6toll’s summer promotion for Road Haulage Association (RHA) members. Having been in business since 1985, Anthony’s Travel has been providing coach services for over 36 years.
The Cheshire based coach firm is looking forward to enjoying the benefits of the M6toll after taking up the exclusive RHA member offer of 30% off for the next three months.
After hearing about the promotion at an RHA conference, Anthony’s Travel Managing Partner Richard Bamber, who has worked in the business since he was 14 years old and took over running the business six years ago, got in touch with M6toll’s corporate team to find about how they could take up the offer.
Richard said: “Once we found out more about the M6toll offer, we were very interested. We had a very quiet time during the pandemic, and whilst we were providing an essential service for the NHS in providing transport both for patients and key workers across different hospital sites locally, it’s great to see normal business picking up again over the summer months.
“We recently had our first weekend where our entire fleet of coaches were fully booked and out on the road so having the right route for these trips in choosing the M6toll has been essential for us.
“Our customers include football and rugby clubs, such as Tranmere Rovers and Chester Football Club as well as Leeds Centurions and other rugby union teams. To get fans and players to their game on time we needed a time efficient route that will help get our passengers to their destinations without any interruption or delay.
“This summer is set to help us get back to some degree of normality as a business. As theatre trips to London and day trips to Midlands based destinations like Drayton Manor and the NEC pick up with the M6toll TAGs in place, we can ensure our customers enjoy their trips with us without the hassle and delay of congested routes.”
Julie Davies, M6toll Commercial Director, said: “We are delighted to have Anthony’s Travel on board as our latest new customer to sign up for the RHA member summer promotion.
“This exclusive offer to RHA members forms part of our commitment to encouraging more commercial vehicle users onto the road and our ongoing support to valued business customers.
“By providing significant savings on journey costs, M6toll are looking to help commercial operators as they emerge from the lockdown period and drive forward towards full business recovery.”
In recent months, the M6toll has also launched various initiatives and product offers designed to benefit its business customers. In April, Maritime, one of the UK’s largest intermodal logistics operators, become the first commercial vehicle operator to trial the ANPR based transformational tolling system.
Using ANPR cameras to identify license plate data, the system offers seamless, end to end journeys for those using it. Since the April launch, Wincanton and Menzies Distribution have been added to the trial.
To find more on the M6toll, you can Read Another Seasonal Article Here.
Back to newsStaycationers choose M6toll for getaways as traffic volumes rise above pre-pandemic levels
Staycationers and leisure trippers choosing to use the M6toll for their getaway have driven traffic volumes above pre-pandemic levels for the first time since 2019, according to new traffic data from M6toll.
Data analysis conducted by the M6toll data team, shows traffic volumes in July are tracking at 20% above the UK national road average – with the surge driven by increasing numbers of local leisure trips and staycation journeys.
The M6toll data team report increasing traffic volumes since February, with the rise in numbers boosted by significant spikes during the last three Lockdown easing milestones on March 29, April 12 and May 17.
The trends seen by the M6toll mirror a raft of recent findings on UK staycation plans and how such journeys are propelling increased traffic volumes. The RAC’s survey of 2,500 drivers regarding their summer staycation plans has revealed that drivers are planning in excess of 29 million staycation journeys this summer, resulting in unprecedented levels of traffic on UK roads.
A survey from Autoglass also found that four-in-five in drivers will be heading out to explore the country’s homegrown attractions. Further research from crowdsourced sat-nav app Waze is predicting a ‘Summer of Staycations’ that will cause increased traffic on UK roads.
The Waze research is suggesting a 52% increase on the number of UK holidays planned in a typical year. It’s bad news for drivers heading off on staycations – with 53% stating traffic as their biggest holiday gripe– with routes such as the M6, A30, A38, M5 and A303 likely to be hotbeds for traffic throughout the summer season.
All these recent survey findings echo the M6toll data team’s own predictions, with around 350,000 to 375,000 vehicles – a peak so far for this year – expected on the M6toll in August.
While the spike in traffic numbers in July and August is being accelerated by staycation journeys and leisure trips, the underlying trend of increased traffic volumes has been moving in an upward trajectory since the early part of the year. It’s a trend that is expected to maintain its momentum beyond the summer holiday period, with the return to work and school in September helping ensure traffic continues to recover back to pre-pandemic levels.
As a gauge of where the upward trajectory in traffic volumes began to gather pace earlier in the year, it’s best to assess the three significant lockdown easing milestones on March 29, April 12 and May 17.
On March 29 when official Government advice to stay local ended and unrestricted UK travel returned, the M6toll recorded just over 167,000 vehicles that week – a 19% increase on the previous week’s traffic volumes.
Moving forward to April 12, the weekly total of vehicles surged again, with just under 199,000 vehicles recorded, a 26% increase on the previous week’s numbers.
On May 17, M6toll vehicle numbers were recorded at 268,000 for the week, another marked increase on the two previous unlocking days. Since all restrictions were lifted on July 19, a further increase of up to 335,000 vehicles per week has been recorded, with the upward curve expected to continue on both the M6toll and the wider West Midlands and UK road network throughout the summer months.
Julie Davies, Commercial Director at Midland Expressway Ltd said: “We are seeing a really strong recovery in traffic volumes, with the M6toll peaking this month at 20% above the UK national average for the road network
“The M6toll has also seen consistent spikes in traffic volumes for each of the so-called unlocking days when restrictions were eased. As well as the recovery in traffic volumes being driven by staycation journeys and leisure trips, more people are also now getting back to normal work routines, resulting in increased commuter traffic on the road.
“However, with more people using their cars again comes increased congestion, both within the West Midlands region and the wider UK road network. It’s why we continue to strive to maintain the M6toll as a hassle-free, time-efficient alternative to congested local roads and an ideal through route to those using the road to get to work, local attractions and holiday destinations.”
The number of commercial vehicles using the road has also increased, with volumes for HGV traffic now exceeding pre-pandemic levels. In July 2021, the volume of HGVs using the M6toll was 8% up compared to the same time pre-pandemic in 2019.
This translates to an increase of 3,058 HGV vehicles a day in 2019, to 3,286 per day in 2021. It’s strong statistical evidence of businesses beginning to bounce back, with more HGVs on the West Midlands road network and increasing numbers of them choosing the M6toll as quicker alternative to more congested local routes.
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