I drove England's 'worst-rated' motorway and it wrecked my Sunday roast

The M42 spans for 40 miles, serving Birmingham and Solihull, where drivers slammed 'delays, potholes and unnecessary speed restrictions'

It's no secret that driving in the West Midlands can be an arduous task. We have a large and sophisticated motorway network, with some of the busiest roads in the country.

You may not be surprised to learn, then, that one of our motorways has been rated as the 'worst' in England. The M42 earned that accolade in March, following a survey of 9,166 road users by the watchdog Transport Focus.

Respondents cited a number of reasons, including a combination of roadworks, potholes, delays and having reduced speed limits 'for no apparent reason'. One motorist described the motorway as a 'terrible road to drive on'. At the same time, another said variable speed limits 'do not always reflect the traffic conditions,' complaining that they were 'directed to reduce speed for no apparent reason'.

READ MORE: I drove on M6 at rush hour and saw motorists ignoring one important rule

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The M42 runs for 40 miles, starting from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, before heading east across the countryside, then north past Solihull and Birmingham Airport (BHX) in the West Midlands, then onto Tamworth in Staffordshire and Nottingham in the East Midlands.

It also connects with the M5 near Bromsgrove, the M6 in Birmingham, and the M40 in between. For many West Midlanders, the M42 is an important motorway as it takes drivers up and down the east part of England's second city and of course it's located right next to BHX at Junction 6.

Five 'worst-rated' motorways in England

1. 1. M42 (56%)
2. 2. M62 (60%)
3. 3. M25 (67%)
4. 4. M11 (68%)
5. 5. M1 (69%)

But you're not guaranteed a stress-free journey, as I found out. Having lived in the Black Country and Staffordshire, I'm more familiar with the likes of the M6, but I occasionally use the M42 when travelling to BHX and visiting family.

It was for the latter reason that I found myself driving on the M42, and the curse words quickly started flying as I drove onto it. I'd set out in plenty of time to arrive at a family dinner - taking into account potential delays on the M6 - but I didn't realise the M42 would be the problem.

Temporary speed limits were active, meaning traffic was slowed down from the usual national speed limit of 70mph, but we found ourselves going a lot slower, just crawling along for miles on end. I wasn't aware of any major events happening in the region that day.

Google Maps on my Sat Nav just showed chunks of red on the motorway ahead of me, indicating heavy traffic. Roadworks were in place, but they didn't appear active.

Perhaps it was the sheer volume of traffic causing queues, or the temporary speed measures, or both. By the time I arrived, my Sunday roast was cold. The next time I use the M42, I'll know to leave a lot more time before setting out.

The poll by Transport Focus was carried out in the year to the end of March, coinciding with major roadworks on the M42 around Birmingham Airport. Road users awarded the M42 an overall satisfaction score of 56%.

Transport Focus chief executive Alex Robertson said: "Drivers tell us that the maintenance of motorways and major roads – how most of us get around the country – is more important to them than building new roads. With road user perceptions of road surface quality deteriorating since 2022 – and declining satisfaction with journey times – National Highways must continue to focus on delivering safe, smooth journeys.

"We’re committed to working with the Government and National Highways to help them to deliver on road users’ top priorities: improved journey times and satisfaction with surface quality."

In response to the story, a spokesperson for National Highways said: "Maintaining and investing in our roads is a priority and our most recent assessment shows that over 96% 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."

Referring to roadworks on the M42, the spokesperson added: "The M42 is a key part of our network linking the M5, M40, M6 and M1 and is an important route for freight travelling to all parts of the network. We recently completed some long-term safety work on the M42 and with the completion of a scheme at Junction 6 next year, people are starting to see the benefits of our investment.

"We know the High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) works close to the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham are also a source of frustration for our customers, and we continue to work with HS2 to make sure these works are safe and as free flowing as possible."