Motorways and Special Roads

[crowntown100]

I've been reading the Wiki articles on Motorways and Special Roads as I'm a little confused over the special road aspect of the AWPR scheme, although this is also a more general question.

Motorways are Special Roads restricted to Class 1 and Class 2 Vehicles. But the AWPR is a Special Road restricted to Class 1 and Class 2 Vehicles, but it is not a Motorway.

More generally, is there anything else that makes a Motorway, a Motorway?

And, as the wiki suggests, a Special road restricted to Class 1 and Class 2 Vehicles is legally a motorway, why is the AWPR going to be the A90 and A956, not M90/A90(M) and M956/A956(M)?

[Chris5156]

I've been reading the Wiki articles on Motorways and Special Roads as I'm a little confused over the special road aspect of the AWPR scheme, although this is also a more general question.

Motorways are Special Roads restricted to Class 1 and Class 2 Vehicles. But the AWPR is a Special Road restricted to Class 1 and Class 2 Vehicles, but it is not a Motorway.

More generally, is there anything else that makes a Motorway, a Motorway?

And, as the wiki suggests, a Special road restricted to Class 1 and Class 2 Vehicles is legally a motorway, why is the AWPR going to be the A90 and A956, not M90/A90(M) and M956/A956(M)?

One simple answer would be this:

If you want to make a motorway, the only way to do it is to create a Special Road and restrict it to Class I and Class II vehicles.

If you create a Special Road and restrict it to Class I and Class II vehicles, you can make it a motorway, but you don't have to.

(For the life of me I still can't even begin to understand why we are building motorway-like roads that are open to all traffic when it's demonstrably safer for them to have motorway restrictions. It's even further beyond me why we build motorway-like roads with motorway restrictions but then choose not to show that status in any conventional way on maps or signs.)

[crowntown100]

One simple answer would be this:

If you want to make a motorway, the only way to do it is to create a Special Road and restrict it to Class I and Class II vehicles.

If you create a Special Road and restrict it to Class I and Class II vehicles, you can make it a motorway, but you don't have to.

Thanks Chris! That makes sense. I was under the impression that you couldn't have one without the other.

[Chris5156]

One simple answer would be this:

If you want to make a motorway, the only way to do it is to create a Special Road and restrict it to Class I and Class II vehicles.

If you create a Special Road and restrict it to Class I and Class II vehicles, you can make it a motorway, but you don't have to.

Thanks Chris! That makes sense. I was under the impression that you couldn't have one without the other.

I don't think that's the case, but I am willing to be corrected by brighter minds.

[wrinkly]

It seems to be a primarily Celtic phenomenon.

[orudge]

I expect the AWPR is not a motorway because it doesn't have hard shoulders, because some of the junctions may be slightly below motorway standard, and because there'll be a roundabout in the middle of it.

That said, there are examples of all 3 on other motorways, so arguably no reason not to make it a motorway!

Also if it was made the M90, it could then be confusing if you talked about taking the M90 ("which one?"). And where would the junction numbers start? Junction 13? Junction 39? (The latter being a rough count of A- and B- roads or other 'major' roads along the A90 between Perth and Stonehaven.)

But yes, no real reason why in practice it shouldn't be the A90(M) or A956(M). And even without hard shoulders, it would probably be less confusing for folk who maybe don't realise there are going to be restrictions on it, and they can't take their tractor/bicycle/learner driver on it.

Does anyone know if there are many instances of restricted vehicles being used on, say, the A1 special road east of Edinburgh? Moreso, perhaps, than would happen on a blue-signed motorway?

[rileyrob]

It can't possibly be a motorway - The Scottish Government are only just tying up the last bits around the Forth to create a fully connected motorway network in Scotland, pretty much for the first time*, they're not going to stand that huge gap between Perth and Stonehaven, so soon after all that hard work, it would cost too much and take too long to turn it all blue!!

*Apart from the very first bit of Motorway, which had nothing to be connected too.

[Lockwood]

I thought it was that a "Bypass" was a thing that destroyed homes, a "Motorway" will destroy the ecology and devalue everything, so we can no longer have either?

[Chris5156]

I thought it was that a "Bypass" was a thing that destroyed homes, a "Motorway" will destroy the ecology and devalue everything, so we can no longer have either?

What about a "relief road"?

[orudge]

I thought it was that a "Bypass" was a thing that destroyed homes, a "Motorway" will destroy the ecology and devalue everything, so we can no longer have either?

This is no doubt why we've got the "Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route" rather than the "Aberdeen Near-Motorway Bypass".

Even then, it still spend a good decade or so fighting off protests and legal challenges, etc.

I'm now also reminded of the local newspaper and protesters arguing against a "seven lane superhighway" for the A494 - and that really would have been a motorway, physically-speaking, in all but number.

[WHBM]

Special Roads are those authorised under the Special Roads Act 1949 (doubtless updated since; be easy on me, it's been a long time since I was at university ). The fundamental point was to limit ACCESS to the road to only authorised places. Otherwise any adjacent landowner could make a gate onto a public highway.

Motorways are those which limit the CLASSES of users, to prohibit pedestrians, L-drivers, horses, etc. Theoretically each of these could be prohibited separately, but it's more convenient to do so in one hit. I don't recall the legislation well enough for whether a Motorway has to be a Special Road as well, but it seems likely.

Independently, motorways had a separate set of design criteria to suit higher speeds, although these are not legally mandatory and many (such as hard shoulders [M25] and no traffic lights [M60]) seem now to be binned where convenient.

As I've mentioned university times I'll recall going to a public meeting in the 1970s about Buchanan's traffic proposals for Edinburgh. This included for the first time the complete outer city ring that later became the A720. The platform speaker described it, and its advantages for relieving the centre, and then said that "it MAY be a motorway". At this point the audience (it was in an Edinburgh University lecture theatre) lets out a huge, and we felt ridiculous, gasp ...... And it never was.

[Lockwood]

I'm now also reminded of the local newspaper and protesters arguing against a "seven lane superhighway" for the A494 - and that really would have been a motorway, physically-speaking, in all but number.

Message

Cannot place road here.
Aberdeen local authority refuses to allow it

[Steven]

Special Roads are those authorised under the Special Roads Act 1949 (doubtless updated since; be easy on me, it's been a long time since I was at university ). The fundamental point was to limit ACCESS to the road to only authorised places. Otherwise any adjacent landowner could make a gate onto a public highway.

Motorways are those which limit the CLASSES of users, to prohibit pedestrians, L-drivers, horses, etc. Theoretically each of these could be prohibited separately, but it's more convenient to do so in one hit. I don't recall the legislation well enough for whether a Motorway has to be a Special Road as well, but it seems likely.

Special Road and Motorway give the answers.

A motorway is a Special Road limited to Class I and II traffic.

[WHBM]

I wonder what the detailed classification is regarding the former Motorways in London (eg A40 Westway) that were declassified some years ago. What aspect of their legislation was removed ?

[crowntown100]

Special Roads are those authorised under the Special Roads Act 1949 (doubtless updated since; be easy on me, it's been a long time since I was at university ). The fundamental point was to limit ACCESS to the road to only authorised places. Otherwise any adjacent landowner could make a gate onto a public highway.

Motorways are those which limit the CLASSES of users, to prohibit pedestrians, L-drivers, horses, etc. Theoretically each of these could be prohibited separately, but it's more convenient to do so in one hit. I don't recall the legislation well enough for whether a Motorway has to be a Special Road as well, but it seems likely.

Special Road and Motorway give the answers.

A motorway is a Special Road limited to Class I and II traffic.

...but a Special Road limited to Class I and II traffic is not necessarily a motorway. Or, at least, that's what we think above.

[wrinkly]

I wonder what the detailed classification is regarding the former Motorways in London (eg A40 Westway) that were declassified some years ago. What aspect of their legislation was removed ?

I think they were despecialised.

[WHBM]

There is actually a further classification, by the police, in terms of patrolling standards. I am aware that Surrey Police categorise the A3, which is D3 from Tolworth across the M25 to Guildford, as motorway standard for this.

[roadtester]

There is actually a further classification, by the police, in terms of patrolling standards. I am aware that Surrey Police categorise the A3, which is D3 from Tolworth across the M25 to Guildford, as motorway standard for this.

I'm assuming the HE must also have something similar for deciding which non-motorways HETOs should patrol.

[c2R]

I'm not sure if police would see the A3 as different in terms of standards - if they were to prosecute the A3 as a motorway, then they would likely have their prosecution thrown out as being incorrect as the A3 is all purpose; however, it being trunk and a dual carriageway, there would likely be HATOs (or whatever these are called now) to draw upon which may be less prevalent on trunk A roads with lower traffic levels in other areas of the country.

[Johnathan404]

In addition, the police remove pedestrians and mobility scooters from standard D2 sections of major roads, such as the A27 and A34. The vast majority of the A3 falls in to that category, so I'm not sure what extra action they would take on the Esher Bypass. It may be that they simply refer to all HQDCs as 'motorway-esque' - in fact I wouldn't be surprised if a few officers get them mixed up.