Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

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Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by Steven »

We're all familiar with the all-purpose GB road numbering scheme put into place by the Ministry of Transport in 1922-23, which brought us Class I (A) and Class II (B) roads; and then later was extended to Class III roads.

We're also all familiar with the GB motorway numbering scheme put into place in 1959, with its panic and stress, and the M and Ax(M) numbers that it brought - even if people generally are less familiar with the fact that it's an entirely separate system to the all-purpose one.

Less familiar (but documented in the Roaders' Digest: The SABRE Wiki) is the third all-GB road numbering system, that of Trunk Road numbers, in which numbers prefixed with "T" were assigned to trunk roads. This third system never caught on, and ended up never being made public-facing and disappearing from view even internally at the MoT (and successors). There's even some interesting information about this system on The Website Formerly Known as CBRD.

However, what has disappeared into the mists of time is that there was a fourth system, which not only was not public-facing, but was actually initially classified as "Secret".

What was this I hear you all cry?

These numbers were called "Essential Traffic Routes" and were put into place by the War Office during World War 2, and very little evidence of them has survived. They're barely mentioned anywhere on the Internet that I can find, with only a small mention of them being in place in Hampshire. What is certain is that these were signed routes (though seemingly without destinations, perhaps not surprisingly).

So, do we know what numbers were used, and how the system was laid out? Well, the evidence suggests that it was a two-tier system, of "Main" and "Local" numbers. Main Route numbers appear to be just numbers, whilst Local Routes seem to have a regional prefix - "S" for Scotland, "N" for northern England being known examples. Any more than that isn't known at this time,

The Hampshire evidence above suggests that these routes were marked on special local maps, but none have seemingly come to light. Instead what is known is that there was a series of annual maps printed at the Ten Mile scale, using an overprint similar to the MoT maps over the top of standard OS Ten Mile Maps of Great Britain.

The Charles Close Society's publication The Ten Mile Maps of the Ordnance Surveys by Roger Hellyer states that there were four editions of Sheet 1 (Scotland and northern England) printed, in 1939, 1940, 1941 and 1943, with a copy of a fifth edition (the Third Edition as published) not being found by the author; and no copies of Sheet 2 (the rest of England and Wales) being found. The use of specific "Editions" would suggest that the numbering itself was altered during WW2, though (less likely) it could be simply that reprints were required.

Anyway, there's now a copy of the Fifth Edition from 1943 available on SABRE Maps that has survived in the NLS's care. Has anyone ever seen a copy of the southern sheet? Has anyone ever come across Essential Traffic Routes before? And was red chosen for military signage by the Worboys Committee because the Essential Traffic Routes were signed in red? Are the red military signs in place across Great Britain the only remaining evidence of Essential Traffic Routes outside a few dusty archival documents?
Essential_Traffic_Routes_key.JPG
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From the SABRE Wiki: Trunk road#Trunk Road Numbers :


A Trunk road (or national road in the Republic of Ireland) is a road maintained by a national government body – as distinct from the great majority of roads, which are maintained by local Highway Authorities. Trunk roads are generally, therefore, the most important roads nationally; for example, most (though not all) British motorways are trunk roads.

An individually numbered road may be a trunk road for all, part, or none of its

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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by JohnnyMo »

I assume the Red / Blue was for ease of printing.

What is interesting is the routes such as the 202 (A66/A6/...) from Scotch Corner to Greenock, which supersedes the 217 (A6) at Penrith. The 203 (A172) is of national importance while the N29 (A19) is only regional.

The main road to Edinburgh 201 uses the B6275 to bypass Darlington.
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by rileyrob »

Fascinating. There seems to be some sort of zoning, or possible a root/branch system in place in Scotland - see the S13. There are also lots of spurs or un-numbered routes shown on the map, and there is no obvious reason why they couldn't have been numbered in a smaller font if need be.

I think I've picked out all the routes in Scotland:
Essential_Traffic_Routes/Scotland
I suspect that, for instance, the S11 started in Glasgow, but it isn't numbered.

Interesting that many of the routes don't exclusively follow the MOT numbering, whether this is to avoid towns or whether it is a reflection of the routes seeing more traffic at the time?
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From the SABRE Wiki: Essential Traffic Routes/Scotland :

[Essential Traffic Routes]] were a wartime numbering system used in the second world war to guide military vehicles around the country at a time when many road signs had been removed.

A national network of main routes were created, backed up with regionally numbered local routes Only 5 of the national routes entered Scotland, but there was a vast network of local routes set out, some lengthy and following the main road network, others just short spurs. To date only a single map identifying

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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by orudge »

Wow, fascinating indeed - will be one to pore over in a bit more detail!
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by Steven »

rileyrob wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 16:52 Interesting that many of the routes don't exclusively follow the MOT numbering, whether this is to avoid towns or whether it is a reflection of the routes seeing more traffic at the time?
I suspect that to answer that question we need to go back to the point of the system. Clearly it was for War Office use, so therefore the routes have to be suitable for relevant traffic and probably military convoys. Therefore it may well be the case that where a suitable route existed that could avoid taking the convoy through urban areas existed, then that was chosen instead. It's also worth considering that bomb damage was more likely in cities and industrial areas than in more rural areas.
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by JohnnyMo »

rileyrob wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 16:52 Fascinating. There seems to be some sort of zoning, or possible a root/branch system in place in Scotland - see the S13. There are also lots of spurs or un-numbered routes shown on the map, and there is no obvious reason why they couldn't have been numbered in a smaller font if need be.

I think I've picked out all the routes in Scotland:
Essential_Traffic_Routes/Scotland
I suspect that, for instance, the S11 started in Glasgow, but it isn't numbered.

Interesting that many of the routes don't exclusively follow the MOT numbering, whether this is to avoid towns or whether it is a reflection of the routes seeing more traffic at the time?
Being pedantic I don't thing the 201 starts at Scotch Corner, rather near Middleton Lodge (A1/ B6275)
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From the SABRE Wiki: Essential Traffic Routes/Scotland :

[Essential Traffic Routes]] were a wartime numbering system used in the second world war to guide military vehicles around the country at a time when many road signs had been removed.

A national network of main routes were created, backed up with regionally numbered local routes Only 5 of the national routes entered Scotland, but there was a vast network of local routes set out, some lengthy and following the main road network, others just short spurs. To date only a single map identifying

... Read More
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by KeithW »

JohnnyMo wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 16:30 I assume the Red / Blue was for ease of printing.

What is interesting is the routes such as the 202 (A66/A6/...) from Scotch Corner to Greenock, which supersedes the 217 (A6) at Penrith. The 203 (A172) is of national importance while the N29 (A19) is only regional.

The main road to Edinburgh 201 uses the B6275 to bypass Darlington.
Well the A172 was the major road until the A19 was rerouted along its current line in the 1970's. The A19 was a real drag before that as it passed through Crathorne, Yarm, Eaglescliffe and Stockton High Street to Norton. My route was along the A172 to the A1 at the Cleveland Tontine. The A172 was also a major road in its own right as took you to Middlesbrough Docks, the Dockyard at Dock Point, Smiths Dock and the Dorman Long iron and steel works

It doesnt surprise me at all that the primary route was the 200 (A1). Another factor would be that the N29 went over the Newport Lift bridge and as the port of Stockton was very busy disruption and delays was always a possibility.

Darlington like Grantham and Stamford it was always congested before the Darlington bypass was built. B6275 was the old Roman Road and was a common diversion heading north up the A68.
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by KeithW »

rileyrob wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 16:52 Fascinating. There seems to be some sort of zoning, or possible a root/branch system in place in Scotland - see the S13. There are also lots of spurs or un-numbered routes shown on the map, and there is no obvious reason why they couldn't have been numbered in a smaller font if need be.

I think I've picked out all the routes in Scotland:

I suspect that, for instance, the S11 started in Glasgow, but it isn't numbered.

Interesting that many of the routes don't exclusively follow the MOT numbering, whether this is to avoid towns or whether it is a reflection of the routes seeing more traffic at the time?
Well to comment on a few of your entries with question marks

S16 Bonar Bridge - prior to the Dornoch Bridge being built the A9 from Tain to Helmsdale went over Bonar Bridge.
S18 John O'Groats - that was a major ferry route to the fleet base at Scapa Flow so Wick would seem likely.
S41 Kinross - I would suggest Rosyth - another major naval base.

Avoiding major towns and cities would be a plus, places like Greenock, Glasgow and other industrial areas were obvious targets for bombing.
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by c2R »

Just wow. I thought I had read everything there was to read about road numbering in GB and then you go and hit me with this.
Thanks both for starting to list them on the wiki. We definitely need more maps....!
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by JohnnyMo »

KeithW wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 18:39
... Another factor would be that the N29 went over the Newport Lift bridge and as the port of Stockton was very busy disruption and delays was always a possibility.
As far as I can see the N29 when through Yarm, not Newport
Darlington like Grantham and Stamford it was always congested before the Darlington bypass was built. B6275 was the old Roman Road and was a common diversion heading north up the A68.
Which then begs the question why was it not given an A number, by the MoT in 1923.
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by JohnnyMo »

Steven wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 15:20 ..whilst Local Routes seem to have a regional prefix - "S" for Scotland, "N" for northern England being known examples. Any more than that isn't known at this time,
...
"W" for west as you can see if you look at Cumbria, maybe numbered 1 to N starting at the north. This is matched by the N prefix running north to south also.
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by Steven »

JohnnyMo wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 20:21
Steven wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 15:20 ..whilst Local Routes seem to have a regional prefix - "S" for Scotland, "N" for northern England being known examples. Any more than that isn't known at this time,
...
"W" for west as you can see if you look at Cumbria, maybe numbered 1 to N starting at the north. This is matched by the N prefix running north to south also.
Yes, I held off on mentioning that one because is it assigned to "west" or "northwest"? There's only a couple of roads in Westmorland and Cumberland to go off - no idea what happens in Lancashire, or even further south in places like Shropshire or Staffordshire which could also be described as "west".
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by Chris5156 »

c2R wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 19:20 Just wow. I thought I had read everything there was to read about road numbering in GB and then you go and hit me with this.
Thanks both for starting to list them on the wiki. We definitely need more maps....!
This is pretty much where I am too. Absolutely astonishing! One for my next National Archives visit, for sure.

I love that this has come to light and hit us all like a brick. You sometimes find people asking whether we've found out everything there is to know about the road network now... to which the answer is, clearly, that we're not even close! :D
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by rileyrob »

rileyrob wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 16:52I think I've picked out all the routes in Scotland:
Essential_Traffic_Routes/Scotland
I've been through the Scottish Local Routes again and tabulated them with more detail. The routes through the larger urban areas are going to be difficult to identify exactly where they run, but I will take another look tomorrow if no-one else beats me to it. Also need to mention the rest of the un-numbered routes, again I need to figure out where they go!
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From the SABRE Wiki: Essential Traffic Routes/Scotland :

[Essential Traffic Routes]] were a wartime numbering system used in the second world war to guide military vehicles around the country at a time when many road signs had been removed.

A national network of main routes were created, backed up with regionally numbered local routes Only 5 of the national routes entered Scotland, but there was a vast network of local routes set out, some lengthy and following the main road network, others just short spurs. To date only a single map identifying

... Read More
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by Vierwielen »

Certain roads were closed during the war. For example the A30 was closed at Blackbushe Airport (between Camberley and Hartley Wintney) because a runway was built over it. Initially it was only closed when an aircraft was about to land or take off, but subsequently it was closed permanently (at least until 1945).
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by rileyrob »

Chris5156 wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 20:35 This is pretty much where I am too. Absolutely astonishing! One for my next National Archives visit, for sure.
Found a couple of records here:
:arrow: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov. ... /r/C611080 Closing of ETR by RAF 1940-45
:arrow: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov. ... /r/C610551 ETR Bridge Classification
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by rhyds »

It would be interesting to compare the ETR network to the various defensive positions recorded in the Defence of Britain Database

https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/dob/

My guess is they'd be heavily defended, and that ETRs may have avoided certain areas where bridges etc may have been prepared for demolition in an emergency
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by KeithW »

JohnnyMo wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 20:00
Which then begs the question why was it not given an A number, by the MoT in 1923.
At that time the A1 followed the line of the A167 and traffic levels would have been much lower then. This was an era when most freight went by rail and there were no major industries or settlements on the route. Piercebridge was the only one and it was no metropolis.

https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/ind ... 14&layer=4
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

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rhyds wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 13:06 It would be interesting to compare the ETR network to the various defensive positions recorded in the Defence of Britain Database

https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/dob/

My guess is they'd be heavily defended, and that ETRs may have avoided certain areas where bridges etc may have been prepared for demolition in an emergency
That rather depends where they were. in NE England the defences were largely along the coast and a single line running north through York. The reality was that Germany didnt have landing craft capable of crossing the North Sea and between Filey and Saltburn there are very few places you would want to try and land. The Butlins camp at Filey was requisitioned and used by the Army.

See
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Re: Forgotten GB road numbering system - Essential Traffic Routes

Post by JohnnyMo »

KeithW wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 13:55
JohnnyMo wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 20:00
KeithW wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 18:39
Darlington like Grantham and Stamford it was always congested before the Darlington bypass was built. B6275 was the old Roman Road and was a common diversion heading north up the A68.
Which then begs the question why was it not given an A number, by the MoT in 1923.
At that time the A1 followed the line of the A167 and traffic levels would have been much lower then. This was an era when most freight went by rail and there were no major industries or settlements on the route. Piercebridge was the only one and it was no metropolis.

https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/ind ... 14&layer=4
Either the B6275 was the best route between the A68 & Scotch Corner, in which case it should have been given a A number in 1923 or the main Essential Traffic Route to Edinburgh used a minor road.

I am well aware that the A1 was renumbered A167 when the A1(M) was built in the 1960's, and in the 1940's most passengers and freight when by rail.
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