The average speed on motorways has dropped to its lowest level since before the pandemic to 57mph as more road maintenance has resulted in drivers having longer delays and facing traffic more often.
Drivers in 2023 saw average speeds drop by 1.9 per cent from 58.1mph in 2022 and down 1.7 per cent from 58mph in 2019.
While speed levels have dropped, traffic has increased as more cars are on the road following the pandemic.
Several roads in 2023 saw significant increases in travel times due to major upgrades and maintenance projects which impacted the number of delays in these areas.
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The M6 saw speeds drop to 58mph from 58.7mph in 2022
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These roadworks include amendments to road surfaces on the A12 in Essex and the A4 near Wiltshire.
Meanwhile, the M621 in Leeds continues to undergo a resurfacing program, as well as adjacent lane and junction closures.
In the Greater London Authority, average speeds dropped to 51.4mph from 52.4mph in 2022, while the sub-national transport body in the east of England showed it fall to 55.4mph from 56.5mph the previous year.
Data from Transport for the North declined to 57.2mph from 58.3mph and in the Midlands Connect region, speed dropped to 56.7mph from 57.5mph.
Popular motorway routes have also been impacted by slower speeds due to traffic with the M6 seeing speeds drop to 58mph from 58.7mph in 2022.
The motorway is the longest one in the UK and is just over 230 miles from the Midlands to the border with Scotland.
Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, warned that it is concerning to see delays on some of the most important roads increasing to above pre-pandemic levels.
With more people working from home at least part of the week and no growth in the number of cars on the road since then, Williams said the RAC is struggling to see what the cause can be other than roadworks.
Williams remarked that the insurance company is aware of safety concerns relating to the all-lane-running smart motorway experiment.
The expert said that it has required lots of retrofitting of emergency refuge areas which has limited capacity on key routes.
While this is necessary, he said, it is also frustrating as it could have easily been avoided if the distance between them had not been quietly reduced as more schemes were rolled out over the years.
Williams added: “Given today’s disappointing findings, it’s more important than ever that National Highways, which is responsible for the strategic road network, is given sufficient funds in the next five-year road investment settlement to tackle these issues head on.
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The M6 is the longest motorway in the UK and is just over 230 miles
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“As this is just about to be agreed, time is of the essence.”
