Roads survey: Midlands motorway is voted worst in England as drivers blast 'roadworks, potholes and delays'
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
- A19 - 85%
- M40 - 79%
- M4 - 78%
- M5 - 77%
- A1(M) - 76%
- A38 - 75%
- A46 - 74%
- M56 - 73%
- A30 - 73%
- M3 - 73%
- M60 - 72%
- M6 - 71%
- A1 - 71%
- A2 - 71%
- A14 - 71%
- M27 - 70%
- M1 - 69%
- A47 - 69%
- A5 - 69%
- M11 - 68%
- M25 - 67%
- A34 - 64%
- A3 - 64%
- A27 - 63%
- M62 - 60%
- M42 - 56%
- A12 - 55%
The motorway, which runs across the midlands from Birmingham into Leicestershire, came last in a survey of more than 9,000drivers by Transport Focus.
The M42 was lambasted as a “terrible road to drive on” by one disgruntled driver, with another adding that the route’s variable speed limits “do not always reflect the traffic conditions” and they they were “directed to reduce speed for no apparent reason”.
The M42 gained an overall satisfaction score of 56%. The survey also took place in the year to the end of March, meaning that it coincided with major roadworks on the busy routes, especially round Birmingham Airport.
While the midlands motorway ranked worst, on the other end of the scale the M40 impressed drivers, gaining a satisfaction score of 79%. The route, which runs between Birmingham and London, was noted by one driver to be “one of the few motorways that has few delays when I travel on it”.
How England's motorways and A roads were ranked in order of overall satisfaction:
The A19, which runs between Seaton Burn, near Newcastle, and Doncaster, was ranked in the top spot as England’s best A-road. The A12, between London and Lowestoft, came last with a score of 55%.
Overall, satisfaction with drivers’ last journey on motorways or major A roads fell to 71% from 73% in the previous year. Likewise, satisfaction with journey times has fallen from 71% to 68%.
Transport Focus chief executive Alex Robertson said: “Drivers tell us that the maintenance of motorways and major roads – how most of us get around the country – is more important to them than building new roads.
“With road user perceptions of road surface quality deteriorating since 2022 – and declining satisfaction with journey times –National Highways must continue to focus on delivering safe, smooth journeys. We’re committed to working with the government and National Highways to help them to deliver on road users’ top priorities: improved journey times and satisfaction with surface quality.”
A National Highways spokesperson said: “Maintaining and investing in our roads is a priority and our most recent assessment shows that over 96% of them are in good condition. We have a robust programme of improvements which will provide long term benefits for motorists, including shorter and more reliable journeys.”
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