A27 in Sussex ranked second worst A road in England

The A27, which stretches from Pevensey, near Eastbourne, around the edge of Worthing, and to Chichester, is a busy road for commuters in the county and connects Sussex to Hampshire.

But in a recent survey by the independent watchdog Transport Focus the road was rated the second worst A road in England.

More than 9,000 road users were asked about their last journey on a motorway or major A road managed by National Highways.  

More than a third of road users were unhappy with the A27 as it scored a 63 per cent satisfaction rate.

It was second only to the A12, which connects Lowestoft in Suffolk to London where the satisfaction rate was just 55 per cent.

As well as being asked about their recent journeys, participants were also questioned about journey times and the quality of the road surface.

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Queues on the A27 towards Hove

The survey was designed to give National Highways and the government an idea of people's experiences on major roads and motorways and to show where improvements were needed.

Alex Robertson, chief executive at the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said:  "Drivers tell us that the maintenance of motorways and major roads – how most of us get around the country – is more important to them than building new roads.

"With road user perceptions of road surface quality deteriorating since 2022 and declining satisfaction with journey times, National Highways must continue to focus on delivering safe, smooth journeys. 

"We’re committed to working with the Government and National Highways to help them to deliver on road users’ top priorities – improved journey times and satisfaction with surface quality."

Overall, 71 per cent of road users were satisfied with their journey, this is a decrease from 73 per cent last year.  

Satisfaction with road surface quality has also declined to 68 per cent compared with 73 per cent last year.  

“Maintaining and investing in our roads is a priority and our most recent assessment shows that over 96 per cent of them are in good condition," a spokeswoman for National Highways.

“We have a robust programme of improvements which will provide long term benefits for motorists, including shorter and more reliable journeys.”

The full list of A roads ranked from best to worst is:

1. A19 – 85 per cent
2. A1(M) – 76 per cent
3. A38 – 75 per cent
4. A46 – 74 per cent
5. A30 – 73 per cent
6. A1 – 71 per cent
7. A2 – 71 per cent
8. A14 – 71 per cent
9. A47 – 69 per cent
10. A5 – 69 per cent
11. A34 – 64 per cent
12. A3 – 64 per cent
13. A27 – 63 per cent
14. A12 – 55 per cent