The South East is home to the worst roads on England’s strategic road network, according to the results of a new satisfaction survey from transport user watchdog Transport Focus.
Around 9,000 people took part in the Strategic Roads User Survey (SRUS), in which the South East’s roads received a satisfaction score of just 66%, the lowest in the country and a drop from 70% last year. In contrast, the South East received the nation’s best results, scoring 75%, although this too is a slight drop from 76% the previous year.
Satisfaction scores fell nationwide, with all regions reporting a decline. Yorkshire and the North East experienced the largest drop, with satisfaction scores falling from 71% to 66%.
- South West: 75% satisfaction (last year’s result 76%)
- North West: 71% (73%)
- East: 69% (71%)
- Yorkshire and North East: 66% (71%)
- Midlands: 66% (70%)
- South East: 66% (70)
The respondents were also asked about their experiences on specific routes. The worst motorway was the M1, according to drivers. Only 57% said they were satisfied with it, down from 69% last year.
The highest-rated motorway was the M40, running between London and Birmingham, with a satisfaction score of 75%. However, national satisfaction rates also dropped from 71% to 69%.
Louise Collins, a director at Transport Focus, attributed the low scores to a high volume of roadworks: “Long stretches of roadworks, sometimes one after another, and miles of cones have had a significant impact on road user satisfaction with England’s motorways, with a disappointing downward trend over the past couple of years.
“While roadworks are necessary to help maintain roads and drive improvements in user experience, the decrease in road user satisfaction reinforces the importance of National Highways learning the lessons from the smart motorway emergency area retrofit programme.”
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