By Rob Hull
Updated: 18:18 AEDT, 9 October 2024
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Drivers have had their say on the best and worst motorways and A roads in England - and it's one of the busiest routes in the country that's received the lowest score from disgruntled motorists.
The A19, which runs parallel to the A1 in the North East and connects Seaton Burn, near Newcastle, with Doncaster, was the highest ranked major trunk road in a survey of more than 9,000 drivers carried out by independent watchdog Transport Focus. It scored 85 per cent for overall satisfaction.
Whereas the M40, which spans 89 miles and links London, Oxford, and Birmingham, was the motorway that received highest marks as road users gave it 79 per cent, with one even stating: 'It is one of the few motorways that has few delays when I travel on it.'
However, at the opposite end of the spectrum is a pivotal motorway in the Midlands that has been lambasted by drivers, especially for its 'smart' stretches with variable speed limits that users said were reduced 'for no apparent reason'.
The M42, the 40-mile-long stretch connecting Birmingham with major locations including Nottingham, Solihull, Tamworth and Redditch, has been ranked the worst motorway in England in a poll of more than 9,000 drivers
Drivers rated the M42 as England's worst motorway in the annual report.
The 40-mile-long stretch, which connects Birmingham with the likes of Nottingham, Solihull, Tamworth and Redditch, was ranked last in the survey with a satisfaction score of just 56 per cent.
Unfortunately for the M42, the poll of 9,166 road users was carried out at the end of March, which coincided with major roadworks taking place on the busy section around Birmingham Airport, which likely weighed on drivers' opinion about the road.
One respondent slammed the M42's 'roadworks, potholes and delays', describing it as a 'terrible road to drive on'.
Its sections that have been converted to smart motorways also upset motorists.
The M42 has controlled motorway stretches from junction 3 to junction 3A eastbound, and junctions 7 to 9 and a section of dynamic hard shoulder (where the hard shoulder becomes an active lane during congestion) between junctions 3A and 7.
These parts of the M42 all have variable speed limits, with motorists notified of changes via overhead gantries and enforced by cameras.
One driver said the variable limits 'do not always reflect the traffic conditions,' complaining that they were 'directed to reduce speed for no apparent reason'.
The survey quizzed more than 9,100 road users about their last journey on a motorway or major A road in England - all of which are managed by National Highways
Drivers were unhappy with 'smart' stretches of the M42 motorway with variable speed limits. One motorists said they 'did not always reflect the traffic conditions,' complaining that they were 'directed to reduce speed for no apparent reason'. Pictured: a Dynamic Hard Shoulder section of the M42 in Warwickshire
England's worst trunk road of all - according to the poll of motorists - is the A12. This is a 52-mile stretch of dual carriageway running between London and Lowestoft, Suffolk. Out of the 27 motorways and A roads rated, it was bottom of the league with a lowly 55%
The second and third worst-rated motorways were the M62 (60 per cent) and - unsurprisingly - the M25 with a satisfaction score of 65 per cent.
The trunk road in England that was voted worst of all among motorists was the A12, which runs between London and Lowestoft, Suffolk.
Out of the 27 motorways and A roads rated, it was bottom of the league with a lowly 55 per cent score.
1. A19 - 85% satisfaction score
2. M40 - 79%
3. M4 - 78%
4. M5 - 77%
5. A1(M) - 76%
6. A38 - 75%
7. A46 - 74%
8. M56 - 73%
9. A30 - 73%
10. M3 - 73%
11. M60 - 72%
12. M6 - 71%
13. A1 - 71%
14. A2 - 71%
15. A14 - 71%
16. M27 - 70%
17. M1 - 69%
18. A47 - 69%
19. A5 - 69%
20. M11 - 68%
21. M25 - 67%
22. A34 - 64%
23. A3 - 64%
24. A27 - 63%
25. M62 - 60%
26. M42 - 56%
27. A12 - 55%
Source: Transport Focus poll of 9,166 drivers
The M40, which spans 89 miles and links London, Oxford, and Birmingham, was the motorway that received highest marks as road users gave it a 79%. One respondent stated: 'It is one of the few motorways that has few delays when I travel on it'
The A19, which runs parallel to the A1 in the North East and connects Seaton Burn, near Newcastle, with Doncaster, was the highest ranked major trunk road in the survey, scoring 85% for overall satisfaction
Satisfaction with road surface quality dropped from 73 per cent to just 68 per cent.
This ties in with the latest report from the AA published this week, which highlighted that the breakdown provider's patrol had attended almost half a million pothole-related callouts between January and September, which is 10,000 more than the same period in 2023.
Last year saw pothole-triggered breakdowns reach a five-year high.
However, the motoring groups warns that recent heavy downfalls and flooding combined with falling autumn temperatures will almost certainly see 2024 exceed last year's figures.
As a result, road safety groups have mounted pressure on the new Labour Government to introduce new funding and measures to better maintain Britain's pothole-riddled roads.
And this isn't just local routes.
There have been a spate of recent high-profile instances of drivers suffering serious damage to their vehicles after hitting potholes on major motorways.
This week, MailOnline exclusively obtained images of a 'massive' pothole that crippled 20 cars on the M4. This follows the report of a similar sized crater causing carnage on the M25 only last week.
National Highways told us that it undertakes its own condition surveys across the trunk road network every year and the results are used to identify resurfacing requirements.
'These defects are categorised and we aim to repair the most serious ones within 24 hours,' it said.
In the poll conducted by Transport Focus, just 49 per cent of respondents said they were satisfied with the management of roadworks, which is similar to last year.
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