M6 Junction 8 to Junction 9 (Ray Hall / Great Barr)
This stretch carries more lorries than any other measured section of the M6 — and more than any other road in our network. Junction 8 is the M5 interchange at Ray Hall, the point where two of Britain’s main freight arteries meet.
Live traffic speed flow: M6 Junctions 7 to 10
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.
Refresh the page to see the latest speeds.
How Busy Is the M6 at Junction 8?
The Department for Transport counts traffic on this stretch of the M6 — from Junction 8W to Junction 9, a length of 1.4 miles. These are the 2025 figures.
| Measure | Per day |
|---|---|
| All motor vehicles | 180,440 |
| Cars and taxis | 113,081 |
| Lorries (HGVs) | 31,213 — 17.3% of all traffic |
| Length of this stretch | 1.4 miles |
© M6Traffic.co.uk · Statistics from the Department for Transport
That makes it the 2nd busiest measured stretch by total traffic, and the 1st 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
Between Ray Hall and Great Barr the M6 is busy in both directions for much of the day, and our own readings for Monday 12 to Friday 16 October 2026 show it. Northbound, speeds sat in the mid-30s through the afternoon, close to what National Highways expects on this stretch, with the slowest hours at 15:00 and 16:00 (3pm and 4pm), both averaging 30 mph. Southbound, the morning is where traffic fell furthest below normal: between 06:00 and 10:00 it averaged 36 mph against a usual 40 mph, and over the five mornings we counted about 175 minutes (2.92 hours) of stop-start traffic. National Highways reported a collision in each direction here during the week we recorded.
| Time of day | Northbound | Southbound | Minutes of stop-start (north / south) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight (00:00 to 06:00) | 53 mph (usual 42) | 56 mph (usual 55) | 35 / 5 |
| Morning peak (06:00 to 10:00) | 41 mph (usual 38) | 36 mph (usual 40) | 15 / 175 (2.92 hours) |
| Daytime (10:00 to 15:00) | 35 mph (usual 34) | 45 mph (usual 43) | 10 / 0 |
| Evening peak (15:00 to 19:00) | 35 mph (usual 33) | 41 mph (usual 42) | 20 / 25 |
| Evening (19:00 to midnight) | 58 mph (usual 45) | 60 mph (usual 58) | 35 / 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 8 and 9
Incidents and roadworks between Junction 7 and Junction 10 that we are aware of.
M6 - M42 link road hardshoulder closure northbound
05:42 (5:42am)23 Oct 2026reported 14 min ago
- Location
- link road from M6 J4A southbound to M42 J8 southbound
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Hard shoulder closed
- Reason
- Road improvement or upgrading
- Schedule
- 05:00 (5am) Mon 5 Oct 2026 → 05:00 (5am) Mon 2 Nov 2026
+ 6 more near Junctions 8 and 9 - see all the M6 traffic news →
This is the news for Junctions 8 and 9 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