M40: Oxfordshire road named most popular motorway in England
Linking Oxford[1], London and Birmingham, the road covers a distance of approximately 89 miles (143 km).
The motorway has seen its fair share of crashes in recent months especially in Oxfordshire and around London but has been ranked top in the country.
In a survey of more than 9,166 road users conducted by watchdog Transport Focus, the M40 came out ahead of all other motorways across England.
Earning an overall satisfaction score of 79 per cent, the road was praised as one respondent said: “It is one of the few motorways that has few delays when I travel on it”.
The M4 and M5 were ranked second and third coming in with satisfaction scores of 78 per cent and 77 per cent respectively.
At the other end of the scale, the M42 was voted as least popular with the M62 and M25 also resented by motorists.
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”.
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Road users awarded the M42 an overall satisfaction score of 56 per cent.
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.
A National Highways spokesperson said: “Maintaining and investing in our roads is a priority and our most recent assessment shows that over 96 per cent of them are in good condition.
“We have a robust programme of improvements which will provide long-term benefits for motorists, including shorter and more reliable journeys.”
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