A2

M2 and A2

Medway Towns Bypass

London to Lydden

The M2 may not be a long, important or significant motorway in its own right, but when it's taken with its partner the A2 it's a force to be reckoned with.

Routes
M2 A2

A2 and A2(M)

London's ancient main road to Canterbury and Dover has been bypassed over and over again, and in the sixties was supposed to be replaced in part with an urban motorway. Parts were finished in the end, even if they weren't quite to the original designs.

Routes
A2

Opening booklets

In days gone by, new roads were often celebrated with a grand opening ceremony and the issue of a commemorative booklet heralding the exciting new highway. You'll find some of them here, complete with a glimpse of all that empty tarmac and a healthy dose of modernist optimism.

Histories

East Cross Route

The strangest part of London's planned inner Motorway Box - not just because it's nothing like the other three sides, but also because it actually got built.

Routes

What's new

A century of motorways

It's 100 years since the opening of the world's first motorway, the Autostrada from Milan to the Lakes.

Schrödinger’s speed limit

In 2022, Manchester City Council say they reduced the speed limit on the Mancunian Way to 30mph. But it’s not clear if they did. It’s not even clear if they can.

Sorry, wrong number

Road numbering is a system with clear rules. What happens when the people responsible for numbering roads don't follow them?

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Have you seen...

Emergency Diversion Routes

Those funny black and yellow symbols are everywhere - and they might just get you back on track one day.