Four motorways across Greater Manchester have been named among the top 10 slowest in England, according to new data.
While the country’s extensive network of motorways are to be credited with keeping us all moving and connected, there’s no denying they can also be massively frustrating, especially when we find ourselves stuck in stationary traffic or facing heavy delays that are out of our control.
Some motorways are definitely more prone to delays than others though, and prove to be routes that regular road users dread travelling on.
But which of England’s motorways are actually the slowest?
Leading car insurance comparison platform, Comparethemarket, decided to get to the bottom of it by carrying out some research using Department for Transport (DfT) congestion statistics data to reveal which routes across the country have the slowest average speeds, and where drivers can expect to experience the longest delays too.
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The A627(M) in Greater Manchester / Credit: David Dixon (via Geograph)
Probably unsurprisingly, London has the slowest collection of motorways in the country, with average speeds of 50.8 miles per hour, and also has the longest delay times across its multiple motorways, with average delays are around 13.8 seconds per vehicle per mile.
The highest-ranking Greater Manchester route on the slowest motorways list is the A627(M) at fifth place, which runs between Chadderton and Rochdale – with an average speed of 49mph.
This is then closely followed by the M602 – which is a four-mile route leading traffic into Salford towards Manchester by-passing Eccles – at number seven on the list with an average speed of 53mph, and the M67 – which heads east from the M60 motorway passing through Denton and Hyde, before ending near Mottram in Tameside – at number eight with an average speed of 53.8mph.
Top 10 Slowest Motorways in England
A308(M) Maidenhead – 30.8mph
A38(M) Birmingham – 44.2mph
M32 Bristol – 48mph
M181 Scunthorpe – 48.6mph
A627(M) Greater Manchester – 49mph
M621 Leeds – 49.8mph
M602 Greater Manchester – 53.3mph
M67 Greater Manchester – 53.8mph
M606 West Yorkshire – 53.9mph
M60 Manchester – 54.5mph
Closing out the list at 10th place is arguably the region’s most major motorway route – the M60.
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The M60 motorway, along with the Manchester Ring Motorway or Manchester Outer Ring Road, is an orbital motorway passing through most of Greater Manchester’s boroughs and encompassing most of Manchester – with an average speed of 54.5mph.
The slowest motorway is the A308(M) in Maidenhead, which is also considered one of England’s shortest at just 0.6 miles long, with average speeds of just 30.8mph.
Four Greater Manchester motorways rank in the top 10 slowest in England / Credit: Comparethemarket
Overall, when the average speed is combined with the longest delay times, the North West ranks as the fourth most affected region in England.
Winter months October, November, and December came out as the slowest months for motorway traffic, and also have the longest delay times – which Compare The Market says is because weather can have a big impact on driving conditions, with fog, icy roads, and heavy rain leading to increased risk of accidents, and therefore delays.
Drivers also tend to be more cautious with speeds during adverse weather conditions, which will bring down overall speeds on the road.
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April and May are the fastest months on England’s motorways, and also have the shortest delay times.
This is perhaps because the Spring months tend to offer better driving conditions and are also outside of the school summer holidays, which means less chance of holiday traffic.
Manchester locals appealing for more information over a month after from finding family member’s body
Danny Jones
A Greater Manchester family are still calling for more information now over a month on from the discovery of a man’s body at his Chorlton home.
William Riddell, 49, was found dead in the bedroom of a property on Astbury Avenue at approximately 11:35pm on Sunday, 10 November after being found by his stepdaughter, Sarah Hayden.
Details surrounding his passing are still scarce but a 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder but has since been released on bail “pending further enquiries”, leaving Sarah and the rest of her family still none the wiser as to the exact nature of his death.
Preparing to spend their first Christmas without him, they have issued a desperate appeal for more information, urging anyone who might have information to come forward.
#APPEAL | The family of a man who died last month are appealing to the public for information as they face their first Christmas without him.
Billy Riddell was sadly found dead at his property in Manchester, with enquiries continuing.
Riddell, more commonly known as Billy by those close to him, was described as a “good, caring man with a big heart” and a popular figure in the local area.
Speaking via Greater Manchester Police, Sarah, said: “I want to be Billy’s voice and get answers for him. Billy was a nice and lovely man and all the community knew who he was. He was well-liked and we gave him a good send-off at his funeral.
“I would just ask anyone who knew him or has any information to come forward and tell police. Even if you think it’s a little or small thing – please come forward. We just want to get to the bottom of what has happened.”
Detective Inspector Alex Wilkinson, who serves on GMP‘s Major Incident Team, added in an official statement: “The family of Billy deserve answers following his death and we are working hard to ensure they get exactly that.
“We have closely supported Sarah and the wider family over the last month, and we will continue to provide assistance wherever we can as they face their first Christmas without him.
“While a suspect has been bailed, we are still working flat-out to understand more about Billy’s life, the people he was close to, and events leading up to his death just over a month ago.”
With that in mind, both GMP and Riddell’s family are asking anyone who might know anything or have information regarding people associated with Billy to come forward, reiterating that “even if you consider something to be small – your help could greatly benefit our investigation.”
You can contact police via 101 or by using the live chat function HERE, quoting log 3227 of 10/11/24.
Alternatively, you can contact the UK’s independent charity, Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online.
Government aims to ‘turn the tide’ on homelessness with £1 billion funding boost
Emily Sergeant
Nearly £1 billion of funding is being pumped into Council budgets to help “break the cycle of spiralling homelessness” in 2025.
As part of the Government‘s wider ‘Plan For Change’, and in a bid to help tackle, reduce, and prevent homelessness next year, it’s been announced that more resources will be be made available for workers on the frontline who provide essential services to get rough sleepers off the street and into secure housing.
This significant investment means Councils will now be “better equipped” to step in early and stop households from becoming homeless in the first place.
According to the Government’s plans, these funded measures will include mediation with landlords or families to prevent evictions, helping homeless people find new homes, and providing deposits to access private renting.
This government is determined to tackle, reduce and prevent homelessness.
— Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Gov (@mhclg) December 18, 2024
The funding will also be used to address the growing use of B&Bs and nightly-let accommodation, and the streamlining of funding structures to make it easier for Councils to spend their cash.
Areas across the UK can also choose to channel resources into services such as Housing First.
Housing First has been massively successful in Greater Manchester, and has helped house hundreds of our region’s rough sleepers since it was first piloted, being described as “life-changing” along the way.
More than £633 million of the funding will be allocated for the Homelessness Prevention Grant – which is a £192 million increase from this year – while £185.6 million will go to the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, more than £37 million to the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme, and £5 million will be for the Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots.
This new £1 billion funding boost comes after it was announced back in September that Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions will be abolished in England next year as part of the landmark Renters’ Rights Bill.
It will also look to support the Government’s ambition to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation – with an extra £500 million ploughed into the Affordable Homes Programme to build tens of thousands of affordable homes across the country.
Emily Sergeant -
15th May 2023 
