Misery as drivers hit with 56mph motorway speed limits
New figures have found that drivers taking to the motorways are subject to much slower speed limits than they realise as roadworks increase.
A new study has found that the typical speed limits experienced on a number of the UK's most popular motorways has plummeted as roadworks increase.
Whilst many drivers welcome moves to improve damage on the road network, figures from the Department for Transport found that the average motorway speed in the UK during the 12 months leading to September 2024 was just 56.2mph.
A spokesperson for National Highways noted that speeds are lowered in stretches where roadworks are taking place in order to keep workers as safe as possible.
They explained: "Safety is our number one priority and the improvements we are making across the country will keep road users safer in the long term.
"We've committed to delivering additional safety benefits on our motorways and will remove roadworks as soon as we can. All our projects are carefully planned to minmise disruption and keep the country moving."
According to the study, the slowest-moving motorway in the country is the M621, which spans 7.7 miles from the M62 to the M1. Between September 2023 and September 2024, the average speed limit imposed on the road was just 43.3mph.
The popular M25 motorway that orbits London also scored poorly in the study, with congestion limiting the typical speed limit to 53.6mph during the 12-month period.
The M60 near Manchester scored slightly worse, with an average speed limit of 53.4mph in the year-lond period. However, the figure is an improvement on 2017 figures, when vehicles typically travelled at speeds of just 46mph.
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Nevertheless, the data also found that some motorways had particularly high average speed limits due to a lack of congestion problems and roadworks.
The fastest in the country is the M6 Toll, the only motorway in the country that drivers must pay to use, in which motorists were subject to an average speed limit of 66.2mph.
The M50 followed closely, with a typical speed limit of 66mph, whilst drivers using the M40 often travel with a limit of 65.6mph.
While motorways across the country were subject to a wide range of average speed limits throughout the 12-month period, the data also found that motorists across the UK are facing longer delays on the road.
The Department for Transport found that drivers experienced an average delay of 11.4 seconds per vehicle per mile in the year leading up to September 2024.
This is a 10.7 percent rise over figures from 2023, with the blame once again partially put on the rising amount of roadworks taking place across the network.
