The M27 in Hampshire has been named England's worst motorway after drivers reported constant roadworks and delays. Just 56% of motorists said they were satisfied with their journey on the 28-mile stretch, according to a survey of more than 9,500 people conducted by watchdog Transport Focus.
Ongoing roadworks and dissatisfaction
The motorway has been undergoing resurfacing and junction modification work for more than two years, contributing to dissatisfaction and delays. Despite this, one respondent said they 'very rarely' saw roadworks there while describing issues on the motorway as 'terrible'.
Best and worst motorways
The most popular motorway was the M20 in Kent, with which 79% of drivers said they were satisfied. Overall, 71% of drivers said they were satisfied with their journey across all English motorways and A roads – up from 69% last year. Satisfaction with journey times, road surfaces and roadworks management were all up on the previous year.
Future challenges
However, this could be blighted by National Highways' five-year renewals programme, which will be one of the largest maintenance periods on England's highways since the 1960s, when it was first built. The upgrades are part of the third Road Investment Strategy and are expected to involve more roadworks.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, highlighted the 'important link between road users' satisfaction and how well they feel roadworks are being managed'. He said: 'The picture that emerges suggests National Highways will need to up its game more consistently across England given the scale of maintenance work planned for the network through to 2030.'
However, Transport Focus director Louise Collins said the survey showed 'positive improvements to the road user experience are possible.' 'Overall satisfaction has increased and there are encouraging signs that drivers are noticing improvements in key areas,' she said. 'However, drivers continue to tell us that roadworks can make or break a journey.'
'By applying the positive lessons from recent schemes, National Highways has an opportunity to ensure roadworks are well planned, clearly communicated and minimise disruption wherever possible.'
A National Highways spokesperson said: 'We manage our roads to ensure the highest levels of safety while minimising disruption to drivers. The survey results show our work to improve road conditions and incident response times have had a positive impact for drivers. When roads are well maintained, businesses and communities feel the benefit, and we are committed to tackling an ageing network head-on to keep the country moving and give drivers better experiences.'
