Vehicle finance provider Moneybarn has standardised the latest data available across 47 regions* for key driver annoyances including the number of speed cameras, potholes, traffic and delays to determine which areas are the best and worst places to drive.
| Least frustrating places to drive | Overall frustration score | # | Most frustrating places to drive | Overall frustration score |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 0.31 | 1 | Greater London | 8.63 |
| County Durham | 0.67 | 2 | Greater Manchester | 7.67 |
| Northumberland | 0.72 | 3 | West Midlands | 6.06 |
| Shropshire | 0.86 | 4 | Lancashire | 5.68 |
| Herefordshire | 1.05 | 5 | West Yorkshire | 5.07 |
| Wiltshire | 1.17 | 6 | Surrey | 5.01 |
| Dorset | 1.18 | 7 | Kingston Upon Hull | 4.55 |
| Lincolnshire | 1.34 | 8 | Berkshire | 4.55 |
| North Yorkshire | 1.4 | 9 | Bedfordshire | 4.47 |
| Cornwall | 1.45 | 10 | Essex | 4.47 |
With a mere 22 reported speed cameras, minor delays and average A-road speeds of nearly 40mph, East Riding of Yorkshire is named one of the best places to drive.
Although the area receives typically low levels of funding**, the council has made persistent efforts to improve its local roads for motorists. It has set up an annual surface-dressing scheme and implemented a 24/7 on-call crew to fix the most dangerous potholes.
This strategy has clearly helped as East Riding of Yorkshire has one of the lowest pothole counts in the country. There is currently only 504 recorded in the area. In comparison, East Sussex has the most, with a record 7,245 potholes recorded.
Following in second and third place are County Durham (0.67), Northumberland (0.72) and Shropshire (0.86), all making up the top five for the least frustrating places to drive.
On the other end of the scale, Greater London (8.63) is ranked the worst overall, receiving the title as the most frustrating place to drive in England.
Scoring the worst for traffic (10), long delay times (10), averaging 101.9 seconds per vehicle per mile, this may come as no surprise to London residents. London also receives the sixth lowest Local Highways Maintenance Funding, out of the counties analysed.
The difference in local driving conditions between East Riding of Yorkshire and Greater London is staggering. In comparison, London has 12 times the number of potholes, equalling to 10 per every square mile, whereas the East Riding of Yorkshire has less than 1 per every square mile***. London motorists experience 5x longer delays while commuting compared to their northern counterparts – with some drivers enduring over 90 minute waits on certain journeys in the capital including the North and South circular – and averaging less than half the speed, due to higher traffic volumes.
Greater Manchester (7.67), West Midlands (6.06), Lancashire (5.68), West Yorkshire (5.07), complete the five most frustrating places to drive.
Surprisingly, regions such as Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire received an astounding £57.2m and £56m cash injection, to improve their road infrastructures. However, both still appear in the list of the top 10 most frustrating places to drive, due to poor scores for pothole numbers, traffic and delays.
Tim Schwarz, Head of Marketing at Moneybarn, commented on the findings:
“It’s been fascinating to analyse the latest data to reveal which areas provide the best and worst driving experiences for motorists and it’s encouraging to see investments paying off in areas like East Riding of Yorkshire.
“However, it’s clear big cash injections aren’t always the answer to a better driving experience and there’s still more work needed to improve commutes in large city-based areas like Greater London, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.”
To see the scores in full, Moneybarn’s The Most Frustrating Places To Drive interactive can be viewed here.
ENDS