Chris Bertram wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 13:34
solocle wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 11:46
Incidentally part of the A1(M) was "upgraded" from the A1 without provision of a LAR, at Dishforth -
Here
While there is a (mile longer) alternative, where parts of the A168 are actually signed "The NORTH", there's no signage to get prohibited traffic through the maze of country lanes, never mind the question of suitability for larger prohibited traffic. I don't know how that got past section 18 - I believe it's even the Roman Dere St, so a public right of way from time immemorial to 2012.
IIRC it was allowed as there were no frontage accesses between J49 and J50. It's a local *access* road, remember, provided for that purpose not for prohibited vehicles to avoid the motorway, and there are many miles of motorway without LARs shadowing them where prohibited vehicles have to plan an alternative route. It looks to me like there's a narrow country lane between Dishforth and Rainton, but for a more reliable and wider route I'd take the minor road via Sharow to the edge of Ripon* and then come back along A61 to pick up A6055 from the Baldersby junction. It is a bit longer but probably safer. As to how public right of way was removed, I can't comment on that, but I don't suppose it was done without going through legal processes.
* In the days when stubble burning was common, I remember this road, partially unfenced, being affected by smoke being blown across, thankfully that's a thing of the past.
While lots of motorways don't have LARs, e.g. the M40, they were new build. And they often have pretty obvious routes to avoid them - when I cycled Oxford to London, for instance, I used the A40 between Stokenchurch and Denham - avoiding the ends for comfort purposes (e.g. Western avenue), and following the A4020, so the old A40, into C. London.
Equally, the M5 has the A38, the M6 has the A6, the M4 has the A4, the M1 has the A5... OK, those roads don't necessarily work as LARs, but they serve long distance traffic rather well. There are more local roads that serve unless you want to get to, say, a midline MSA, and even then it's often possible. They're an addition to the extant road network, not a replacement.
The A1(M), as far as I'm aware, is a unique example of a long distance motorway being built on an existing ROW. I've been looking at plotting a long distance cycling route (Fosse Way from Exeter to Lincoln, Ermine St up to York, then maybe another 200 miles northward to make it a round 500), and it would be rather good to be able to navigate it without relying on a battery powered GPS gizmo. You'll also notice the affinity for roman roads...
As it happens I'd probably decide to head for Leeds before making for Gretna, revisiting old haunts like Otley and the Dales, but the most true to the journey would be to follow Dere St, and the old A1 would be an attraction to a Sabrist. The alternative if going more directly north is the A19, which hardly seems pleasant - and either going via the A684 or Barnard Castle (probably not on the A66! although I have used a section around Whinfell before...), you hit the Dishforth gap.
If hitting that late at night, with an out of charge GPS, finding the way through Rainton it would be very easy to get lost, which would make the hard shoulder of the A1(M) quite tempting.
KeithW wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 13:58
That is because there is nothing much to access. As I recall there is a clay pigeon shooting range, a cottage and a truck dealership. There comes a point where spending public money on a road that would have a handful of users a day is not justifiable, if any Romans turn up to ask what happened to their road we'll worry about it then.
The old A1 had some appallingly dangerous flat junctions which as I recall were actually blocked off for safety reasons. Here is one of them.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.17330 ... 6656?hl=en
Between Rainton and the A1 there was NOTHING , not even pig sty, The church that had been there was long gone
The least they could do is put up a couple of direction signs - like this example on
The A34
But if money is such an issue, then perhaps a special road allowing all classes of traffic, with a direction for non-motorway traffic to trundle slowly along the hard shoulder between the two junctions, is more appropriate...