England’s best and worst roads revealed – is your route on the list?

Drivers have named the best and worst motorways and ‘A’ roads in England, according to the latest independent survey by motoring research group Transport Focus.

And if you regularly use the M1 or A47, you might want to look away now. 

Find out the best and worst motorways and A-Roads in the UK? (Credit: Flickr/Dunk)

Top of the table

The A30 from Exeter to Penzance took the crown as England’s best ‘A’ road, with an impressive 85% of drivers satisfied.
One driver praised its recent upgrade: “Recently upgraded to dual carriageway with new surfacing. Journey time improved.”

Among motorways, the M40 – linking London and Birmingham – scored highest, with 75% satisfaction. Drivers liked its smooth surface and decent service stations.

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Bottom of the list

At the other end, the M1 was rated England’s worst motorway – just 57% of drivers satisfied, down sharply from 69% last year.
Regulars blamed miles of cones, 50mph limits and seemingly endless roadworks to add emergency areas.

As for ‘A’ roads, the A47 came last with only 56% satisfaction, thanks to potholes and rough roundabouts.

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Full top and bottom rankings

Top 5 roads

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Bottom 5 roads

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Why drivers are unhappy

A big reason for falling satisfaction is disruption from roadworks – especially on smart motorways where new emergency areas were built.

One M1 driver summed it up: “Miles of coned-off road with little or no sign of work being done.”

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Check your route

Do you commute or travel on any of these roads? See if your regular route is among England’s best – or worst – rated by thousands of drivers this year. 

If you are stuck on one the motorways mentioned, use our alternative route guides to hop congested junctions.

• M25 alternative routes
• M1 alternative routes
• M6 alternative routes

Tell us if you agree with the verdicts at pete@petebarden.co.uk

 

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