The Worst Roads to Commute on in the UK

Busy Motorway

Did you know — the average Brit spends around a year of their lives getting to and from work? That’s a scary statistic, especially when you consider that well over 11 million of us tackle the traffic on our way to work each and every day. But what are the worst roads to commute on in the UK, and how does your commute compare to some of the country’s most stressful, hectic and snail paced travel routes?

M6

M6 

Wherever you join the dreaded M6 on your way to work, chances are you won’t get far before you’re faced with a wall of brake lights. One of the worst affected stretches on the motorway occurs between Wigan and Sandbach, with thousands of motorists jockeying for position as the carriageway passes such commuter hotspots as Manchester, Warrington and Liverpool.

 

M50

If your office is located at either end of the notorious M50, we feel your pain. Crossing three borders — Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire — this 22-mile motorway has some of the worst hold-ups on any major road in the country, with only a third of drivers arriving at their destination on time during the morning and evening rush hour.

 

A52, Nottinghamshire

A52

Spare a thought for those that work in Nottingham city centre, particularly if they travel on the infamous A52. With rush-hour speeds averaging just 5mph on this single lane carriageway, it’s little wonder the A52 is often listed amongst the worst commuter routes in the UK.

 

A4, Greater London

With an average of 90 delay hours per year, London’s A4 is arguably one of the busiest, most queue-logged highways in the country. For the commuters that travel on this devilish A-road on a daily basis, their commute is likely to cost them around 30 hours of their free-time each year. Think about that the next time you’re stuck in a five-minute queue.

 

A23, Sussex

A23

Another A-road that proves a real headache for daily commuters is the A23 in East Sussex. As one of the primary routes linking London with Brighton, this is one of the busiest and most hectic driving roads anywhere in the South East — with thousands upon thousands of red-in-the-face motorists tackling the route each day on their way to the capital.

M60, Greater Manchester

 

Not a day goes by that Manchester’s notorious ring road, the M60, doesn’t suffer a tailback or two. Serving hundreds of thousands of commuters each day, this motorway suffers some of the worst traffic jams anywhere in the country — with motorists regularly faced with delays of two hours or more on their way to and from work.

 

M56, Greater Manchester and Cheshire

M56

Linking Greater Manchester with the Cheshire commuter belt, the M56 is a classic commuter route that’s become synonymous with long queues and seemingly endless construction works. Given that it passes Manchester Airport, the carriageway has a tendency to bottleneck around junction 5 — leaving many Manchester-bound commuters facing a stop-start crawl into the city.

 

If you’re one of the millions of motorists tearing your hair out during the daily commute — we salute you. Whether you have to drive ten miles or one hundred miles to get to work, Redex fuel additives can help get you there without breaking the bank. To find out more about our fuel additives, click here to visit the Redex website.

Images sourced via Flickr Creative Commons and geograph.org.uk. Credit: Highways Agency, J.Hannan-Briggs, ceiling, David Dixon, Paul Townsend.