England's best and worst major roads named in poll

Kent's M20 motorway and the A30, which runs from London to Land's End in Cornwall, have been named as England's best major roads in a new poll.

While the pair earned satisfaction ratings of 79%, the survey of more than 9,500 drivers by the watchdog Transport Focus rated the M27 in Hampshire as the country's worst at just 56%.

Of all the motorways and major A roads managed by National Highways, those in the South East scored 72% for overall satisfaction - up from 66% in 2024/25 and above the country-wide average of 71%.

Transport Focus director Louise Collins said it welcomed the progress on some of the busiest roads in the network.

The M27, which stretches for 28 miles (45km), has seen long-running work for surfacing and junction modifications.

One survey respondent described roadworks on the motorway as "terrible" as they cause reduced speed and narrow lanes, despite them "very rarely" seeing any work happening.

In the South East, satisfaction with the management of roadworks in the region improved, rising from 42% to 52%.

Satisfaction with road surface was 70%, in line with the national average, while road users in the region rated feeling safe at 81%.

"This year's results show a significant improvement for road users in the South East, with overall satisfaction having risen sharply," said Collins.

"The results also show where more work is needed, and, as National Highways prepares for a major programme of renewals, it has an opportunity to build on what's working well and keep disruption to a minimum."

A National Highways spokesperson said: "We manage our roads to ensure the highest levels of safety while minimising disruption to drivers.

"The survey results show our work to improve road conditions and incident response times have had a positive impact for drivers.

"When roads are well maintained, businesses and communities feel the benefit, and we are committed to tackling an ageing network head-on to keep the country moving and give drivers better experiences."

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