DRIVERS have rated the M5 as the most popular motorway according to a new survey.

The motorway which runs through Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and serves as a gateway to the south of England topped a survey conducted by the independent watchdog Transport Focus.

In the Strategic Roads User Survey, the M5 motorway between the Midlands and the South West had the highest overall satisfaction at 82 per cent, up from 74 per cent last year in position and rankings.

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More than 9000 road users took part in the watchdog’s survey about their last journey on a motorway or major ‘A’ road managed by National Highways.

Road users were most satisfied with the M5 due to the time their journey took, good traffic flow and the road not being too busy during their journey.

Coming second was the M40 at 82 per cent* overall satisfaction, doing well again after being the most highly rated road last year (79 per cent).

The M6 was rated the least popular motorway with the lowest level of satisfaction (66 per cent).

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Journeys on smart motorways had lower levels of satisfaction with road users than those that did not include a smart section (smart 69 per cent; not smart 76 per cent).

Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus said: “England’s motorways and major ‘A’ roads are at the heart of how many of us move around the country. It’s good to see the M5 and M40 perform well.

“As the so-called backbone of Britain, the M6 is a vital route which National Highways must continue to focus on delivering safe, smooth journeys. We’ll continue to keep pushing National Highways to improve these issues.”