M20 from London to Dover is voted England’s worst motorway
Written by News on 22/07/2020
The M20 has been voted England’s worst motorway – while the M11 is the motorists’ favourite.
A poll of 8,000 motorists revealed the London to Dover route is the least popular major road in the country, with 37% unsatisfied with their last trip.
Sections of the M20 have been transformed into a “smart motorway”, resulting in extensive roadworks from July 2018 to March 2020.
No-deal Brexit planning also caused disruption, with the installation and removal of road barriers.
One respondent to the Transport Focus survey, which was carried out between April 2019 and March this year, said: “Get the roadworks done. It’s been 50mph for too long – must be two years possibly.”
It is the second year in a row that the M20 has come last in the poll.
The M23, which connects Gatwick Airport to London, was rated the second worst motorway this year, with a satisfaction rating of just 64%.
By contrast the M11, which goes between London and Cambridge, was the best-rated motorway in England.
Some 92% of motorists were satisfied with their last journey, with high scores for journey times and safety.
The average satisfaction rate across all roads was 81%.
Drivers voted the A66 route across the Pennines between Scotch Corner and Penrith the best A road, with a satisfaction score of 90%.
Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus, said: “As drivers return to the roads it is vital that management of roadworks is looked at.
“Our research shows that if you’re happy with journey time, you’ll be happy with your journey overall.
“That’s an important message for Highways England as traffic starts to get back to pre-lockdown levels.”
A Highways England spokesman said: “The M20 and M23 are two of the busiest motorways in the country, with thousands of drivers using them on a daily basis.
“Over the past five years Highways England has invested close to £400m into three major projects to improve the flow of traffic on these roads.
“We appreciate travelling through traffic management on a daily basis isn’t ideal, but drivers will soon start to feel the benefits of our work.”
(c) Sky News 2020: M20 from London to Dover is voted England’s worst motorway
