There is quite a lot of things here that are, at best, half-truths...
Jack wrote: ↑Sat Mar 06, 2021 00:06
The original numbering principal for motorways was quite obviously to be whatever all-purpose road they were most related to, as is proved by the (early) M6, M4
No, it wasn't at all.
The first motorway numbers were Motor Road project numbers, in which the two mentioned were given the numbers M.2 and M.7 respectively (or MR.2 and MR.7, dependant on the source material).
In addition, it could easily be claimed M6 is closely related to the A45, A34 and A49 for the vast majority of its length and the A6 is totally irrelevant. It's just under 150 miles between Catthorpe and the first point the A6 really becomes vaguely relevant to the M6 near Preston.
Then someone decided that the M38 should be called the M5 and so we got motorway zones.
No, it was never "the M38". It was an idea floated that it might be, but it was never decided that it would be. This sentence is unfortunately very wishful thinking.
The original principal is still the most logical and so many, I would dare to say most, motorways were numbered in accordance of what A road they replace when they could be. The M2, M4, originally the M6, M8, M9, M11, M20, M25, M40 and so on.
Of those, a number are in Scotland which has a different numbering scheme and so is irrelevant to the point unsuccessfully trying to be made.
The M6 is irrelevant to the A6 for most of its length as demonstrated above, and was only numbered that way because James Drake couldn't get an answer out of the Ministry before he needed to get the signs ordered for the Preston Bypass.
The M25, in addition, is totally irrelevant to the A25 for the utter vast majority of its length - they are only anywhere near each other between junctions 5 and 8.
And of course, the point has been totally missed that all of those numbers are valid and in-zone, so why not allocate them if desired?
Is it so much to ask that the M5 should have been the M38 and the M1 the M5?
Yes. It's wishful thinking.
The M1 starts on a shared junction between the A5 and A406, has more junctions with the A5 than the A1, and originally ended on the A5 before being extended.
No. The London - Yorkshire Motorway at the time of numbering being allocated was intended to end at the northern end of the Doncaster Bypass. The southern terminus at Staples Corner was not intended to be that.
The M5 is... Well, as much of a motorway parallel of the A38 as the M20 is the A20. It both starts (partially) and ends on the A38
No, it doesn't. The northern end is on the M6 and it doesn't meet the A38 until junction 4.
and on the southern end at least, transfers its road to the A38 for it to continue the route into west Devon and Cornwall.
And the A30, and the A380...
I know the excuse is something along the lines of 'M5 is a more important sounding number than M38', but is that really true? The A38 alone is the 3rd longest continuous road in the UK. The number '38' is the 3rd most prestigious designation in the UK, only behind '30' and '1'. Meanwhile, most people have probably never heard of the A5 outside of its local range, or have no idea where it starts or ends.
Really? That's a very southern idea. Most people have no clue where the A30 is at all; and many people who live on the A38 are aware of "their" section, but have no clue anywhere else. And its a particular strange example you've chosen there - a road that is in London, travels near to a number of large towns and cities such Milton Keynes, Northampton, Leicester, Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Telford isn't "well known". If you'd said something like the A37, then maybe, but...
Besides, I don't think anyone would think 'oh, the Birmingham-Exeter motorway doesn't seem as important as the rest because it has a 2-digit designation'. I think most people, especially within its range, would agree that the M20 is a considerably more important route than the neighbouring M2, despite having a 2-digit designation.
Unfortunately, the point regarding the numbering scheme has been lost; and besides at the time of creation the motorway was proposed to end at Bristol.