East Lancs Road

Got a job interview in Ashton in Makerfield which will mean I have to do the A580 from Swinton in rush hour.

How bad is it?

I think it is worse going in the other direction

I never found it all all bad when I used it.

Good luck with the interview

Dunno about the East Lancs itself (if ever I use it, it’s coming from the M6). The right turn off it into Lowton and Golborne might well be a PITA. Lowton is slow – schools + bus stops and no passing room. Golborne is better. Ashton is OK.

If I’m ever allowed back on a bike, I ride the opposite way to work. Wave!

Should be alright there. It is off the A49 right next to the M6.

Fine going that way Harry. You’ll pass some massive queues of traffic heading into Manchester though. Easy enough to cycle too, the cycle path is good from Swinton to the M6.

OOh sorry: As above, the Lowton lights might be slow but just make sure you’re in the outside lane when you get to them to make sure you move a bit faster. The hold up there is people heading for the M6.

A49 through Ashton is s–t at that time of day.

“A” marks the spot.

that junction is a bit of a bottleneck especially getting off the motorway, but you should miss the worst of it, you’ll be going against the traffic heading into manchester and the traffic towards liverpool gets worse at that junction where you turn off.

Not sure I’d want a job working in a pink shape of that size with the M6 running through it.

Pink shapes are the future now that we’ve killed our manufacturing industry.

A British paper mill moans at a £200k project whilst a Chinese one will spend €200m+. Guess which one will still be open in 5 years.

As above, traffic heading into manc will be horrendous, heading west isn’t too bad until you reach the outskirts of liverpool. I used to live just outside ashton – where’s the job?

Edit – reading apparently isn’t my strong point.

You should be fine getting to there, nothing unusual that I can think of.

OK, it isn’t where I thought it was.

Apart from the Lowton lights, where it does queue, it always looks all right to me. I’d do that journey by going to the M6 and then round the roundabout.

Tell you what – depending on traffic/time, I’ll try to scope it out this week by taking the opposite route to work (as far as Lowton lights).

Cheers.