I drove England’s ‘worst-rated’ motorway and it wrecked my Sunday roast

It’s no secret that driving in the West Midlands can be an arduous task. We have a large and sophisticated motorway network, with some of the busiest roads in the country. You may not be surprised to learn, then, that one of our motorways has been rated as the ‘worst’ in England.

The M42[1] earned that accolade in March, following a survey of 9,166 road users by the watchdog Transport Focus. Respondents cited a number of reasons, including a combination of roadworks, potholes, delays and having reduced speed limits ‘for no apparent reason’. One motorist described the motorway as a ‘terrible road to drive on’.

At the same time, another said variable speed limits ‘do not always reflect the traffic conditions,’ complaining that they were ‘directed to reduce speed for no apparent reason’.