B143

Nile Street

The B143 is a short B-road in North Shields town centre. The road was originally the mainline of the A192, gaining its present number when that road was diverted away from the town centre. The road is the lowest-numbered Class II road outside London.

The road starts on the A193 Albion Road and heads south along the one-way Nile Street. Most maps claim that the parallel Bedford Street is also numbered B143 for the first block, although as this is also one-way in the same direction there is no real reason for it to be classified. Nile Street crosses West Percy Street to continue on into the town centre, with the final block closed to all traffic except buses and taxis; this is not the only example of a classified road only open to buses - London's A40 Oxford Street is a more famous example.

We pass the Metro station then bend sharply right onto Railway Terrace, alongside the line. After the first block the road becomes two-way and open to all traffic. The road then TOTSOs left onto Borough Road, which is wide enough to allow cars to park end-on to the pavement. The road descends gently to end at traffic lights on the A187 Prudhoe Road.