thomas417 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 13:38
I always liked the concept of Expressways with the blue signs, and Ax(M) designation so sad to see they seem to have bitten the dust. It's quite a turn around as there were full press releases about how the A14(M) would be the first and then it was silently ditched.
Personally I still see the need for high quality routes to be highlighted, the fact the A64(M) in Leeds is more prominent than the A64 past York is just absurd.
I'd be happy for even just blue signs to be introduced for high quality routes and leave off the (M).
Personally, I'd suggest a more radical solution.
Overnight redesignate HQDCs an Ax(M) road number.
However, treat these just like Spanish autovias. By default, all traffic is allowed. Pedestrians, cyclists... They must use the hard shoulder if appropriate (a proper width, say, 2m, smooth, not covered in debris. And seeing how I've done >40 mph on DCs, that should be allowed on the carriageway, as otherwise you may end up with some overtaking on the left). This should be reflected by not using the motorway symbol, but rather, perhaps the autopista symbol.
Admittedly there are problems regarding existing Ax(M) motorways, but they keep their chopsticks. And I'd quite like to see a review here - the A1(M) J49 to J50 doesn't have an obvious alternative. Downgrade it to an autopista until an alternative is provided for non-motorway traffic.
Meanwhile you get an A14(M), A64(M), an A34(M) south of Oxford, and A303(M) from the M3 to Amesbury, A27(M) linking the A3(M) and M27, and onward toward Chichester. Much of the A2 and A3 become the A2(M) and A3(M), and a good chunk of the A1 becomes A1(M).
Of course some definition of HQDC is needed - no at grade junctions, for instance.
The advantages are that high quality routes are still a blue line on the map, which also indicates to NMUs that they should consider the route carefully, while being a pretty easy change of colour and addition of (M).
A separate numbering system would of course be more obvious.