England's worst motorway revealed in new survey

England's worst motorway has been revealed in a new survey.

Drivers have rated the M42 as England’s worst motorway thanks to it having reduced speed limits “for no apparent reason” and the combination of “roadworks, potholes and delays”. 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 watchdog 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%.

At the other end of the scale, England’s most popular motorway was identified as the M40, which runs between London and Birmingham, earning a score of 79%. One person surveyed said it is “one of the few motorways that has few delays when I travel on it”.

The A19, which connects Seaton Burn, near Newcastle, with Doncaster, was rated the best A road in the country (85%), while the A12, which runs between London and Lowestoft, Suffolk was ranked last (55%).

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