The four most flagged roads in the Hunter Valley this year were the New England Highway, Wollombi Road, the Golden Highway and Bucketts Way.

While congestion was the cause of most red flags being dropped on the New England Highway, concern about narrow lanes applied both to this road and others in the region.

Poor road surface was the major gripe of Wollombi Road users – particularly in Millfield, where the road received several red flags and was labelled a “disgrace”.

As its four-year upgrade nears completion, Broke Road still received a couple of mentions, but was nowhere near its      dubious position at the top of last year’s list.

NRMA president Kyle Loades said that “maintenance and improvements need to be ongoing” throughout the region.

“The NRMA found earlier this year that councils in the Hunter area have a combined road maintenance backlog $360 million,” Mr Loades said.

“Well beyond the frustration experienced by visitors and commercial traffic, these roads are used daily by thousands of residents.

“Tourists descend en masse at the weekend, so our local roads are subject to unusual wear.

“A greater proportion of the fuel excise must be directed back into roads.”

More than 7000 NRMA members took part in the survey.