M6 Junction 30 to Junction 31 (Preston)
The busiest measured stretch of the M6 in the North West. Junction 30 is the M61 interchange carrying traffic to and from Manchester and Bolton; Junction 31 serves Preston and the A59.
Live traffic speed flow: M6 Junctions 29 to 32
Untick all three to see just the speeds. We show the important overhead signs and the mandatory speed limits (red ring); see every overhead sign.
Go to our live M6 traffic speed flow map ›
NOTE: The speed flow, overhead sign messages or other information shown on our live traffic speed flow map is updated every few minutes. We cross check the data and aim to provide warnings if there could be a delay or an inaccurate speed reading. There can be occasions, beyond our control, and despite our best efforts where the speed flow could be inaccurate. We cannot therefore guarantee the speed you can expect on any stretch of the motorway is always accurately shown. However we hope you will find our live traffic speed flow map a useful tool in trying to plan your journey. Safe driving.
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How Busy Is the M6 at Junction 30?
The Department for Transport counts traffic on this stretch of the M6 — from Junction 30 to Junction 31, a length of 2.1 miles. These are the 2025 figures.
| Measure | Per day |
|---|---|
| All motor vehicles | 171,079 |
| Cars and taxis | 125,451 |
| Lorries (HGVs) | 14,168 — 8.3% of all traffic |
| Length of this stretch | 2.1 miles |
© M6Traffic.co.uk · Statistics from the Department for Transport
That makes it the 4th busiest measured stretch by total traffic, and the 22th busiest for lorries. It is counted at 99 separate points along its length — see how busy the M6 is junction by junction.
When This Stretch Is Slowest: Our Own Speed Readings
Around Preston the difference between the two directions in the week of Monday 12 to Friday 16 October 2026 was the morning. Northbound, between Junctions 30 and 31, traffic in the 06:00 to 10:00 peak averaged 46 mph against a usual 58 mph, and the slowest hour was 07:00 (7am), at 39 mph; over the week we counted about 220 minutes (3.67 hours) of stop-start traffic northbound on this stretch. Southbound, traffic kept close to its usual speed all day. National Highways' readings here are thinner in the daytime than overnight, so treat the daytime figures as a guide.
| Time of day | Northbound | Southbound | Minutes of stop-start (north / south) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight (00:00 to 06:00) | 59 mph (usual 61) | 60 mph (usual 61) | 0 / 0 |
| Morning peak (06:00 to 10:00) | 46 mph (usual 58) | Too few readings | 65 (1.08 hours) / 0 |
| Daytime (10:00 to 15:00) | 53 mph (usual 60) | 61 mph (usual 61) | 50 / 0 |
| Evening peak (15:00 to 19:00) | 54 mph (usual 56) | 58 mph (usual 55) | 55 / 0 |
| Evening (19:00 to midnight) | 54 mph (usual 62) | 61 mph (usual 62) | 50 / 0 |
© M6Traffic.co.uk · Our own record of National Highways’ live speed data (NTIS), Monday 12 to Friday 16 October 2026, averaged over the weekdays; “usual” is National Highways’ own expected speed for that hour. Stop-start means readings under 15 mph over at least 400 metres. One week of readings: we will add more weeks as they are collected.
Traffic count figures on this page are from the Department for Transport road traffic statistics, 2025.
Live traffic news at M6 Junctions 30 and 31
Incidents and roadworks between Junction 29 and Junction 32 that we are aware of.
M6 Southbound Junction 33 to 31A Lane 3 closure (357/7B to 354/7B)
05:42 (5:42am)23 Oct 2026reported 14 min ago
- Location
- M6 southbound within J32
- Direction
- Southbound
- Lanes closed
- Lane closures
- Reason
- Roadworks
- Schedule
- 20:00 (8pm) Fri 23 Oct 2026 → 06:00 (6am) Sat 24 Oct 2026
Forecast - not confirmed
This is the news for Junctions 30 and 31 only, not the whole M6. For the rest of the motorway see all the latest M6 traffic news, the overhead signs and the speed limits in force now.
Updated 05:57 (5:57am) Fri 23 Oct 2026