Selly Oak Bypass

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Jeni
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Selly Oak Bypass

Post by Jeni »

This is nearly complete and new signs have started to appear, obviously numbering the bypass as A38.

The worst part is the number for the old route... B38 :!:
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Eagle
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by Eagle »

This makes me feel like this.
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Big L
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by Big L »

Image

As I posted in Botched Roadsigns a few days ago !
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M5Lenzar
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by M5Lenzar »

I can't quite believe that the road is going to be B38. Surely the DfT would have vetoed such an unconventional deviation from numbering rules. If not, it proves that the system that was designed in the 20s is truly dead and buried.

Or, the guy that numbered it is Irish.. :P
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PeterA5145
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by PeterA5145 »

What makes it worse, it's out of zone :wink:
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Truvelo
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by Truvelo »

I could understand it if it was B3800 or B3899 but two digit B roads aren't used on the mainland.
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Mr C
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by Mr C »

I noticed that last week and had to do a quick 'double take'. Is it the case that central Govt. is responsible for all road numbers (except of course those interesting little C, D and U numbers)? If it is they did a pretty poor job for experts; especially when you consider that the old A38 through Northfield is (I think) unclassified, so there is not even any consistency on renumbering the old A38 as a B road where it has been recently realigned.

On signing errors, one that always annoys me is the sign by junction 2 of the M42 that signs the A441 southbound as (A441).
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Johnathan404
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by Johnathan404 »

It might be worth asking whoever was responsible why an unconventional number was chosen. There is no reason why they can't use that number, but do they know the rules well enough to point that out?
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Chris5156
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by Chris5156 »

I've just sent an email to Birmingham City Council asking about this. Let's see what they say.
I wrote:Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to enquire about new signs that have been erected at Selly Oak in connection with the new road that is due to open shortly. They appear to refer to the old road trough the town centre as the "B38".

Please could you confirm whether this is to be the new classification for the part of Bristol Road that has been bypassed, and if so, whether special authorisation has been granted by the Department for Transport for this highly unusual number?

Downgrading the bypassed section of road to Class II is perfectly normal practice, of course, but the choice of number is highly surprising as it would be the only two-digit B-road number in Great Britain and would be out of zone according to numbering rules. In the normal course of things a B-road in this location should have three or four digits to its number and the first digit should be 4.

One would also think that giving the old road exactly the same number as the new (aside from the letter prefix) would provide grounds for confusion and may encourage some motorists to continue through the town rather than taking the new bypass around it.

I'd be grateful for any clarification you can offer on this matter.

Regards,

Chris Marshall
http://www.cbrd.co.uk/
dvboy
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by dvboy »

B438 would have been fine.
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a80
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by a80 »

Big L wrote:Image

As I posted in Botched Roadsigns a few days ago !
What does the "n" signify, out of curiosity?
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Jeni
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by Jeni »

a80 wrote:What does the "n" signify, out of curiosity?
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wallasey
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by wallasey »

The One Way sign is what confuses me a little bit more than the numbering.....although this is probably an effort to reduce road clutter!??!
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by Tinpusher »

Chris5156 wrote:I've just sent an email to Birmingham City Council asking about this. Let's see what they say.
I wrote:...the old road trough the town centre as the "B38"...
Chris. Love your work. But, there's a typo in the letter and as an ex-teacher (pushing tin is less stressful lol) I can't let it go.

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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by davemase »

I had a walk down by the side of the QE hospital earlier this year down the recently built road road (?selly oak distributor road?) and was having a good look at the A38 works (unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me at the time :( ); the end of the road towards the A4040 was marked as being A38 even then.

Are there are plans to upgrade the Bristol Road/Harbourne road junction? I worry this junction will cause even more queues than before.
Mr C
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by Mr C »

davemase wrote:I had a walk down by the side of the QE hospital earlier this year down the recently built road road (?selly oak distributor road?) and was having a good look at the A38 works (unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me at the time :( ); the end of the road towards the A4040 was marked as being A38 even then.

Are there are plans to upgrade the Bristol Road/Harbourne road junction? I worry this junction will cause even more queues than before.

I think that junction is going to be remodelled with the Sainsburys being demolished. I hope the other 'out of town' shops there are also closed because the mixing of traffic for them, combined with the existing A4040 and A38 traffic, plus hospital traffic, makes it all rather congested.
Chris56000
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by Chris56000 »

Hi!

You could renumber the old road B4138 or is that already used elsewhere?

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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by Glom »

Mr C wrote:
davemase wrote:I had a walk down by the side of the QE hospital earlier this year down the recently built road road (?selly oak distributor road?) and was having a good look at the A38 works (unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me at the time :( ); the end of the road towards the A4040 was marked as being A38 even then.

Are there are plans to upgrade the Bristol Road/Harbourne road junction? I worry this junction will cause even more queues than before.

I think that junction is going to be remodelled with the Sainsburys being demolished. I hope the other 'out of town' shops there are also closed because the mixing of traffic for them, combined with the existing A4040 and A38 traffic, plus hospital traffic, makes it all rather congested.
No, not the Sainsburys. Memories of all the times I went to buy food and stuff.
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by dvboy »

Chris56000 wrote:Hi!

You could renumber the old road B4138 or is that already used elsewhere?

Chris Williams
Yes, in Streetly.

B4038, B4138, B4238, B4338, B4438, B4538 (former), B4638 already used, but not B438 hence my suggestion above.


If it's going to be B38, I suppose this page will need a new section: http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/inde ... ry:B_Roads
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Mr C
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Re: Selly Oak Bypass

Post by Mr C »

Glom wrote:
Mr C wrote:
davemase wrote:I had a walk down by the side of the QE hospital earlier this year down the recently built road road (?selly oak distributor road?) and was having a good look at the A38 works (unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me at the time :( ); the end of the road towards the A4040 was marked as being A38 even then.

Are there are plans to upgrade the Bristol Road/Harbourne road junction? I worry this junction will cause even more queues than before.

I think that junction is going to be remodelled with the Sainsburys being demolished. I hope the other 'out of town' shops there are also closed because the mixing of traffic for them, combined with the existing A4040 and A38 traffic, plus hospital traffic, makes it all rather congested.
No, not the Sainsburys. Memories of all the times I went to buy food and stuff.

The good thing about placing a supermarket in the middle of what was basically a traffic light controlled squarabout was having the enjoy the junction twice!
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