B820
| B820 | ||||||||||
| Location Map ( geo) | ||||||||||
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| From: | Glasgow Road (NS657742) | |||||||||
| To: | Kilsyth Road (NS649740) | |||||||||
| Via: | High Street, Kirkintilloch | |||||||||
| Distance: | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | |||||||||
| Met: | A803, B757, A803 | |||||||||
| Now part of: | unclassified | |||||||||
| Traditional Counties | ||||||||||
| Route outline (key) | ||||||||||
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The B820 originally followed the High Street through Kirkintilloch, meaning that the Glasgow Road 'bypass' followed by the A803 actually pre-dates 1922. In fact, the central section of the High Street, between Cowgate and Ledgate, and about a third of the overall length was actually a multiplex with the B757, relegating the B820 to the two ends.
The OS were still marking this route as an un-numbered B road in the early 1970s, but with the pedestrianisation of some of the town centre, and the construction of the A8006 (now the A806) cutting the High Street in half, this road is now entirely unclassified, although East Dunbartonshire Council appear to still refer to it as current.
Today, despite having been chopped about a lot, most of the route can still be walked. It starts at a roundabout on the A803 and heads east along West High Street into the town centre. Traffic then turns right onto Cowgate, but West High Street continues as a short dead end, before steps lead down to a pedestrian crossing across the A806. High Street continues ahead, past some industrial premises and across the River Kelvin, at which point it becomes Eastside. Ledgate, the former route of the B757, is now one-way southbound from the A803 to the north, and then Eastside twists south to a newish roundabout with Hillhead Road. Eastside then kinks back on to its old line and soon curves northwards to end at another roundabout on the A803, Kilsyth Road.