Trivia: Bypassed roads that now carry more traffic than they did before the bypass

[Peter350]

The main purpose of a bypass is to take traffic out of a town centre or relieve a bottleneck. Usually this means the bypassed road sees a significant decrease in traffic, however i'm sure we are at the stage now where the traffic levels on some of these bypassed roads have reverted back to, or exceeded pre-bypass traffic levels as new development gets built in the area. This must be common in dormitory villages where there has been significant development since the building of the bypass, such as Papworth Everard and Longstanton in Cambridgeshire.

So do we have a contender for the bypassed road which has seen the biggest increase in traffic since its bypass was built?

[B1040]

I heard this of the former A12 in Brentwood several years ago.. I suspect it's not the worst affected town.

[mikehindsonevans]

Old A33 between Popham and Kings Worthy or Winnall as the M3 filled up ten years ago.

Will be interesting to see the outcomes of the M3j9/A34/A33 rebuild over the next couple of years.

[Truvelo]

M6 J4-11 is a likely candidate. Because there's an extra lane since the M6 Toll opened any increase in traffic won't be as obvious.

[Peter350]

Old A33 between Popham and Kings Worthy or Winnall as the M3 filled up ten years ago.

Are you sure? That road’s always been very quiet every time i’ve driven along it. Surely it must have carried more traffic in its final days as a trunk road at the beginning of 1985.

[M5Lenzar]

I would imagine that Norwich Road in Ipswich is busier now as it's the way into town for a LOT of people.

London Road is bad, too, thanks to way too many traffic lights and not enough roundabouts.

[skiddaw05]

In the days before the Norwich southern bypass the A47 was routed along the southern half of the ring road and it was always getting congested, particularly between County Hall and Carrow Road. There was a brief honeymoon period after the opening of the bypass when traffic appeared to be a lot lighter but it soon reverted to type and is now if anything worse than ever.

King's Lynn is another example as the town is completely bypassed but traffic through the town can be horrendous. This is especially so in the summer and could be because the eastern bypass (A149) regularly grinds to a halt with all the holiday traffic so some drivers try to avoid this by going through the town instead.

[Truvelo]

King's Lynn is another example as the town is completely bypassed but traffic through the town can be horrendous. This is especially so in the summer and could be because the eastern bypass (A149) regularly grinds to a halt with all the holiday traffic so some drivers try to avoid this by going through the town instead.

The B1144 is my favoured route due to the A149 being bunged up. I've also seen the A47 back up due to the non-GSJ. What's really needed is the whole bypass being D2 and the new flyover at Hardwick replacing with one which favours the A149 then the ratrunning through town will disappear.

[Berk]

I’d never have imagined driving straight through King’s Lynn to avoid the traffic.

If you’re heading for the north coast, it can be as quick to drive straight on the A47, turn off as soon as you can and use the back roads, such as the B1153/5. Works well going home too.

But I agree, Hardwick needs sorting, along with dualling the bypass.

[mikehindsonevans]

Old A33 between Popham and Kings Worthy or Winnall as the M3 filled up ten years ago.

Are you sure? That road’s always been very quiet every time i’ve driven along it. Surely it must have carried more traffic in its final days as a trunk road at the beginning of 1985.

Pretty certain, Peter. The junction by the Cart & Horses has been remodelled (on the cheap every time) as traffic rose. Plus, Her Ladyship commuted up that road as far as Micheldever for around seven years. She mentioned that traffic levels had risen - noticeably - between 2010 and 2015.

Just one person's impression, but the accident rate outside the Cart & Horses has definitely increased, with traffic heading south down the hill to the junction, bound for Winnall.

[Darren]

I'd imagine the A2 near the Bowater roundabout in Gillingham, Kent, would count:

https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/70386

34,000 vehicles a day use that stretch.

For comparison, the equivalent bit of the M2 has 81,000 a day - but I bet it was nowhere near that high in the early 60s, when the A2 was bypassed by the M2!

https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/36010

[Bryn666]

I expect this is quite regular actually, and what it means is the bypass has clearly failed if it's made the town busier than before.

The whole point is to free up the town from congestion not generate more of it through bad planning decisions that force more cars onto the road.

[c2R]

I expect this is quite regular actually, and what it means is the bypass has clearly failed if it's made the town busier than before.

The whole point is to free up the town from congestion not generate more of it through bad planning decisions that force more cars onto the road.

Not necessarily - bypasses on strategic routes can be built to ease traffic flow and speed up journeys between towns and be very successful at that.

Just because a local authority then decides to embark on a strategy of in fill development between the bypass and the pre-bypassed route to attract many more vehicles onto a pre-bypassed route through the creation of uncontrolled car-dependent residential development, commercial tin sheds, and vast expanses of tarmac is their own look out and not a failure in and of the bypass.

[Piatkow]

I heard this of the former A12 in Brentwood several years ago.. I suspect it's not the worst affected town.

Maybe traffic levels in the High Street are up on average, its a while since I have been there, but I am sure that peak levels are still way down. I can remember pre-bypass bank holidays when it was quicker to walk down Brook Street Hill than to drive.

[Steven]

I expect this is quite regular actually, and what it means is the bypass has clearly failed if it's made the town busier than before.

The whole point is to free up the town from congestion not generate more of it through bad planning decisions that force more cars onto the road.

Not necessarily. For example, it wouldn't surprise me if the A6 through Preston actually carries more traffic than before the Preston Bypass opened. It doesn't always mean that the bypass has "failed".

[Bryn666]

I expect this is quite regular actually, and what it means is the bypass has clearly failed if it's made the town busier than before.

The whole point is to free up the town from congestion not generate more of it through bad planning decisions that force more cars onto the road.

Not necessarily. For example, it wouldn't surprise me if the A6 through Preston actually carries more traffic than before the Preston Bypass opened. It doesn't always mean that the bypass has "failed".

Yes, and no. The M6 hasn't strictly failed but the amount of development surrounding it has made it struggle massively.

[Peter350]

I expect this is quite regular actually, and what it means is the bypass has clearly failed if it's made the town busier than before.

The whole point is to free up the town from congestion not generate more of it through bad planning decisions that force more cars onto the road.

Thinking about it, traffic levels have increased dramatically since the 1950s and it is highly likely that every road would have seen “traffic inflation” since then, whether a big or small increase.

A true example of a failed bypass would be one which carries less traffic than the road it was intended to bypass, while that road sees a continual increase in traffic flow. It might be more interesting to list some examples of those in this thread.

[Berk]

That’s right. Or a road which hasn’t really met the traffic projections of the vehicle numbers it should be carrying, based on the old road.

Maybe the M6 Toll is an example of this.

[SteveA30]

The A30 parallel to the M3, is mostly quieter, even after 49 years, except in Camberley and Basingstoke. The variation in figures is amazing if this site is accurate. From 78078 at Blackwater to 6311 between there and Blackbushe, where it leaps back up to 99885 then plummets back to 8704. This is because the A327 from J4a was rerouted along the A30 to bypass Yateley, then, back off again. So, it varies from far more than pre-M3 to far less, in just a 3 mile section.
https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/#14/51.3 ... ountpoints

The main difference is the nature of the traffic. Mostly local cars, fewer lorries, no caravans or long distance coaches.

The A33 is still much quieter than pre-M3 though, even after 35 years. This was May 22 1985, the day the M3 opened, before and after. It is never like the before pic these days.

[A9NWIL]

I expect this is quite regular actually, and what it means is the bypass has clearly failed if it's made the town busier than before.

The whole point is to free up the town from congestion not generate more of it through bad planning decisions that force more cars onto the road.

Not necessarily - bypasses on strategic routes can be built to ease traffic flow and speed up journeys between towns and be very successful at that.

Just because a local authority then decides to embark on a strategy of in fill development between the bypass and the pre-bypassed route to attract many more vehicles onto a pre-bypassed route through the creation of uncontrolled car-dependent residential development, commercial tin sheds, and vast expanses of tarmac is their own look out and not a failure in and of the bypass.

Good point, perhaps they should then pay for the bypass to be bypassed so they can use the old bypass as a relief for the original road that they have now made busy?