Transport User Voice – August 2022 – M40 named England’s best motorway

21 July 2022

Road users have their say

“It’s the quietest and easiest motorway I use”.

The M40 has been rated the motorway with the best journey experience in England our latest survey of drivers has revealed.

In our Strategic Roads User Survey we spoke to more than 5000 road users about their last journey on a motorway or major ‘A’ road managed by National Highways. The motorway between London and Birmingham had the highest overall satisfaction at 79 per cent.

The ‘A’ road with the best journey experience was the A14 between Felixstowe and the Midlands with 78 per cent. Road users praised the new section between Cambridge and Huntingdon saying it was a “nice new road, smooth, no potholes, fast, easy traffic.”

Overall 69 per cent of road users were satisfied with their last journey using a motorway or major ‘A’ road managed by National Highways.

On the other end of the spectrum, the A1 and the M6 (out of the motorways) had the lowest level of satisfaction at 57 per cent and 59 per cent respectively.

One driver said the A1 said it has: “far too many road works without any work taking place”, while another said: “traffic very, very slow moving. As always at this time on any weekday”.

On the M6 many road users commented on not feeling safe on smart motorway sections and the long stretches of reduced speed limit due to roadworks. One driver said: “the amount of roadworks and lane closers with ZERO work activity is beyond sense”. Another said: “the inside lane of the M6 (in both directions) are rutted”.

The management of roadworks is the lowest performing area with just 48 per cent of those surveyed satisfied. We also found 67 per cent of road users were satisfied with the time their journey took.

The Strategic Roads User Survey focuses National Highways on initiatives that will improve the driver experience. The survey is named in the Government’s second Road Investment Strategy and it is expected to be used from April 2023 as part of holding National Highways to account for delivering good customer experience.

Read the full report here.

 

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