Could the A82 from Glasgow to Fort William be Britain's worst road?

A NOTORIOUS road where campaigners have been fighting a long campaign for improvements has been named as the best in Britain in a new study.

• The A82 winds through the scenic Glen Coe

Experts drove a specially adapted car the length and breadth of the UK to examine road conditions and the physical effects they had on drivers.

The A82 from Glasgow to Fort William was found to be Britain's best road, while the M1 at Sheffield was the worst.

The M8 between Edinburgh and Glasgow, unpopular with many Scottish motorists, was voted third worst.

But one campaigner said the praise for the A82 was "totally absurd" and questioned the methodology used.

The project, run by the synthetic motor oil brand Mobil 1, saw a Mercedes C180 kitted out with sensors to measure the noise and vibration caused by potholes and uneven road surfaces, which were mapped using satellite navigation.

Celebrity chef and motoring enthusiast James Martin drove the car while hooked up to a heart monitor. He also gave regular mouth swabs so researchers could measure the level of stress hormone Cortisol in his body. Scientist were then able to calculate a "road value" by taking the physical readings of the road, dividing by the physiological recordings and multiplying by a "driveability" rating.

The equation is: (Noise + Vibration) / (Stress + Heart Rate) X Driveability.

The "driveability" figure was a subjective value based on how much fun the road was to drive. It took account of congestion, changes in incline, changes in surface and number of bends.

Highly congested, boring straight roads scored badly. The A74 from Lanarkshire to Kirkton was the bumpiest and noisiest road. It recorded decibel levels of more than 80 - the equivalent of blowing a whistle inside the car.

Mr Martin said: "The A82 was a truly outstanding road that I encourage everyone to drive. The road was raw and real, and in this case the vibration and noise made it feel like a real drive.

"The variety of road, the difference in bends, inclines and dramatic changing scenery from loch to valley keeps the driver guessing at every corner."

The A82 goes from Glasgow to Inverness, via Loch Lomond, Glen Coe and Fort William. It is the second longest A road in Scotland after the A9. It runs up the western shore of Loch Lomond, through Crianlarich and Tyndrum, then passes the western fringes of Rannoch Moor, through Glen Coe and along Loch Linnhe to Fort William.

This month, the first steps were taken to remove "temporary" traffic lights erected 33 years ago at a bottleneck.

Transport Scotland published statutory orders for improvements at Pulpit Rock on Loch Lomondside. The overhanging cliff face is a single-lane section.The agency hopes an 11 million improvement scheme, programmed for 2012-13, will eradicate a section that has long frustrated drivers.

According to the A82 Partnership lobby group, there are three times the number of personal injury accidents per mile on the section between Tarbet and Ardlui than on the average single-carriageway road in Scotland.

Chairman Brian Murphy said of the study: "I think they must be drunk or daft. Anyone that knows the road knows how bad it is, and for someone to come away with this is just crazy."