The Greater Manchester motorway named by drivers as one of worst in UK

Drivers have named a Greater Manchester motorway as one of the worst in the UK, according to independent watchdog Transport Focus. Transport Focus asked 9,000 motorists about their last journey on a motorway or major road – asking for their opinions on road quality, journey time and more. According to the results of the survey, the most popular motorway is the M40, which links London, Oxford, and Birmingham that had a satisfaction rating of 79%.

The most popular A-road was the A19 in North Yorkshire which had a rating of 85%. However, the M62[2] – which connects Liverpool to Hull via Greater Manchester – was named among the worst roads and the second lowest rated motorway. The M62 received a 60 per cent satisfaction rating meaning 40 per cent of road users were unsatisfied.

On Reddit, the consensus is similar. One user said: “The M62 is one of the worst motorways I’ve ever driven on, and I’ve driven in every country of the UK from pillar to post at some point.” Another Reddit user agreed: “It’s probably the most annoying motorway to drive on and I drive on it regularly on my commute from Rochdale[3] to Liverpool.”

The M62 is among the worst rated motorways in the UK (Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

The only motorways to be rated worse than the M62 are the M42, which runs from Worcestershire to Leicestershire, and the A12, which connects London to Suffolk.

As well as rating their last motorway journey, Transport Focus’s survey also asked motorists about their satisfaction with various factors including journey time and road surface quality. Transport Focus discovered that overall, 71 per cent of road users were satisfied with their journey, making a decrease from 73 per cent in 2022. Journey time received an overall satisfaction score of 68 per cent, decreased from 71 per cent last year.

When asked about road surface quality, Transport Focus found that satisfaction declined from 73 per cent the previous year to 68 per cent this year.

This is likely due to the state of the roads and increasing number of potholes[4] in the UK.

The top five ranked motorways – information gathered by watchdog Transport Focus

1. A19 (85%)
2. M40 (79%)
3. M4 (78%)
4. M5 (77%)
5. A1M (76%)

The bottom five ranked motorways – information gathered by watchdog Transport Focus

1. A12 (55)
2. M42 (56%)
3. M62 (60%)
4. M27 (63%)
5. M11 (68%)

References

1. ^ Highways worker seriously injured after Mercedes smashes into traffic cone on M6 (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
2. ^ M62 (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
3. ^ Rochdale (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
4. ^ number of potholes (go.skimresources.com)