Stafford Traffic Guide

Most journeys into the centre arrive along one of a handful of main roads. The A34 runs north to south through the town, linking Stone and the Potteries with Cannock and the West Midlands. The A449 heads south towards Penkridge and Wolverhampton, the A513 runs east towards Rugeley, and the A518 approaches from the west, coming in from the Newport and Telford direction.

These roads meet the town's inner ring of junctions and roundabouts close to the shops, the station and the main car parks. Because so much traffic converges in a small area, a hold-up on one approach can soon be felt on the others.

Newport Road is the western approach into the centre and carries a steady mix of local cars, buses, delivery vehicles and through traffic. It is where the Stafford Traffic Cam is located, giving a live view of vehicles travelling both into and out of town.

Because it sits so close to the centre, the Newport Road view is a useful indicator of how things are moving locally. If traffic looks slow there, it is often worth allowing a little extra time for any trip through the middle of town. The camera is a visual guide only: it does not measure speeds or count vehicles.

Junction 13 lies to the south of Stafford and connects the M6 with the A449. It is the natural exit for drivers coming up from the West Midlands and the south, and for local journeys heading towards Penkridge.

When the motorway is busy or disrupted south of Stafford, more drivers may leave at Junction 13 and continue on local roads, which can add traffic to the southern approaches into town.

Junction 14 lies to the north of Stafford and connects the M6 with the A34 and A5013. It is the usual exit for drivers arriving from the Stone, Stoke- on-Trent and Manchester direction, and it is close to several business and residential areas on the north side of town.

The stretch of M6 between Junctions 13 and 14 runs alongside Stafford, so an incident there can affect both junctions and the local roads that link them.

Like most towns, Stafford has predictable busy periods. Weekday mornings and late afternoons bring commuter and school-run traffic, and the roads around schools can be noticeably busier at drop-off and pick-up times during term.

Market days, town-centre events and the main shopping periods, including Saturdays and the weeks before Christmas, also bring more visitors into the centre. Rain and dark evenings tend to slow things a little too. None of these patterns are guaranteed, which is why a live look before you leave can be more helpful than a rule of thumb.

Planned works and unexpected incidents are reported by different organisations. Staffordshire County Council publishes local roadworks and highway schemes, while National Highways reports incidents and planned closures on the M6 and major A-roads. Overnight and weekend motorway closures are usually announced in advance, so they are worth checking a few days before a longer journey.

Our Stafford roadworks and travel information page links to each of these sources in one place, with a short note on what each one covers.

A simple routine works well for most trips:

1. Open the live Newport Road camera for a quick look at town-centre traffic.
2. If you are using the motorway, check the M6 Junction 13 and 14 cameras for conditions either side of Stafford.
3. Check roadworks and planned closures for the roads on your route.
4. Allow extra time if you are travelling during a known busy period.

The external cameras and travel services are run by third parties, and Stafford Traffic Cam is not responsible for their content. You can read more about Stafford Traffic Cam and how the Newport Road camera is operated.