If anyone’s been keeping up to date with my articles recently, you’ll know I had a driving test coming up—and I passed! “Now the real learning begins,” so everyone keeps telling me, and it seems Birmingham has more than its fair share of terrible driving spots to ‘learn’.
Speaking to real Brummie drivers, London Northwestern Railway (LNR) has gathered a list of local driving struggles. Be it crawling along the Hagley Road at rush hour or navigating matchday traffic around Villa Park, these are the roads, junctions, parking spots, and driving habits that get under our skin:
1. Hagley Road
“Driving down the Hagley Road at 5pm is worse than watching paint dry. Honestly, sometimes you may as well get out and walk – it would be quicker!”
According to TomTom’s Traffic Index, Birmingham’s average evening rush-hour speed in 2025 was just 13mph, with evening rush-hour congestion standing at 98.1%. At that speed, a two-mile journey along the Hagley Road would take around nine minutes 14 seconds.
2. Bristol Road
“I’ve been caught out on the bus lane restrictions on the Bristol Road more than once, which is really frustrating when they are only in operation during certain times!”
Parts of the A38 Bristol Road have bus lane restrictions operating from 7am to 7pm every day, while average-speed cameras are also in operation on the A38 between Priory Road and Speedwell Road, where the speed limit is 30mph.
3. Five Ways
“The Five Ways roundabout is the worst part of my daily commute. Sometimes I sit at the junction and listen to a whole song, or sometimes two, before I spot a gap to move!”
Five Ways is a familiar pinch point between the city centre and the west of Birmingham, sitting at the junction of the Hagley Road, Broad Street, and the Middleway.
4. Spaghetti Junction
“If my Satnav tries to take me on the Spaghetti Junction, I purposely avoid it. It’s so hard to navigate, especially when there’s lots of traffic and other cars trying to figure out where to go at the same time.”
For drivers navigating the interchange, multiple lanes, slip roads, and busy surrounding routes can make getting from A to B feel considerably more complicated than it should.
5. Villa Park
“I tried to drive to Villa Park for a concert before – NEVER AGAIN! It took me nearly three hours to get out of the area – almost longer than the concert itself.”
Around 40,000 people regularly head to Villa Park for a home match, with traffic exclusion and residents’ parking zones operating around the stadium on matchdays up to two hours before kick-off, creating severe queues on the surrounding roads.
6. Birmingham city centre
“I work in the city centre, and parking is my biggest nightmare. If you park in a car park, you’re easily spending £20+ a day. If you manage to find a cheaper spot on the road, you’re risking a ticket. It’s a lose-lose situation!”
Birmingham City Council issued 220,164 parking Penalty Charge Notices in 2024/25, up from 182,762 the previous year. Of these, 13,195 were issued in off-street locations, including car parks.
7. Broad Street
“Broad Street is confusing because some places you can drive, and some you can’t. The signs are hard to follow, so it’s understandable people get it wrong.”
Bus lane enforcement was introduced to Broad Street in December 2024, and restrictions operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With Birmingham issuing a total of 136,251 bus lane and bus gate PCNs in 2024/25, with 85% at city-centre locations, many are getting caught out.
