Revealed: The 'secret' route to beat M8 jams at rush hour

IT IS enough to have gridlocked motorists on the M8 headbutting their steering wheels in despair. The reputation of the clogged artery that connects Edinburgh and Glasgow has been further dented by the revelation that an alternative route 20 miles longer was 25 minutes faster during a recent survey.

The secret to a stress-free commute between Scotland's two largest cities is knowing when to take the road less travelled, says a new report by the group Trafficmaster and the RAC Foundation.

They discovered that taking the M9 past Linlithgow, followed by the M876 which goes around Falkirk, then on to the A80 past Cumbernauld, the M73 and then the A8 into Coatbridge, was, on occasion, a faster route despite being almost 20 miles longer.

In a survey carried out last month, the two routes were compared, with both cars departing during morning rush-hour traffic from Edinburgh Airport and finishing at the same address in Coatbridge.

While the M8 route was 33 miles long, the alternative M9 route was 52 miles long. Yet, in spite of this, on the second morning of the four-day survey, it was the fastest route, taking just 40 minutes, compared to one hour and five minutes on the M8.

The average speed, across the four days, was also much faster at 59mph, compared to just 40mph along the M8.

If both routes had led directly into Glasgow city centre, the differential might have been even greater against the direct M8 route, as this would have taken in junctions 9,10 and 11, which are some of the busiest points on the road.

Phil Hale, of Trafficmaster, said: "This study shows the variable effect of peak-time traffic on the obvious route and the benefit of knowing when to choose it."

As one of Scotland's busiest roads, the M8 has become increasing clogged by congestion, with the average journey time between the two cities increasing each year.

In 1998, the rush-hour journey took 51 minutes from junction 13 near Glasgow city centre to Junction 1 at Edinburgh's Hermiston Gate roundabout. In 2004, the journey time had risen to 64 minutes.

Rising congestion is being fuelled by rapid growth in car ownership. In 2003, a record 214,000 new cars were bought, adding to a national figure of just under three million.

There have been increasing calls for the two-lane sections of the M8 to be upgraded to three lanes.

Neil Greig, of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: "We don't have a full motorway running between our two largest cities. This study just confirms what people know - which is that at peak time the M8 can't cope.

"Making people drive an extra 20 miles is not environmentally sound - it involves burning needless fuel and will lead to congestion on these smaller roads.

"The solution is the creation of a proper, three-lane motorway between Edinburgh and Glasgow."

Steve Stradling, professor of transport psychology at Napier University, said: "What annoys motorists most is what is known as 'progress impeded'. Once people get behind the wheel, they want to keep moving."