Wednesday
The best time to drive the A38 on a Wednesday
On a Wednesday the A38 is quietest at 19:00, averaging 65 mph, and busiest at 07:00, averaging 41 mph. Measured from National Highways roadside sensors between 1 May 2026 and 15 June 2026, not estimated.
- Measured, not estimated
- 1 May 2026 to 15 June 2026
Every hour of a Wednesday
Darker means slower- 00:0061mph7% below normal
- 01:0059mph10% below normal
- 02:0059mph10% below normal
- 03:0059mph10% below normal
- 04:0060mph7% below normal
- 05:0063mph4% below normal
- 06:0062mph4% below normal
- 07:0041mph36% below normal
- 08:0058mph11% below normal
- 09:0060mph8% below normal
- 10:0059mph10% below normal
- 11:0059mph9% below normal
- 12:0060mph8% below normal
- 13:0060mph8% below normal
- 14:0059mph9% below normal
- 15:0059mph10% below normal
- 16:0057mph13% below normal
- 17:0061mph7% below normal
- 18:0064mphnormal speed
- 19:0065mphnormal speed
- 20:0064mphnormal speed
- 21:0062mph5% below normal
- 22:0061mph6% below normal
- 23:0061mph7% below normal
Across the day that is roughly 3 percentage points further below free-flowing than the A38's average day, so Wednesday is one of the harder days to travel on this road. Hours outside 06:00 to 22:00 are shown but greyed: the small hours are the fastest on almost every road in England, which is true and useless for planning. Averaged across 1 sensor on the A38.
Minutes you save on a Wednesday
Quietest against busiest hour65 mph47 min
41 mph72 min
25 minsaved on a 50-mile trip
Other trip lengths: 10 miles saves 5 min, 25 miles saves 13 min. Worked out from the average speed along the whole A38 at each hour, so a trip through its worst junction at rush hour loses more than this.
Questions about the A38 on a Wednesday
What is the best time to drive the A38 on a Wednesday?
On a Wednesday the quietest hour on the A38 is 19:00, when traffic averages 65 mph. That is a measured average from National Highways roadside sensors on the road itself, recorded between 1 May 2026 and 15 June 2026, rather than an estimate. Only 06:00 to 22:00 is considered, because the small hours are the fastest on almost every road in England and saying so helps nobody plan a journey. Roadworks, collisions and weather are not in the average, so it describes what this Wednesday usually looks like rather than what today will look like.
What time is the A38 busiest on a Wednesday?
The busiest hour on the A38 on a Wednesday is 07:00, averaging 41 mph, about 36% below the speed the road runs at when it is clear. The comparison is against this road's own free-flowing speed, so "slower" means slower than the A38 normally manages rather than slower than some national figure. Measured from roadside sensors between 1 May 2026 and 15 June 2026. It is an archive of the usual pattern, not a live reading, so check conditions before you set off.