B830

Bonhill Road

The B830 is a relatively short road in Dumbarton, which seems to have been reduced in importance over the years.

We start on the A814, just to the west of the Retail Park, at a roundabout, although the original southern end of the B830 was further south at the other end of Church Street. Heading north from the roundabout is Townend Road, a road we shall come back to! Instead, we leave on Strathleven Place, heading eastwards, before curving to the north and passing under the railway - the bridge here was replaced in October 2018 during a 54hour operation, restricted by the need to reopen the railway line. Beyond the bridge, the B830 follows Bonhill Road, heading roughly north to the Barloan Toll Roundabout on the A82. Until c2008, the A813 used to continue opposite, but it has now been moved further west to the Lomondgate Roundabout, the old road now primarily only serving Bellsmyre.

Now, you are wondering about Townend Road? Well, the strangest thing about the B830 is that it seems to have been quietly demoted. At the A814 roundabout, traffic is signed along the unclassified Townend Road in preference to Bonhill Road, and at the northern end, just before reaching the roundabout, the B830 actually has to give way to Townend Road. The explanation seems to be fairly straightforward - Townend Road passes under the railway retaining its two-way width, albeit with a lower height restriction, while Bonhill Road has to manage with a narrower underbridge, forcing a pinch point and an 'oncoming traffic in middle of road' situation for larger vehicles. The new bridge retained the same abutments, and so does not appear to have improved this situation.

Online mapping from Open Street Map has been showing Townend Road as the B830 for several years, but most other maps, and more importantly West Dunbartonshire Council, continue to list the route described above, with the most recent update to the council list in 2021. The B830 is only signed on advance signs for Barloan Toll on the A82, but no signs identify it within Dumbarton, presumably to further deter traffic from using it.

History

As noted above, B830 originally started farther south, having been shortened when Dumbarton town centre was bypassed, thus rerouting the A814 slightly north of its previous line.

Although Townend appears on the 1922 MoT map, Townend Road did not exist as a through route until the mid 1950s, so the B830 was the only direct route between its endpoints. Despite Townend Road evolving to become the main route in practice, the numbering has not followed suit.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: Dumbarton - Aitken Barr