M60 Named Third Worst Motorway in England by Drivers

The M60 motorway in Greater Manchester has been named one of the worst in England by drivers in a new survey from watchdog Transport Focus. Only 63% of respondents reported being satisfied with the M60, placing it third from the bottom among England's motorways.

Survey Results and Key Findings

The survey, which measures driver satisfaction across England's motorways and major A roads, found that the M60 scored lowest on journey times, with just 60% of drivers satisfied. However, it performed slightly better on road surfaces and safety, with 71% expressing satisfaction in those areas.

Overall, 71% of drivers across England were satisfied with their motorway journeys, up from 69% the previous year. Ratings for journey times, road surfaces, and roadworks management all improved year-on-year.

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Improvement Works at Simister Island

The survey results come as major improvement works began earlier this month at the notorious Simister Island junction (Junction 18). The Department for Transport confirmed last year that five lanes of traffic and a new link road would be created to ease congestion. The project is estimated to cost between £255 million and £296 million and is expected to take until 2030 to complete.

National Highways stated on their website: "These measures are essential to ensuring the safety of our workforce and customers, and are aimed at also minimising disruption on the motorway during busier periods. From the week commencing Monday, June 1, 2026, there will be some additional noise in the area during these works as we do this vital safety work. The equipment we use means some disturbance is unavoidable, but we’ll make every effort to minimise any noise generated by the activities. We apologise in advance for any disruption these works will cause and thank you for your patience as we carry out this work."

Worst and Best Motorways

The M60 ranked just above the M42, which had 61% satisfaction, and the M27, which was the worst with only 56% satisfaction. At the top of the list, the A30 and M20 both achieved 79% satisfaction, followed by the M56 and M5 at 78%.

Expert and Official Reactions

Transport Focus director Louise Collins said the survey results demonstrate that "positive improvements to the road user experience are possible." She added: "Overall satisfaction has increased and there are encouraging signs that drivers are noticing improvements in key areas, however drivers continue to tell us that roadworks can make or break a journey. By applying the positive lessons from recent schemes, National Highways has an opportunity to ensure roadworks are well planned, clearly communicated and minimise disruption wherever possible."

A National Highways spokesperson commented: "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."