Numbering Quirks

A594

Maryport

Cumbria

Leicester

Chris Bertram

A601

Derby, as A601

Carnforth, as A601(M)

Lancashire

Chris Bertram

A1042

Norwich

Norfolk

Kirkleatham

Redcar & Cleveland

Dave835

A1114

Gateshead

Tyne & Wear

Chelmsford

Essex

Dave835

A1199

Canonbury

London

Snaresbrook, was A11

London

Jon Askham

A4102

Merthyr Tydfil

Amblecote

West Midlands

Dave835, from a comment by Chris Bertram

A6177

Bradford, as A6177

West Yorkshire

Blackburn, as A6177

Lancashire

Philip

B198

Cheshunt

Hertfordshire

Wisbech

Cambridgeshire

Jon Askham

B454

Kingsbury

London

Osterley Park

London

Tim, from a note by Tom Sutch

B506

Bloomsbury, Great Portland Street

London

Bloomsbury, Bedford Square, Goodge Street

London

Guy Barry

B1106

Fornham St. Martins

Suffolk

Fornham St. Martins

Suffolk

Steve Barnard

B2118

Kemp Town

Brighton & Hove

Albourne

West Sussex

David B

B2122

Brighton

Brighton & Hove

Leatherhead

Surrey

David B

B2193

Lewes

East Sussex

Portslade

West Sussex

David B

B3165

Martock

Somerset

Ash

Surrey

Philip

B3206

Chagford

Devon

Ash

Surrey

Philip

B3330

St. Helens

Isle of Wight

Winchester

Hampshire

Philip

B3331

Fishbourne

Isle of Wight

Winchester

Hampshire

Philip

B3440

Willand

Devon

Weston-super-Mare

Somerset

Philip

B4027

Islip

Oxfordshire

Brinklow

Warwickshire

Jonathan

B4065

Droitwich

Worcestershire

Shilton

Warwickshire

Philip

B4082

Pershore

Worcestershire

Foleshill

West Midlands

Philip

B5110

Bootle

Merseyside

Llangefni

Isle of Anglesey

Kevin Flynn

B5444

Mold

Flintshire

Swansea

Julian Dommett

B6070

Neepsend

South Yorkshire

Norfolk Park

South Yorkshire

Paul Berry

B6374

Galashiels

Borders

Heage

Derbyshire

Dave835

A14

Burton Latimer - Brampton

6 Zone

Section between A6 and A1 should start with a 6.

A14

Catthorpe - Burton Latimer

5 Zone

Section between A5 and A6 should start with a 5.

A199

Haddington - Tranent

6 Zone

Former A1 before the latter was upgraded off-line. Continuation of A199 number (which starts in Zone 1) eastwards has put this section south of the new A1.

A1000

Welwyn area

6 Zone

See B197 (below).

A1057

St Albans - Hatfield

5 Zone (& old 6 Zone)

Never mind whether you look at the historical zoning around this area, this road is located wholly anticlockwise of the A1, so is numbered incorrectly. Starts on the A1081 (below).

A1081

South Mimms - Luton

5 Zone (& old 6 Zone)

This number is of course the former A6 between Barnet and Luton. The modern A6 doesn't materialise until north of Luton. However, this puts the A1081 in Zone 5. An A6xxx number would have done the trick.

B197

Welwyn area

6 Zone

Starts in 1 Zone but crosses A1 twice thus entering 6 Zone. Multiplexes with A1000, also out-of-zone immediately east of Welwyn.

B1164

Tuxford - Makrham Moor

6 Zone

This is the old alignment of the A1 through North Nottinghamshire and starts in Zone 1 at Carlton-on-Trent. However, between Tuxford and Makrham Moor it crosses, illegally, into the wrong zone.

A282

Purfleet - Dartford

1 Zone

The boundary for the 1 and 2 Zones is the Thames, so the A282 number shouldn't continue north of the river.

A3(M)

Horndean - Bedhampton

2 Zone

From its number it should be an on-line upgrade of the A3, but it soon diverges anticlockwise from its parent road.

A3023

Brockhampton - South Hayling

2 Zone

Wholly in wrong zone, whether you consider the 3 Zone boundary to be with the A3 or A3(M) (above).

A3400

Chipping Norton - Monkspath

4 Zone

Section of former A34 (which starts off legitimately in the 3 Zone), renumbered after the latter was rerouted via M40, but wholly in wrong zone.

B325

Kensington area

4 Zone

The B325 in Kensington was stranded north of the A4 when the Cromwell Road took the number from Kensington High Street in the 1960s.

A41

West End (Oxford Street) - Elstree

5 Zone

The original route of the A41 is A4140, the latter being in the correct zone. Starts clockwise from A5 and runs alongside M1 for most of its journey in Greater London.

A42

Appleby Magna - Kegworth

5 Zone

The A42 is really the effectively part of the M42 and the latter has pushed the A42 wholly into wrong zone.

A404(M)

Holyport - Burchett's Green

3 Zone

It runs south of A4, where the A404 starts. Previous number was A423(M), also wrong!

A412

Slough area

3 Zone

Dips south of the A4 line in Slough.

A447

Hinckley area

5 Zone

Since the south end of the A447 Coventry - Hinckley was downgraded to B4109, this has left the number exclusively within the 5 Zone.

A4174

Bristol area

3 Zone

The sector of the Bristol Inner Ring Road that curves south of the A4 is out of zone.

A4300

Kettering area

6 Zone

As with the A4500 and A4501, these roads are from the A3400 (qv) school of renumbering. The A4300 is the former A43 through Kettering.

A4303

Lutterworth area

5 Zone

Both this road and the A4304, which is a direct extension of the route, run entirely between the A5 and A6. The derivation of the number would suggest a route complementing the A43 but this is not the case as the old number was the A427.

A4304

Lutterworth – Market Harborough

5 Zone

See A4303 (above).

A4500

Northampton – Wellingborough

5 Zone

See A4300 (above). Former A45.

A4501

Northampton area

5 Zone

See A4300 (above). Former A45 (within Northampton).

B452

Brentford area

3 Zone

This road, as with its close neigbours, the A454 and A455 were all left stranded by the northward diversion of the A4 in the 1930s.

B454

Osterley area

3 Zone

Note this is the Osterley number, not the duplicate which is in the Kingsbury area. See B452 (above) for details.

B455

Brentford area

3 Zone

See B452 (above).

B4640

Newbury area

3 Zone

Former A34 through Newbury runs south of A4 line.

B4667

Hinckley area

5 Zone

Hinckley doesn't like A-roads, as does Coventry, and seems hell-bent on downgrading everything. Unfortunately it tends to give them illegal numbers: the B4667 and B4669 are entirely north of the A5.

B4669

Hinckley area

5 Zone

See B4667 (above).

A51

Curdworth - Tamworth

4 Zone

Runs south of A5 thus putting it in wrong zone.

A55

Anglesey area

4 Zone

New build A55 west of Bangor shadows the A5 and weaves across the 4/5 Zone boundary many times.

A505

Linslade - Sewell

4 Zone

Short section west of A5: should be a continuation of A418.

A5127

Gravelly Hill - Shenstone

4 Zone

Former A38 through Sutton Colfield is almost entirely in wrong zone save the short stretch north-east of A5 to Lichfield.

A5223

Telford area

4 Zone

Even though the A5 through Telford was hijacked by the M54, this roads still starts south of the A5, as do the B5060 and B5061.

B5060

Telford area

4 Zone

See A5223 (above).

B5061

Telford area

4 Zone

See A5223 (above).

B5072

Telford area

4 Zone

Unlike the A5223, B5060, B5061, which are partially out-of-zone, this road is entirely south of the A5/M54 line.

B5404

Quarry Hill - Mile Oak

4 Zone

The old A5 through Fazeley, so anticlockwise from rerouting of A5 to the north on new bypass.

B5444

Swansea area

4 Zone

The real black sheep of the family. Not only wholly adrift in the 4 Zone, but also a duplicated number! The proper road is to be found in the Mold area, some 100 miles to the north. B4445 would have made sense.

A66

Workington - Penrith

5 Zone

Retrograde extension of the A66 to form a strategic route linking ports on each side of Northern England (Workington and Middlesbrough). Similar to what was done with the A14... and similarly wrong.

A601

Derby area

5 Zone

The A601 is the Derby Inner Ring Road, the eastern section of which is a multiplex for the A6. Therefore the western section is in the 5 Zone.

A624

Chapel-en-le-Frith area

5 Zone

Fallout from diversion of the A6.

A683

Heysham - Torrisholme

5 Zone

Took over the route of A589 to bypass Morecambe, but this part is anticlockwise of A6.

A6004

Loughborough area

5 Zone

The A6004 is a box around Loughborough town centre whose axis is the A6. Therefore the western half of the A6004 goes into the 5 Zone.

A6010

Chorlton-cum-Hardy - Rusholme

5 Zone

Extension of A6010 number from Alan Turing Way back across the A6 so as to keep a single number for the Manchester Outer Ring Road, albeit out-of-zone.

A6144

Lymm - Sale

5 Zone

Ends some distance from the 6 Zone. A5144 would have made sense.

A6144(M)

Ashton-upon-Mersey - M60

5 Zone

Motorway spur from A6144 (above) to M60. Enough has been written about this road already!

B6241

Sharoe Green (Preston) area

5 Zone

Runs in an arc west of the A6. Curiously it runs very close to the B5411, the latter a constant reminder of the correct numbering for roads this side of the A6!

B6407

Market Harborough - A6

5 Zone

The B6407 is the old A6, and thus must have been given an out-of-zone number from the outset.

B6420

Clumber Park - Babworth

1 Zone

A638 Markham Moor - Adwick-le-Street is former A1, but B6420 starts on current A1 and runs north-east. Despite wholesale renumbering when A1 was rerouted west of Retford and Doncaster, they seeed to have missed this short road out.

A720

Musselburgh - Sheriffhall Interchange

6 Zone

Edinburgh City Bypass starts anticlockwise of A7, thus wrong number for this section.

A88

Larbert - South Bellsdyke

9 zone

All east of A9 since part of original route in the 8 Zone was taken over by M876.

A882

Roadside - Wick

9 zone

Since A895 was renumbered to A9 Latheron - Scrabster, the A882 has been wholly in the 9 Zone.

A8000

Kirkliston - South Queensferry

9 Zone

Upgrade of former B-road to form a link from M9 to A90 for the Forth Road Bridge. Completely north of A9 line, so wrong zone.

A949

Bonar Bridge - Clashmore

8 Zone

Might have been former A9 before Dornoch Firth was bridged and A9 rerouted.

M48

Tockington - Llanfihangel Rogiet

5 Zone

Any motorway to the north of the M4 and west of the M5 must begin with a 5.

M49

Avonmouth - Second Severn Crossing

3 Zone

Any motorway to the south of the M4 and west of the M3 must begin with a 3.

M62

Knotty Ash - Locking Stumps

5 Zone

Any motorway to the north of the M4 and west of the M6 must begin with a 5. Of course, this stretch (and as far as Manchester) used to be the M52.

M10

St Albans Bypass, Hertfordshire

Downgrading of this road to the A414 (which currently multiplexes with it) is due to be fully completed in 2008.

M16

South Mimms - Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire

The A1 - A10 link road. Essentially the first stretch of what would become the M25, now J23-25, absorbed into the London Orbital in the late 1970s. Brad Jackson has a scan of it from an old atlas on his SABRE website.

M41

West Cross Route, West London

Recently downgraded along with the A40(M) after the TfL (Transport for London) authority was formed. It is now an extension of the A3220 The M41 was part of the ambitious London Box project that could never be completed.

M63

Manchester

This has been recently renumbered into obsolesence as part of the M60 Manchester Orbital. In fact the M60 has also usurped bits of the M61, M62, and M66.

M85

Tay Crossing, Perth, Perth & Kinross

According to the recent update on Chris Marshall's Road Directory, this short spur motorway connecting the M90 and the A90/A85 has been renumbered as the M90 J10-11. The original M90 ends just west of Perth at an unnumbered roundabout where it joins the A9. That section is still called the M90, but is now a spur in effect.

M531

The Wirral, Cheshire

This was the southern end of the M53 before it was renumbered.

A6(M)

Preston Bypass, Lancashire

M5 Driver asked if the Preston Bypass was known as the A6(M) before it became the M6. Mary Osbourne and Sparky think so, but Phil Elliott and Tony Moore disagree, and Phil reckons the first Ax(M) road was the A1(M).

A8(M)

Renfrew Bypass, Renfrewshire

Linked the A8 to the A8, bypassing Renfrew. You can see it beginning to creep round the top of Paisley before it became the mighty M8

A14(M) &
A604(M)

Huntingdon Link Road - A1, Cambridgeshire

Chris Marshall informs me that the then section of A604 between Huntingdon and the A1 via Alconbury was known as the A604(M). It's now the A14 spur between Huntingdon and the A1(M). There's a page on the Highways Agency showing both A14(M) & A604(M), but I don't recall it ever being numbered as either, although I have travelled that road many times in the last ten years. Still, it warrants an inclusion here, if only because I feel so sorry for the poor thing. The only motorway here whose parent road no longer exists!

A18(M)

Hatfield, South Yorkshire

Joined the M180 to the M18, before being renumbered.

A20(M)

Maidstone Bypass, Kent

Now forms the M20 J5-8. Thanks to Tom Sutch for this info.

A36(M)

Totton, Hampshire

A short dualled section of the A36 from the M27 and running north for a mile (see here) was once the A36(M). Thanks to Jim Rayner for this info.

A40(M)

Westway, West London

Recently downgraded to A40, after the formation of TfL.

A41(M)

Tring Bypass, Hertfordshire

Thanks to Jonathan for pointing out this was the A41(M), not the M41 as I had previously thought. Downgraded about 5 years ago, and still looks impressive on old maps being as it was stuck in the middle of nowhere not connected to any other motorway!

A102(M)

Blackwall Tunnel Approaches, East London

Recently downgraded to A102, together with general inprovements to the approach roads, after the formation of TfL.

A329(M)

Reading, Berkshire

Even though we are talking about a partial stretch of motorway, and not a whole one, it still merits inclusion here. Part of the A329(M) between Winnersh and the Thames Valley Business Park (home of Oracle and Microsoft), along the eastern edge of Reading, has been downgraded in the last few years to the inglorious A3290. In part, this is due to the fact that the road doesn't go anywhere. It was meant to connect up with Napier Road to the west, running along the north side of the railway line, but there remain only 'temporary' earthworks blocking off the road each end. Why this was never completed is anyone's guess, but it's a truly wasted opportunity. What's even more staggering is that the last flyover, which never used to exist, was built over the roundabout with the A329, only for the A3290 to end 50 yards later at... a roundabout. The remaining A329(M), at least as far as the interchange with the M4, is curious in that it's the only stretch of motorway in the UK with no central crash barriers! (No quips about the A38(M), A6144(M), and other bits of single-carriageway motorways will be entertained!) All in all, a real sham(e). Credit goes to Slim for a tour of the motorway, and whose observations and recollections helped write this entry.

A423(M)

Maidenhead Bypass, Berkshire

This has now been renumbered the A404(M), which makes sense as it is continous with the A404 Maidenhead - High Wycombe road. Thanks to Tom Sutch and Mary Osbourne for this info. By the way, the A423 is one of the most renumbered sections of road I know of, like the A604 (below).

A677(M)

M65 Link Road, Blackburn, Lancashire

Goodey reckons this is the road that used to join the end of the first part of the M65 (before it was extended in the 1980s) to the large roundabout east of Blackburn. If so it would now be the M65 J6 sliproads (the northernmost pair). The entire existence of the A677(M) was refuted (23rd Jan 02) by Bob Sykes and Chris Marshall who state that this is a mapping error on certain versions of route planning software; sometimes called the A678(M) as well. You can read more about the cock-up in the planning of the M65 at Richard Green's Major Roads of Great Britain site.

A6127(M)

Central Motorway East, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

Thanks to Chris Marshall who states that the present A167(M) was the A6127(M) before being renumbered in the 1980s. Further thanks to Guy Barry for pointing out I had the number wrong: some sources state A6217(M). Brad Jackson has a picture of the A167(M) on SABRE. The Central Motorway East is a fanstastic two-tier urban expressway. There aren't many of them about that are like that. Indeed, the only other examples I can think of are the former A40(M) Westway, with the A404 Harrow Road running underneath, and parts of the M8 in Central Glasgow. Here's a separate page about the A167(M).

A6144(M)

Carrington Spur, Trafford

This road is due to be downgraded to pain A6144. When this happens it'll take most of the fun out of the motorway system!

S

A1

Haddington, East Lothian

New-build A1 runs parallel to former road (now numbered A199) from Tranent to Haddington. To be extended to Dunbar in next few years.

A1

Blyth Bypass, Nottingham

Just south of the Blyth roundabout and the A1(M) the all purpose dual carriageway has hard shoulders for about two miles. Could be upgraded to full motorway status as part of the Blyth to Peterborough GSJ scheme.

A1

Bramham, West Yorkshire

3 lanes, plus full hard shoulders. Tight bends and a lorry lay-by stop it currently being a motorway. However this road is to be upgraded as part of the Bramham - Wetherby A1(M) scheme in 2006/7.

A8

Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire

This section of the A8 in central Scotland forms the 'missing link' on the M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Some of this road does have hard shoulders, but a current scheme is underway to add them to the whole section in advance of it being made an official motorway.

A27

Portsmouth, Hampshire

Very nearly a motorway, 3 to 4 lanes with full-width hard shoulders; could be the M27 Junctions 13 to 15. Apparently there is no official alternative route for non-motorway traffic, so it remains an A-road. This is actually false: the former A27 ran parallel through the middle of Havant and Cosham. It could easily be reinstated. As it stands, though, this means the the A3(M) is isolated from the rest of the motorway network.

S

A55

Conwy Tunnel, Conwy

Secret Motorway that cuts an impressive route right along the seafront at Colwyn Bay before crossing the River Conwy in a tunnel. 50mph limit in force due to lack of hard shoulder and tight turns.

A167

Newcastle, Tyne & Wear

Three lanes, plus hard shoulders on a short section of road which was once the A1 before the construction of the Gateshead Western Bypass. Presumably, if the bypass hadn't of been built this would have became part of the A1(M), along with the Central Newcastle Motorway.

A533/A557/A558

Runcorn, Cheshire

Expressways built with hard shoulders and tight bends. Recently some of the hard shoulders have been converted into bus lanes.