60mph England: Average speed on motorways and A-roads falls to 57mph – its lowest for almost a decade – because of disruption caused by roadworks and smart motorways

Some of Britain’s most important roads are at their slowest for almost a decade due to disruption from roadworks and smart motorways, official figures show.

The average speed on the nation’s motorways and major A-roads dropped to an average of just 57mph in 2023, from around 58.7mph in 2016.

In 2019 the average speed was 3 per cent higher at 57.9mph across National Highways’ Strategic Road Network, despite there being more vehicles on the roads before the Covid-19 pandemic.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: ‘It’s very concerning to see delays on our most important roads increasing to above pre-pandemic levels and average speeds are dropping. 

‘With more people than ever working from home at least part of the week and no growth in the number of cars on the road since then, we’re struggling to see what the cause can be other than roadworks.’

The average speed on Britain’s motorways initially rose at the beginning of the pandemic but has now gone into a sharp drop

The retrofitting of emergency refuge areas on smart motorways has limited capacity on key routes around the country – causing delays and the speed to decrease

The official measurement method of average speed changed in 2015 when it started to combine the average for cars, vans and lorries.

In 2011, before the change, cars averaged 69mph on motorways and 68mph on dual carriageways.

Mr Williams also blamed the speed reduction on the retrofitting of emergency refuge areas on smart motorways.

In April 2023, Rishi Sunak’s Government announced that all new smart motorways would be scrapped due to a lack of confidence from drivers and financial pressures.

Ministers had already paused the construction of new smart motorways, which convert the hard shoulder into another active traffic lane and use variable speed limits, in January 2022.

It pledged not to continue with the rollout until it had five years’ worth of safety data from existing schemes. 

National Highways has committed to building an extra 153 emergency laybys so vehicles can safely pull into if needed across the UK’s existing 400 miles of smart motorways.

Mr Williams added: ‘We’re aware safety concerns relating to the all-lane-running smart motorway experiment have required lots of retrofitting of emergency refuge areas which has limited capacity on these key routes. 

‘While this is necessary, it is also frustrating as it could easily have been avoided had the distance between them not been quietly reduced as more schemes were rolled out over the years.’

The speed finding comes after a study by National Highways, the quango responsible for major roads, showed smart motorways are three times more lethal to break down on than those that retain the safety lane.

Meanwhile the AA has pointed out that motorists on A-roads face so many delays that they now waste a full minute stuck in traffic jams for each mile driven at peak times.

A spokesman said: ‘Even with more working from home and virtual meetings, UK roads are under enormous pressure. Against the benefit of changed work patterns, drivers have had to rely more on their cars. 

‘Inflexible and expensive public transport, strike disruption and loss of rural and other bus services have combined with people having to live further away from urban centres and workplaces to find affordable housing.

In April 2023 year Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced he was halting new smart motorways from being built

Meanwhile the AA has pointed out that motorists on A-roads face so many delays that they now waste a full minute stuck in traffic jams for each mile driven at peak times (File Photo)

‘Motorway traffic at its slowest is one thing, but the same new government statistics show that in towns and cities drivers lose a minute a mile to urban congestion.’

Between 2022 and 2023 there were 2.2 million street and roadworks carried out in England, costing the economy an estimated £4 billion due to traffic jams holding up motorists and slowing economic productivity. 

The rate of motorists facing delays has also been increasing since late-2022 to now above pre-pandemic levels, according to National Highways statistics.

The statistics show the average hold-up on the country’s busy strategic road network last year was 10.5 seconds per vehicle per mile (spvpm). This is up from 9.3 seconds in 2022 and 9.5 seconds in 2019, before the coronavirus crisis. 

Looking at the regional breakdown, year-on-year traffic delays impacted drivers in the West most.

The average delay there rose from 8.1 seconds per mile in 2022 to 9.5 seconds last year – an increase of 17 per cent.

Unsurprisingly, it’s motorists in London who spend the most time stuck in traffic.

The average delay there in 2023 was 15.9 seconds for every vehicle mile, up from 14.7 seconds the year previous. 

The poor speed figures and high rates of delays come despite the amount of traffic on Britain’s motorways remaining lower than prior to the pandemic.

Department for Transport (DfT) figures show traffic on Britain’s motorways in the year to the end of September 2023 was 1.4 per cent below 2019 levels.

Responding to the issue of motorists facing delays, a spokesman for AA said: ‘In the urban context, there are good solutions, such as park and ride/cycle schemes. 

‘Cambridge has achieved astonishing success in converting millions of car journeys into bus trips each year. Why? Because their car parks and bus services are located in the right place, at the right time and, crucially, at the right price.

Smart motorways had proved controversial due to their safety record (stock image)

The poor speed figures and high rates of delays come despite the amount of traffic on Britain’s motorways remaining lower than prior to the pandemic (Stock photo)

 ‘Some councils are exploiting congestion they helped to create by taxing workers through a Workplace Parking Levy. Others like Cambridge have found a solution that works for all.’

A spokesperson for National Highways said: ‘We know delays are frustrating but a number of factors contribute to slower moving traffic. 

‘The make-up of vehicles on the road is changing with more HGVs and larger vehicles together with fewer cars. This brings average speeds down.

‘Roadworks are only in place where it is absolutely necessary. Our programme of improvements will result in long term benefits for motorists – shorter and more reliable journeys as well as safer and smoother roads. This work will help boost the economy.’

A DfT spokesperson said: ‘This Government backs drivers, which is why we’re getting on with our plan to invest over £24bn into our roads to reduce congestion, improve road safety and grow the economy.

‘As well as investing more into new and improved roads, we have a Plan for Drivers to slam the brakes on anti-driver measures and help keep our country moving.’

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk