The UK's Most Pointless Highways

[p4p3rc1ip 2]

(Other countries feel free to start their own ones)

Yeah, everyone complains about roads like the M1, M6 and M25, but imagine trying to drive long-distance without them! London would be 100x busier, and we'd have no northwards routes.

So what are our REAL pathetic motorways? They could be really odd. They are almost always really short. They could be mostly unbuilt. They could be quiet. Or prehaps just not very well known. They could be everything! Here are my nominations:

M10 & M45:

Two in one here. When the M1 was being built it was our first proper motorway. At the very last minute the planners realised that three lanes of traffic would suddenly hit the 1950s road network, and there would be queues for miles back up the M1. So the plan was this: these two roads would halve the amount of traffic at the end. The M45 would take northbound traffic into Coventry and the M10 would take southbound traffic in to St. Alban. And it worked! But in todays world the M45s job has been taken by the M6, so it is deadly quiet. And the M10 is deadly short. When the M1 widening works are complete the M10 shall be downgraded to an a-road.

M271:

It has a horrible surface. It's only junction where you don't have to stop (out of four) doesn't meet a numbered road. It has a roundabout IN THE MIDDLE of it.

A6144(M):

This road was lost on the 24th of May 2004. But we can still laugh at it - it was our only FULLY SINGLE CARRIAGEWAY MOTORWAY! Yep, one lane each way, no barrier, just loads of 'two way traffic' signs reminding you. This offered you the rare chance to do 70mph on the motorway. The idea was that non-motorway traffic couldn't turn round at the end because the roundabouts were too small. So when the M60 was widened, the two tiny ones were replaced with one large roundabout, and the road was no longer a motorway. But like all former motorways, it had a ban on all non-motorway traffic except learner drivers. So other than lowering the speed limit, what was achieved?

M58:

This must be our only motorway which is incomplete at either end! Four out of it's six junctions are pathetic, including one at either end. At the eastern end the road becomes single carriageway. It was meant to temporarrily allow traffic to get to Bolton until the road was completed, but nothing happened.

A329(M):

It has no central barriers down the middle! It was also meant to be much longer, including an extention to SW London at the southern end. Recently the northern end was turned into a-road so they could put 300 yards of bus lanes on it.

A601(M):

As the M6 was built in sections, when this section was finished it had a temporarrily sharp bend and 'jumped' to the nearest road. When the M6 was extended, it was extended from the end of the section because it was facing the wrong way. It was extended from where J35 is today. This left a little 'hangy off bit'. Then, when lorries for the quarriers were complaining about having to go the long way round, a link road was built, single carriageway. The road was also given a number, the A601(M), which means 'A601 under motorway regulations'. But the A601 is in Derby, so how does that work?

M49:

Provides a 3 miles shortcut between the M4 and M5 for no real reason really. It's deadly boring and deadly quiet, and has no junctions to call it's own! One belongs to the M4, one belongs to the M5.

There are a few more that I can't think of right now.

[callagrafx 3]

M49:

Provides a 3 miles shortcut between the M4 and M5 for no real reason really. It's deadly boring and deadly quiet, and has no junctions to call it's own! One belongs to the M4, one belongs to the M5.quote>

It's a pressure release from the M5/M4 junction at Bristol...and boy was it needed.

[Duke87 1,070]

Open questions:

Why is it you have absolutely no pattern or system to the numbering? And why is it that no one outside the US and Canada has Discovered Milepost (or Kilometerpost) numbering of exits?

[SC4Noobie 5]

I seriously have the exact same questions as duke.... mileposts help alot when 2 cars are trying to stay together, and to approximate locations.

[callagrafx 3]

Why should there be a pattern? And motorways are numbered according to the A-road that preceeded them...for example, the main A road that rings London is the A25...so logic dictates the Motorway is called the M25, with the M prefix standing for, guess what..Motorway.

And here in the UK we don't need mileposts....we have landmarks (preety things to look at), not hundreds of miles of nothing

[LBraden 14]

well, for the British, I live near the M62, J32, everyone else, Castleford, West Yorkshire.

the M62 is sometimes clogged, the A1(M) is not to far from me, and so it the M1, and if one is closed, we get tonnes of cars blocking the M62 to get to the other

[mc_gringo 0]

in finland we have a very "narrow" highway network. according to the wikipedia, finland only has 650 km of highways (approx. 400 miles)

most highways only have 2 lanes in each direction. the widest highway i've seen in the helsinki region is 3 lanes + onramp.

thats pretty pathetic imo.

here's a shot from Highway 4 (finnish name) or E75 (european name). Highway 4 connects southern finland to the north. it goes all the way from helsinki in the south to the very northern parts of finland.

the first 150 km of it is highway. thats probably the busiest part. there is small segments of highway classified route by major cities. otherwise it only has 1 lane in each direction and sometimes an overtaking lane.

this would be a typical finnish highway.

this pic is from Highway 5. the 5 splits from where the highway part of the 4 ends and joins up with the 4 up north.

overtaking lane close to the city of mikkeli.

maybe this is a little off topic. but imo the finnish highway system is pretty pathetic compared to other european countries (i.e. belgium which i consider more as my home after having spent the most of my life there).

since i am in a very happy mood right now, i'll post my favourite highway pic. its from close to a major interchange on the brussels ringroad.

[LBraden 14]

I have been round Germany, Northern France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Holland, and I know how much better Euro roads are compaired to ours, and if you see the sigh saying Antwerpen, I have been there a few times

anyway, back to SC4 and cooling off

[Horus_Kol 118]

Originally posted by: Duke87 Open questions:

Why is it you have absolutely no pattern or system to the numbering? And why is it that no one outside the US and Canada has Discovered Milepost (or Kilometerpost) numbering of exits?

quote>

'A' class roads follow a radial system from London - the A1 being the most important route to the north, and progressing in a clockwise pattern to the A6 (north-west)...

the A7-A9 are in Scotland and radiate from Edinburgh (I think).

Motorways are numbered after the A road they were to support (so, the M6 follows the A6 from Manchester to Scotland, for example).

The tributaries are numbered in the same way as in America (as far as I know) - with the A12 being the second tributary road of the A1 as you head away from London... and the A329 being the 9th tributary of the 2nd of the A3...

It just seems confusing because of the small space we have to fit all our roads in...

[SystemUK 0]

Originally posted by: Duke87 Open questions:

Why is it you have absolutely no pattern or system to the numbering? And why is it that no one outside the US and Canada has Discovered Milepost (or Kilometerpost) numbering of exits?

quote>

 

I don't really get what you mean. These?

We have these all over the place and not just for junctions and urban centres.

They are always after the entrance to the motorway and usually numerous times inbetween.

[Glenni 1,444]

lol and you call  motorways in the UK pathetic....look at the one's we have over here in Norway.... i mean theyre in good shape and all but mostly NOT 4 lanes!

[Cody02 0]

Originally posted by: SystemUK

Originally posted by: Duke87 Open questions:

Why is it you have absolutely no pattern or system to the numbering? And why is it that no one outside the US and Canada has Discovered Milepost (or Kilometerpost) numbering of exits?

quote>

 

I don't really get what you mean. These?

We have these all over the place and not just for junctions and urban centres.

They are always after the entrance to the motorway and usually numerous times inbetween.quote>

Whate Duke means is that every mile you go on an Interstate Highway in the United States you have a mile marker that marks each mile, so even if you don't have one of those signs that tell the distance to the next city; you know where you are. Which in the UK probably aren't needed as much seeing how you don't have freeways that go long distances in the middle of nowhere. Here is a picture of one:

[Equilibria 16]

Cody02: Well sort of, but we go even farther in some places. Most US states and Canadian provinces don't number their exits sequentially (1...2...3...4...) but instead based on the mile marker nearest to which they occur. In urban areas with many exits close together, this results in a lot of A/B/C markings, but in the country it means that you can know exactly how far you are from your exit whether or not your destination is a major city.

[PhilsCafe 8]

^ If I'm not mistaken, we have these in Switzerland (usually in the middle of the highway, rather inconspicuous but they're there). And I think France has these too... are you guys sure you don't have them in the UK? Anyway, we don't need them actually since on- and off-ramps are quite frequent.

[mc_gringo 0]

i've seen them in belgium too. correct me if i've seen wrong

[ILL Tonkso 1,236]

I wouldnt say its pathetic, look at this Junction in Birmingham.

Good modern roada here on the M6

And check This out. Rememer this is just our Motorways, which are the UK version of a US interstate, our standard Highways are the A Roads. Also we have a much developed national rail network to support this.

[callagrafx 3]

I think Tonks, the thread was a poke at the "pointless" roads, but that's a great pic of Spagetti Junction.. Driven round that bubba a few times

[p4p3rc1ip 2]

A note about numbering.

This is 100% certainly the way roads are numbered, as it seems people are confused.

In England and Wales, the motorways M1-M6 form boundaries for different zones, and all radiate from either Birmingham or London. For example, east of the M1 all motorways will begin with a 1.

Only in Scotland do the motorways use the a-roads they follow.

Good modern roada here on the M6quote>

No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!

That peice of M6 is HORRIBLE. For a start, the junctions are far too close, and three lanes of busy M6 have to all have to try and move over onto the empty M6 Toll. It sounds easy, but it just doesn't work. And for a modern road it's very congested.

For modern roads, try the A1(M) at Ferrybridge, M25 at Heathrow or the M60 at Old Trafford.

[LBraden 14]

p4p3rc1ip: the A1(M) Ferrybridge is not to faraway from me, the new junction is reasonable if not complex, and has caused a lot of problems as it took a lot of work, the M62 only had 4 lanes of traffic

[The boy formerly known as Evil Muzz 27]

I live very close to the A1 (about 300 yds... literally, I can hear the traffic now) and at this part it's a pretty pathetic road. It's only dual carriageway, but thats because rural East Lothian isn't high on the list of places with busiest traffic... The A1 is Britain's principle road, going all the way from Edinburgh to London. There aren't many motorways here, we have the M8 which is Edinburgh to Glasgow, and yes, that follows the A8. Then there's the M74, which is Glasgow to Carlsile (or possibly only the English border, I'm not sure). Then the M90, Perth to Edinburgh. Then the M9, Edinburgh to Dunblane... And that's about it... Lol, hope you are enlightened by this edition of "Motorways of Scotland..."

[p4p3rc1ip 2]

The M74 only goes to Annandale. The A74(M) then goes from there to the border.

And FWIW there are five new stretches of motorway proposed for Scotland.

It's a pressure release from the M5/M4 junction at Bristol...and boy was it needed.quote>

Because if all this traffic was there it would be heavily congested?

(photos taken on a Monday evening 2003)

I'm not convinced.

[Horus_Kol 118]

Originally posted by: p4p3rc1ip

That peice of M6 is HORRIBLE. For a start, the junctions are far too close, and three lanes of busy M6 have to all have to try and move over onto the empty M6 Toll. It sounds easy, but it just doesn't work. And for a modern road it's very congested.

For modern roads, try the A1(M) at Ferrybridge, M25 at Heathrow or the M60 at Old Trafford.quote>

I've been driving through Birmingham for years, and I love the new Toll Road (which isn't so empty anymore as people have learnt it is quicker and it cost more in petrol to sit on the M6 at junctions 6 and 7).

The M60? Should be okay once they finally stopped digging it up... I drove round it earlier this year, and had to go up the slip-road and down the other to avoid the works on ALL SIX LANES!

As far as junction numbers go - there is a weird couple of ones on the M4... There is a junction 4a, which is actually half-a-mile south of the M4 itself, at the end of the Heathrow Spur...

and then there is Junction 8/9 (Maidenhead). Again, Junction 8 is at the end of a spur, and then there is another spur with 9a and 9b from the same junction on 8/9...

all three of these spurs have there own 'A' numbers...

[callagrafx 3]

Originally posted by: p4p3rc1ip

It's a pressure release from the M5/M4 junction at Bristol...and boy was it needed.quote>

Because if all this traffic was there it would be heavily congested?

(photos taken on a Monday evening 2003)

I'm not convinced.quote>

Hmmmm, OK, drive down the M4 to Bristol on a Friday afternoon and sit in the queue for the M5 North or South, take a good book to read.

...A nice evening 3 years ago is hardly evidence of a lack of congestion...Especially considering all the roadworks that have been happening in that area over the past few years.

Your information, extracted from pathetic.org.uk is out of date.

[paperboy15 4]

lol...I live in the USA and have hardly found the milepost markers useful...maybe it is because I'm driving too fast to see them...hehehe. I've never really seen the need for them myself, except for highway maintenance.

As for numbered exits (not sure if they are milepost or not)...those are not common in California, but I did see them a lot in Washington and Arizona. Haven't driven through Oregon in awhile, so I can't remember there.

[jmjselect 0]

@paperboy

another use for the mile markers is for emergencies.

in case your stuck on the highway, you can call 911 can quickly determine you approximate location.

where are you? "westbound on highway 1, milemarker 349

------------------------

we've made the transition from the old sequential exit numbering to mile numbering in atlanta a couple of years ago(so in this area it's relatively new)

I never really paid any attention to the numbers(sequential or mile) so i doesn't really matter to me.

but the mile way does make more sense.

---------------------------

@ ILL Tonkso

aren't you guys driving on the wrong side of the road? lol

[hamsterTK 93]

As for numbered exits (not sure if they are milepost or not)...those are not common in California, but I did see them a lot in Washington and Arizona. Haven't driven through Oregon in awhile, so I can't remember therequote>

Cali is one of those places that is exit-number challenged... many other states do a good job with them.

I dont know what its called, but in the Southwestern US there is a highway that runs out into the middle of the desert short of the Mexican border and just dead ends out in the open miles from anything.

Also for years i believe there was a phone booth at the end of the highway and people would go out there to use it for prank calls and random people would call it for fun and see if someone answered. This was until a few years ago when nearly all phone booths were talken out by the phone companies(cell phones=no need for them).  I saw a TV show that talked about this pay phone, but like i said, im not entirely sure if it was on the road to nowhere described earlier.

Oh yeah, until it was renumbered in Arizona(?) they had a US 666(probably b/c it was the sixth spur of Route 66)

as for pathetic freeways, In Houston for years the Crosby freeway started as this huge road out in the middle of nowhere only to fizzle out at the edge of town only connecting with the unfinished NE segment of the beltway. I think its finished all the way into the city now though. Havent been over there in a long time

Its like, "I can see downtown. We're making great time!!!!!"

Then its like "AAHH Look out a tree dead ahead! Craassshhh!!!!!"

[Horus_Kol 118]

Originally posted by: jmjselect @paperboy

another use for the mile markers is for emergencies.

in case your stuck on the highway, you can call 911 can quickly determine you approximate location.

where are you? "westbound on highway 1, milemarker 349quote>

There are orange boxes with phones in on most motorways with an ID number on - spaced every mile or kilometre, i forget which...

same result - you can locate yourself easily.

[GMT 389]

German highways are rather pathetic.

why?

Ok, you might all know this little story about us in germany not having real speed limits on highways, only a certain speed of a 130km/h given as a value to work with. But that's only theoretically right, because in fact the most parts of the highways have real limitations due to whatever, that are around 100km/h that can soon get very expensive if you overgo them... (I'm speaking out of my own experience).

And the quality of the roads is really getting worse and worse, because maintenance only occures like stuffing holes in socks... even worse on the streets... bumps and holes are almost normal. (sounds really bad, but actually it not the size or depth of the holes but morely the quantity)

From where i live to france it's about 10-15 minutes, they have the same problems with the streets as we do, but many many highways are private tollways and this makes after all the maintenance better and the roads quality is way better than the german. Unfortunately they have speed limitations that are much more expensive than german ones, because the tollways are not that overcrouded so you can easy drive a 180-190 km/h

[S1acker 0]

Ok, first of all, English A-roads are named in a simple system, this is there are 6 roads linking Londond to different parts of England, the A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 and A6. All roads between say the A1 and the A2 are numbered A15 for example. So the motorways get classed in this same category, motorways between the A1 and the A2 get the name M11 for example, hope this clears the point up. in reply to the topic the M271 is NOT pointless, it funnels the main traffic into central Portsmouth along a fast motorway directly into the center, without it the traffic would crwal throught minor roads and lead to massive congestion.

[deadwoods 542]

I had a trip to the UK a few years ago, and as I do when I'm visiting other countries I try to keep off the motorways/highways/freeways and actually see the countryside. I had to drive from Heathrow to Winchester and chose a series of A- and B-roads. I can't believe how many bloody roundabouts there were on the A roads. You just get a bit of speed up and then you have to slow down again. More than a tad frustrating, good thing I was in a car and not on my bike!

I had no probs with the motorway on my return, except for all the roadworks on the M25.