Where is the fastest road in Lancashire?

But at the other end of the scale, vehicles sped along the M61 southbound between J8 and J6 and the M61 southbound at the Bolton West Services between J8 and J6 at an average of 74.3mph – making them the fastest sections of road in the area.

Across England, motorists suffered a 3.9 per cent increase in delays on motorways and major A roads last year. Journeys took an average of 9.4 seconds per mile longer than if vehicles were able to drive at the speed limit, according to the DfT, up from 9.0 seconds during the previous year. It suggests that driving along a 10-mile section of road with a 60mph limit typically took 11 minutes and 34 seconds last year, compared with 10 minutes in free flow conditions.

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: “More congestion means more wasted time and money, which is clearly bad news for drivers, but it may be a case of short-term pain for longer term gain.

“Much work is being carried out on our motorways to improve capacity by upgrading them to smart motorways, but this inevitably causes delays.

“Nonetheless, extra capacity is badly needed as Britain now has around 38 million vehicles registered for use, and in the 10 years from 2007 more than four million extra vehicles came on to the road.”