Heathrow/M4 Travel Question

[Ellipsis]

I am travelling by car - M1, M25, M4 - to pick up my son from Heathrow T3 on Sunday evening. His flight lands shortly after 7PM.

Given the current chaos in that area, does anyone have sufficient recent experience to tell me ...

How long is it going to take me to get to Heathrow from the M25/M4 junction, given the current closure between J2 and J3?

How long is my son going to be delayed in passport control?

Thanks all ...

[boxtops]

I don't think anyone can answer the passport question, given the rumours rife at the moment about long delays in getting through at the moment.

[Ellipsis]

Thanks Boxy. To be honest I'm more concerned that I'm there on time, so the M4 question is the higher priority one. I wonder if any unfortunate ABer is having to drive that way regularly ...

[237SJ]

I don`t know about the little bit of the M4 you have to do but I have heard it`s pretty horrendous in surrounding areas due to people having to use the A4 and such. I would be inclined to avoid the M4, and stay on the M25 to T4 or T5 turnoffs and take the airport perimeter road but then I know the area. Or you could ask him to go to T5 on the tube and meet him there. If that`s a bit complicated though, you`ll just have to give yourself a lot of time. That part of the motorway is always busy and Sunday nights you`ve got a lot of weekend traffic coming back into the area. Not sure about delays in immigration in T3. Sunday night`s not too bad (not too many long hauls arriving in the evening - morning`s are the worst).

[Ellipsis]

Thanks 237SJ. I have a sat nav so was considering the T4/T5 option. In my experience, sometimes when there are severe roadworks the traffic actually gets easier because everybody abandons the road - but sometimes it gets much worse. At the same time, trying to avoid it (as you've said about the surrounding areas) just gets you into even more trouble as you join everybody else on roads not built for that volume of traffic ...

[jno]

I also thought of the T5 exit option but it occurred to me that if lots of people were avoiding the M4 (which is made for lots of people) and taking the perimeter roads (which aren't), it could be a nightmare. You could try checking the traffic reports on the day - you can see them on the BBC website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/travelnews/london

Don't try the Heathrow Express, though - there are Crossrail roadworks all round Paddington and parking is impossible.

[Ellipsis]

It's great isn't it? I watched C4 news this evening and couldn't help but laugh ... I think the first 15 minutes were all about what an almighty cockup it all is. BTW both my son and I are on O2 so I hope their patched-up network holds out ...

[237SJ]

jno- the airport perimeter roads are fine. I`ve been around them lately and no problem. By perimeter roads I mean the ones around the runways rather than the A4 etc.

[jno]

yep - the al-Qaeda plan to destroy the Olympics is right on schedule...

[237SJ]

Alternatively, he could go to Hatton Cross tube (same line) but you`ll have to pay £9 to park in the tube car park.

[jno]

oh, okay, 237SJ - those are the ones I was thinking of. As long as there's no congestion reported on Sunday, and with the aid of a satnav, that's how I'd do it. The M25 itself seems to be fairly busy all the time around the M4/T5, at least whenever I've been by, but that's normal.

[Ellipsis]

Yes, I've considered Hatton Cross - slightly concerned the world and his dog will have the same idea, and that's the place that people for all Heathrow terminals would go!

[237SJ]

I was at Hatton X yesterday and it was fine. You could park round the back of Barclays Bank (opposite the Concorde). Thing is, if you come off the M4 at J4 for Heathrow Central, all the people who want to go on the A4 (Bath Road) will be going that way too. It`s only a little way from the M4 to the Central Area but you might get stuck in the queue with that lot. If you go to Hatton X or T5, you can stay on the M25 (which will be busy as well because it always is around there) and go off at a later junction. Hatton X tube is on the A30 by the way.

[Ellipsis]

That's excellent, thanks very much for your advice 237SJ. :)

[mushroom25]

the M4 is now fully open - you should have no travel diificulties, particularly on a sunday.

[Ellipsis]

Thanks mushroom25, I thought I caught that on the news this morning ...

No mention of it on the Heathrow site or the Highways Agency site - it seems they only report when there are problems, not when problems have been cleared up. And the BBC site is down - they are really struggling this week.

On C4 news last night they were saying that they didn't know when it would be all sorted, and it could be Monday, so I thought it was time to start making plans. I suppose it's typical of the shambles that, less than 12 hours after that statement, it was open again. Let's hope it stays open!

Thanks to all for their help.