The M40 has been rated the motorway with the best journey experience in England in a survey of drivers by Transport Focus.

In the independent watchdog’s latest Strategic Road User Survey, the motorway between London and Birmingham achieved the highest overall satisfaction at 79%.

Transport Focus said it spoke to more than 5,000 road users about their last journey on a motorway or major ‘A’ road managed by National Highways.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus, said: “England’s motorways and major ‘A’ roads are its arteries, allowing people and goods to be moved around efficiently. These results show that what drivers experience varies from road to road, with journey time and how busy it is being key to journey satisfaction. 

“As the summer getaway begins, this survey shows the importance of National Highways striving to minimise hold ups and providing good information so drivers know what to expect if it will be busy. 

“And it points to the ongoing need to focus on delivering roadworks with the least disruption possible, as well as keeping road surfaces in good condition.”

In the survey, 69% of road users said they were satisfied with their last journey using a motorway or major ‘A’ road managed by National Highways.

78% of survey respondents rated the A14 between Felixstowe and the Midlands the best ‘A’ road.

Road users who took part in the survey said they were least satisfied with the A1 at 57% and the M6 has the lowest level of satisfaction (59%).

67% of road users said they were satisfied with the time their journey took, with the management of roadworks the lowest performing area, where 48% of those surveyed were satisfied.

National Highways announced it wants to cut prolonged disruption from roadworks with a new plan to fast track upgrades of England’s busiest roads.

Strategic Road User Survey road satisfaction scores

Road	Satisfaction score (%)
M40	79
A14	78
A3	78
M3	76
A30	76
A38	75
M5	74
A1(M)	73
M62	70
M1	68
M25	68
A34	67
A46	67
M4	65
M60	64
M42	64
M27	62
A27	61
M6	59
A12	58
A1	57