UK’s best and worst motorways are here in the West Midlands – find out how they score in survey

Motorists also speak of the combination of “roadworks, potholes and delays” on the busy route. The 40-mile long motorway, which connects Birmingham with locations including Nottingham, Solihull, Tamworth and Redditch, was ranked last in a survey of more than 9,166 road users conducted by Transport Focus. The poll was carried out in the year to the end of March, coinciding with major roadworks on the M42 around Birmingham Airport.

One respondent criticised the M42’s “roadworks, potholes and delays”, describing the motorway as a “terrible road to drive on”. Another said variable speed limits “do not always reflect the traffic conditions”, complaining that they were “directed to reduce speed for no apparent reason”. Road users awarded the M42 an overall satisfaction score of 56 per cent.

At the other end of the scale, England’s most popular motorway was identified as the M40, which runs between Birmingham and London, earning a score of 79 per cent. And the M5, which links the West Midlands to the south, also ranked well with 77 per cent approval. One person surveyed said the M40 is “one of the few motorways that has few delays when I travel on it”.

Motorists on one of the busiest stretches of Midlands motorway on the M42

The A19, which connects Seaton Burn, near Newcastle, with Doncaster, was rated the best A-road in the country, while the A12, which runs between London and Lowestoft in Suffolk was ranked last.

Government-owned company National Highways is responsible for England’s motorways and major A-roads. 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.” The overall satisfaction score for respondents’ last journeys on motorways or major A-roads declined from 73 per cent in 2022/23 to 71 per cent in 2023/24. Satisfaction with journey times has fallen from 71 per cent to 68 per cent.

The M5 motorway near Droitwich pictured in July 1962

Department for Transport figures published last week showed delays on National Highways’ roads have reached record levels.

Average hold-ups were 11.0 seconds per vehicle per mile (spvpm) in the year to the end of June, which was the longest time in records dating back to March 2016, when the figure was 8.6spvpm. Transport Focus noted that traffic levels on motorways and major A roads rose by 2.3 per cent from 2022 to 2023, but remained 1.0 per cent below pre-coronavirus levels. It also said roadworks relating to the ongoing programme of retrofitting 150 additional emergency stopping areas on smart motorways is “a further challenge”.

The watchdog’s research suggested satisfaction with road surface quality has dropped from 73 per cent to 68 per cent. Just 49 per cent of respondents said they were satisfied with the management of roadworks, which is similar to last year. TOP FIVE RANKED MOTORWAYS:

1. M40 (79%)

2. M4 (78%)

3. M5 (77%)

4. M56 (73%)

5. M3 (73%) BOTTOM FIVE RANKED MOTORWAYS:

1. M42 (56%)

2. M62 (60%)

3. M25 (67%)

4. M11 (68%)

M1 (69%)