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91Èȱ¬'s Nick Owen gets on his bike
91Èȱ¬ Midlands Today presenter Nick Owen is cycling to work, despite not having been on a bike for over 40 years.
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Nick was persuaded back in the saddle for Stuck In The Middle – a week-long series of reports for Midlands Today examining the problems facing the 2.5 million daily commuters across the Midlands.
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Nick usually drives to work and is well aware of the frustrations caused by traffic jams and road works.
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He says: "I am slightly apprehensive about getting on a bike again after decades driving a car, but it will also be quite refreshing avoiding all the traffic by zipping along the canal towpaths. Luckily my daily commute isn't too bad, but congestion is definitely getting worse year by year."
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Revving up on The Politics Show (Sunday 27 January) and continuing throughout the week on Midlands Today, Stuck In The Middle examines the experiences of commuters across the Midlands.
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Travel options by road, rail and bus are investigated by the ten camera crews based around the region, and each mode of transported pitted against each other in a race from Wolverhampton to Aston University.
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Chas Watkin, Editor, Midlands Today, says: "Congestion is something that affects us all and this is a great opportunity to discover the travel issues that people have to face on a day to day basis".
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Midlands Today's Ashley Blake has his own congestion frustrations: "I generally have to be in the office by 9.00am so I leave home at about 8.30am and always get to the morning production meeting late! The sticking point for me is the A38 Aston Express Way."
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And perhaps surprisingly Kay Alexander, presenter of the early morning Midlands Today bulletin, also experiences difficulties:
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"I travel in at around 4.45-5.15am, down the M42 and up the M6 north bound. People always expect that there will be no traffic at that time. Don't you believe it! There are dozens of lorries, it is worst on Mondays and sometimes they are all driving so close to each other that it's very difficult to merge in between them to get into the inside lane to leave at Spaghetti."
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Viewers are encouraged to contact Midlands Today with their own congestion experiences. And part of the week's investigations include the results of an exclusive transport poll conducted with travellers from across the region.
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BJO
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