Junction 4 serves Shirley on the A34 and Junction 5 serves Solihull on the A41. The stretch between them is the busiest counted part of the whole M42, and it sits in the middle of the managed section with variable speed limits.

What the junctions connect to

• Junction 4 — the A34 for Shirley, in both directions.
• Junction 5 — the A41 for Solihull, in both directions.

Both junctions let you on and off in both directions. North of Junction 5 is the new Junction 5A for the airport, opened in December 2024.

How busy is Junction 4 to Junction 5?

M42 Junctions 4 and 5 (Shirley and Solihull): the key numbers

Measure	Per day
All motor vehicles	136,724
Northbound	66,771
Southbound	69,954
Cars and taxis	99,661
Vans	22,517
Lorries	14,082 — 10.3% of traffic

© M42Traffic.co.uk · Statistics from the Department for Transport

This is the busiest of all 26 M42 count points, and its southbound figure, 69,954, is the highest one-direction count anywhere on the road. The count was taken on the ground, not estimated.

Either side

South of Junction 4, towards the M40, the road carries 129,185 vehicles a day. North of Junction 5 it drops to 109,996 on the way to Junction 6 — so about 27,000 fewer vehicles a day are on the M42 after Solihull than before it. North of Junction 6, at the NEC, it climbs again to 128,313.

Part of the original pilot

This stretch is within the Junction 3A to Junction 7 section where Active Traffic Management was introduced in 2006, with variable speed limits, hard shoulder running and overhead signs. What those signs are showing is on M42 overhead signs, and the limits in force are on M42 speed limits now.

Driving this stretch

Junction 4 and Junction 5 are about 2 miles apart, measured along the road, and Junction 5A, the northbound exit for the airport, lies between Junction 5 and Junction 6. Cars and taxis are 72.9% of traffic here and vans 16.5%. The section of the M42 from the M40 to the M6 — which includes this stretch — also forms part of the European route E05, although it is not signed as such.

Where to next

Heading north: Junctions 5A–6, Birmingham Airport and the NEC. Heading south: Junction 3A and the M40.

Traffic count figures on this page are from the Department for Transport road traffic statistics, 2025.