The B7022 is a short route in the centre of Girvan on the Ayrshire coast.
Hamilton Street, Girvan
The route starts at a T junction on the A77 Vicarton Street and heads south along the residential Montgomerie Street, with small gardens and areas of parkland on the right. After passing the prominent North Parish Church it reaches Church Square, essentially a roundabout except traffic heading south/west on the B7022 has priority. The route turns west here and heads into the town centre along Hamilton Street, which is lined with a few shops, although sadly there appear to be more empty / former shop units than occupied ones. It's not long, however, before traffic lights are reached where, because of a one-way system, the three other directions at this crossroads are now all numbered A77. The B7022 currently ends here but originally continued ahead along what is now the northbound section of the A77.
History
The B7022 in 1965
The route was originally unclassified, and is first identified from the 1936 edition of the OS Ten Mile Map. This merely shows the numbered B road running parallel to the A77, on the coastal side of it. However, the OS Six Inch Map surveyed in 1938 also includes the current section. It seems likely that the route was first classified in the late 1920s, but it took some time for the maps to show it. The 1938 map clearly shows the route crossing the A77 and following Knockcushan Street alongside the Water of Girvan before bearing left into Henrietta Street. The road then continued south along this largely residential road. Presently a green area, Stair Park, opened up on the right, with the sea and the small island of Ailsa Craig visible beyond. After the houses came back the A77 came in from the right along Glendoune Street and the B7022 ended. This arrangement survived into the 1970s, but with the increase in traffic on the A77, the current one-way system was implemented as a cheaper and quicker solution than trying to bypass the town.
