When you’re travelling around Britain, no matter whether it’s for work or pleasure, most drivers will use a Motorway at some time or another. The first motorway began as the Preston Bypass and has since grown into the M6. Unlike some other countries we don’t have tolls on our major roads or Motorways, so they really are the cheapest and quickest way of getting from A – B. In 1959 the very first section of the M1 opened and eventually this would extend to link Leeds to the capital city London.
When motorways are running smoothly, they are a great way to travel from north to south and east to west, unfortunately, sometimes there are accidents or incidents that stop the traffic from flowing. At these difficult and stressful times, the motorway is the last place any driver wants to be. When there has been an unfortunate accident and the emergency services have to attend the waiting, drivers have to sit patiently in their vehicles while any casualties are attended to and any spillages cleaned up by the fire brigade. Using all their specialist equipment including Spill Kits supplies by a professional company such as hydepark-environmental.com/spill-response/spill-kits.
In 1965 the speed limit on all Britain’s motorways was capped at 70mph and as there are now over 31 million cars travelling along these intersecting spiders’ webs it’s a good job that they tried to reduce the amount of collisions and accidents due to speeding.
Key motorway routes and their A road alternatives
Britain’s road network adds up to roughly 262,300 miles, and every road is classified by a system of letters and numbers. Motorways carry the letter M followed by up to four digits and have two, three or four lanes in each direction.
Some of the busiest routes start in London. The M1 runs north for over 193 miles to Leeds, passing through Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire on its way to South and West Yorkshire. The M3 covers about 58 miles from Sunbury-on-Thames to Southampton, while the 189-mile M4 links London with Bristol and South Wales. In Kent, the M2 runs from Strood to Faversham, and the 162-mile M5 connects Birmingham with the South West and Exeter.
Below motorways sit A roads, which are mostly single carriageways. They often link motorways or run alongside them, making them a useful alternative when a motorway is closed after an accident. Long examples include the A1 from London to Edinburgh, the A6 from Luton to Carlisle and the A9 from Falkirk to Scrabster.
How Britain’s roads are numbered
Motorways are only one part of a much larger network. Every road in Great Britain, from the busiest motorway to a small single lane track, is classified using a numbering system. Each road is given a single letter showing its category, followed by a number of between one and four digits. Motorways have their own sub-system, and all other roads follow a separate scheme.
The M5 is one of the best known and most travelled motorways. A roads have traditionally been the most important routes after the motorways, and some of the major ones carry names as well as numbers. The A1, for example, is also known as the Great North Road. B roads are less important, and some are very short. The B105 runs for just 1.1 miles.
Together, these numbered motorways, A roads and B roads make it possible to find your way across the country, all the way from Edinburgh to John o’ Groats. When an accident closes a road, the emergency services attend, and the fire brigade often clears debris and oil spills using specialist spill kits.