A5105

The A5105 is a coastal road in north Lancashire. It was built in the 1930s and has presumably held the A5105 number since its opening.

Route

The road starts at a TOTSO on the A589 Marine Road East to the east of Morecambe town centre. The road heads east, keeping the same street name, and soon becomes dual. Lanes are not marked but there is more than enough room for through traffic to pass parked cars. There are a few gaps in the central reservation to allow access to side streets, one of which is the B5275, after which the road narrows.

The inland Coastal Road section west of Hest Bank

Continuing along the coast we soon reach the edge of town. We pass a golf course and turn inland to cross the West Coast Main Line and enter Hest Bank. The road runs alongside the railway line for a short distance (although it's hardly visible as we're lined with buildings) before we bear right. We now skirt the northern edge of the settlement - the right of the road remains built-up but there are only a few buildings on the left so open fields are often visible. This merges seamlessly into Bolton-le-Sands (so called to distinguish it from Bolton-le-Moors) and we end at set of traffic lights on the A6 to the south of the village centre.

History

Before the Coastal Road

Holiday traffic to Morecambe had increased markedly during the 1920s. The A589 Lancaster road had been improved in 1923 but the route from the North and the Lakes was not direct. A scheme for a new Coastal Road was put forward which was to become A5105.

The 2.5 mile road was officially opened on 27 May 1933 by Lord Derby. It was 30 foot wide with a 20 foot promenade on the 0.75 mile section of new sea wall east of Bare before it turned inland to cross the West Coast Railway line at Hest Bank. Cost was £137,000. It provided a direct route for traffic from the north into the town. The existing Marine Road (former B5275) was used from Morecambe to Bare at the western end of the route. The section from Hest Bank to Bolton-le-Sands Bypass was an upgraded unclassified road.

The new route bought inter bus firm rivalries to the fore. Both Morecambe and Heysham Corporation and Ribble Motor Services Ltd. wanted to run services on the new route. It came to the Traffic Commissioners in March 1933 where there were heated arguments from both sides. Both services were allowed to run, but in a modified way. The Corporation could run to Hest Bank Holiday Home (but not the village) and Ribble would terminate at The Tower (and not the Battery, since that section of promenade was congested in seasonal months). There were restrictions on pick-up points also.