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.
Full list of road closures set to be in place for Manchester Day 2024
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Day is back for 2024 this weekend, and the full list of road closures set to be in place has been confirmed.
Now that schools are officially out across Greater Manchester, and the summer holidays are well and truly here, the hugely-popular Manchester Day is making a return once again this Saturday 27 July, and as always, it’s set to be “the day summer officially starts” in the city centre – with a massive celebration of “all things Mancunian” on the cards.
The theme of this year’s annual event is ‘Let The Games Begin’, and it’s inspired by the international summer of sport, just 2024 Olympics kicks off over in Paris.
The day will be packed full of free events and activities to get involved with.
Some city centre roads will be closed on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 July for Manchester Day.
These will include:
🛣️Deansgate 🛣️St Ann Street 🛣️St Mary’s Gate 🛣️Market Street 🛣️King Street
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) July 21, 2024
But of course, in order for the all the fun to go ahead as safely as possible, and as tends to be the case for events like these, Manchester City Council says it will need to make some temporary road closures to facilitate it.
The full list of road closures has now been confirmed by the Council, and there’s some major city centre thoroughfares set to be out of action.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Manchester Day is back for 2024 to celebrate the international summer of sport / Credit: Manchester City Council
Manchester Day 2024 – Road Closures
Saturday 27 July
From 6am to 11:59pm, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the following roads will be closed:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street) – access will be maintained to Marks and Spencer’s car park and Number One Deansgate.
St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street (Cross Street to Deansgate) – no access for deliveries.
All accessible bays, bus lanes, and taxi ranks within the closed areas will also be suspended during from 6pm on Friday 26 July to 11:59pm on Saturday 27 July.
The parking suspensions set to be in place are:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street)
St Ann Street – including the bays outside St Ann’s Church (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Southgate (St Mary’s Street to King Street West)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Victoria Street (Cathedral Approach to Deansgate)
Todd Street (Corporation Street to Station Approach)
King Street (Spring Gardens to Southgate)
South King Street (Ridgefield to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street West (Deansgate to St Mary’s Parsonage)
St James’s Square (John Dalton Street to South King Street)
Cross Street (King Street to Corporation Street)
Museum Street (Peter Street to Windmill Street)
Marsden Street (Cheapside to Brown Street)
Manchester Day 2024: Let The Games Begin! will take over the city centre on Saturday 27 July from 12pm-6pm.
Check out everything you need to know ahead of the event here.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete
Emily Sergeant
Work currently underway on the Rochdale via Oldham line is expected to take several weeks to complete.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has confirmed that land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has now “slowed”, and this means that detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works have been able to get underway.
In order for trams to run again on the crucial line from the city centre to the two major Greater Manchester towns, TfGM says that a small section of track has to be moved back – also known as ‘slewed’ – into its original position.
The overhead line poles also need to be repaired too, the transport operator revealed.
Rochdale line update
Land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has slowed, enabling detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works to get underway.
To get trams running again, a small section of track has to be moved back into its original position… pic.twitter.com/byERjitdi1
Unfortunately though, due to the “complex” nature of these works, and despite the fact that TfGM says it’s actively looking to “accelerate” the repairs, the project is expected to take up to five weeks to complete in full.
On top of this, the detailed ground investigations will also establish whether any further work to strengthen foundations beneath the track will be needed at a later date.
TfGM has apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete / Credit: TfGM
Speaking on the scale of works currently underway, and how long he expects them to continue for, Pete Sommers, who is TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “I’m sorry for the impact this is having, and will continue to have, on people’s journeys.
“We are working to get trams running through the area again, but this remains a complex and challenging issue and it could still be a few weeks before this happens.
“We will of course keep passengers updated, and I’d encourage people to check our social media channels and website for the latest information and advice.”