Anomalously numbered roads in Great Britain
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In the Great Britain road numbering scheme, Great Britain is divided into numbered zones, the boundaries of which are usually defined by single-digit roads. The first digit of a road's number should be the number of the zone it occupies. If the road occupies multiple zones, then the furthest-anticlockwise zone is the correct one.
The following table lists all British roads which are anomalously numbered. Roads in bold lie completely outside of the "correct" zone; all other roads run for some length in the "correct" zones but trespass into zones anticlockwise of this zone.
Contents |
[edit] Motorways
| Road Number | Location | Trespassed zone(s) |
Reason/Excuse for this |
|---|---|---|---|
| M48 | Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire | Zone 5 | This road was formerly the M4 and links up with the A48. |
| M49 | Bristol, Gloucestershire | Zone 3 | This motorway lies entirely within zone 3 [1]. The motorway was constructed at the same time as the 2nd Severn Crossing, and it's likely that they used the sequential M48 and M49 for the old M4 and the new motorway respectively. |
| M62 | Merseyside, Greater Manchester/Lancashire (traditionally) | Zone 5 | The section from Liverpool to Manchester was planned as M52, but was added to the M62 to make a cross-country route. |
| M65 | Lancashire | Zone 5 | The short link to the A582 is out-of-zone |
| M271 | Hampshire | Zone 3 | Numbered as a spur of the M27, as opposed to the traditional numbering rules, however M3 to Southampton came after the M271 was built and may not be the zone boundary, which appears to be a straight line from M3 j8 to Exeter in some documentation |
While the M25 may appear to contradict these rules as it runs through all the London-bound zones, it in fact does not; it does not run in a complete circle, starting in Zone 2, and proceeding clockwise through zones 3, 4 and 1. The A282, which completes the circle mostly formed by the M25, is incorrectly numbered; it proceeds into the A-road 1-zone incorrectly.
[edit] A roads
| Road Number | Location | Trespassed zone(s) |
Reason/Excuse for this |
|---|---|---|---|
| A14 | Northamptonshire | Zone 5 & 6 | The A14 was chosen as a unique, important number for this crucial cross-country route. |
| A31 | Surrey | Zone 2 | A section of the A31 through Guildford was bypassed east by the A3. |
| A42 | Leicestershire | Zone 5 | The A42 is numbered as an extension of the M42. |
| A51 | Warwickshire | Zone 4 | |
| A55 | Anglesey | Zone 4 | The A55 supersedes the A5 through Angelsey. |
| A66 | Cumbria | Zone 5 | The A66 was extended westwards beyond the A6 to make it a cross-country route. |
| A88 | Falkirk | Zone 9 | Planned to extend westwards to form the A80 to Kincardine Bridge road - this instead became the M876. |
| A89 | Glasgow | Zone 7 | The A89 through Glasgow was partly formerly the A8. |
| A167 | Durham | Zone 6 | The A167 through Durham was formerly part of the A1. |
| A168 | North Yorkshire | Zone 6 | The A168 was formerly part of the A1. |
| A177 | Durham | Zone 6 | The A1 was moved east of the A177's start point in Durham City. |
| A181 | Durham | Zone 6 | The A1 was moved east of the A181's start point in Durham City. |
| A199 | East Lothian | Zone 6 | The A199 was formerly part of the A1. |
| A282 | Thurrock | Zone 1 | New road which is important and assigned an A2xx number due to a shortage of A1xx numbers. |
| A307 | Surrey | Zone 2 | The A307 was formerly part of the A3. |
| A320 | Surrey | Zone 2 | As A307. |
| A322 | Surrey | Zone 2 | As A307. |
| A397 | Portsmouth | Zone 2 | The A397 was formerly part of the A3. |
| A404 | Windsor and Maidenhead | Zone 3 | The A404 was formerly part of the A4. |
| A412 | Slough | Zone 3 | |
| A427 | Northamptonshire | Zone 6 | The A427 was truncated and most of it renumbered as the A14. |
| A505 | Bedfordshire | Zone 4 | The A505 was extended to become a cross-country route. |
| A601 | Derby | Zone 5 | Chosen as a unique number for the Derby inner ring road. |
| A620 | Nottinghamshire | Zone 1 | The A620 was truncated and left east of the A1. |
| A624 | Derbyshire | Zone 5 | The A624 was formerly part of the A6. |
| A683 | Lancashire | Zone 5 | The A683 was extended westwards to Heysham docks. |
| A720 | Edinburgh | Zone 6 | The A720 bypasses Edinburgh, a numbering hub, making numbering difficult; A720 was chosen for apparent importance. Most important 6-zone numbers were all used. |
| A882 | Highland | Zone 9 | The A882 was formerly part of the A9. |
| A899 | West Lothian | Zone 7 | The A899 was extended south through Livingston new town, Scotland. |
| A949 | Highland | Zone 8 | The A949 was formerly part of the A9. |
| A1000 | Hertfordshire | Zone 6 | The A1000 was formerly part of the A1. |
| A1057 | Hertfordshire | Zone 6 | As A1000. |
| A1068 | Northumberland | Zone 6 | The A1068 was formerly part of the A1. |
| A1081 | Hertfordshire | Zone 6 | The A1081 was formerly part of the A6. |
| A1246 | Northumberland | Zone 6 | The A1246 was formerly part of the A1. |
| A3023 | Hampshire | Zone 2 | |
| A3100 | Surrey | Zone 2 | The A3100 was formerly part of the A3 (and the A31). |
| A3400 | Warwickshire | Zone 4 | The A3400 was formerly part of the A34. |
| A4174 | Bristol | Zone 3 | The A4174 is part of the Bristol outer ring road. |
| A4208 | London | Zone 3 | Truncation of the A4 left the A4208 out-of-zone. |
| A4300 | Northamptonshire | Zone 5 | The A4300 was formerly part of the A43. |
| A4303 | Leicestershire | Zone 5 | The A4303 was formerly part of the A427. |
| A4304 | Leicestershire | Zone 5 | As A4303. |
| A4500 | Northamptonshire | Zone 5 | The A4500 was formerly part of the A45. |
| A4501 | Northamptonshire | Zone 5 | As A4500. |
| A4601 | Staffordshire | Zone 5 | The A4601 was formerly part of the A460. |
| A5127 | Staffordshire | Zone 4 | The A5127 was extended south when the A38 bypassed Lichfield. |
| A5140 | Bedfordshire | Zone 4 | |
| A5153 | Anglesey | Zone 4 | The more-important A55, rather than the A5, is taken to be zone boundary. |
| A5154 | Anglesey | Zone 4 | The more-important A55, rather than the A5, is taken to be zone boundary. |
| A5223 | Telford | Zone 4 | |
| A6004 | Leicestershire | Zone 5 | The A6004 was formerly part of the A6. |
| A6010 | Manchester | Zone 5 | The A6010 is part of the Manchester ring road. |
| A6143 | Manchester | Zone 5 | |
| A6144 | Trafford | Zone 5 | |
| A6182 | Doncaster | Zone 1 | The A1 was rerouted leaving the A6182 out-of-zone. |
| A8000 | Edinburgh | Zone 9 | The A8000 was truncated with the building of the M9 spur halfway to the Forth Road Bridge. |
[edit] B roads
| Road Number | Location | Trespassed zone(s) |
Reason/Excuse for this |
|---|---|---|---|
| B197 | Hertfordshire | Zone 6 | The B197 was formerly part of the A1 |
| B316 | London | Zone 4 | A4 rerouted |
| B325 | London | Zone 4 | A4 rerouted |
| B455 | London | Zone 3 | |
| B470 | Windsor and Maidenhead | Zone 3 | |
| B576 | Northamptonshire | Zone 6 | A6 rerouted |
| B645 | Northamptonshire | Zone 5 | A6 rerouted |
| B855 | Highland | Zone 9 | The A9 was rerouted west of this road, to end at Thurso. |
| B876 | Highland | Zone 9 | The A9 was rerouted west of this road, to end at Thurso. |
| B1043 | Cambridgeshire | Zone 6 | The B1043 was formerly part of the A1. |
| B1164 | Nottinghamshire | Zone 6 | The B1164 was formerly part of the A1. |
| B1217 | Leeds | Zone 6 | extended along old A642 when M1 extended |
| B1224 | North Yorkshire | Zone 6 | The A1 was re-routed, leaving its start-point out of zone. |
| B1284 | Durham | Zone 6 | The A1 was re-routed, leaving its start-point out of zone. |
| B3000 | Surrey | Zone 2 | A3 rerouted |
| B3004 | Hampshire | Zone 2 | |
| B3006 | Hampshire | Zone 2 | |
| B4640 | West Berkshire | Zone 3 | |
| B4666 | Hinckley, Leicestershire | Zone 5 | The B4666 was formerly part of the A47. |
| B4667 | Hinckley, Leicestershire | Zone 5 | The B4667 was formerly part of the A447. |
| B4668 | Hinckley, Leicestershire | Zone 5 | The B4668 was formerly part of the A47. |
| B4669 | Leicestershire | Zone 5 | |
| B5060 | Telford | Zone 4 | |
| B5061 | Shropshire | Zone 4 | |
| B5070 | Wrexham | Zone 4 | The B5070 was formerly part of the A5. |
| B5072 | Telford | Zone 4 | |
| B5444 | Swansea | Zone 4 | There was previously, and still is, a B5444 in Mold, suggesting this numbering is also erroneous. |
| B6280 | Darlington | Zone 1 | The A1 was re-routed, leaving its start-point out of zone. |
| B6291 | Durham | Zone 1 | The section within Zone 6 was renumbered as the A688. |
| B6420 | Nottinghamshire | Zone 1 | The A1 was re-routed, leaving its start-point out of zone. |
| B6469 | Manchester | Zone 5 | |
| B6541 | Middlesborough | Zone 1 | The B6541 was formerly part of the A66. |
| B9080 | West Lothian | Zone 8 | The B9080 was formerly part of the A9. |
| B9150 | Highland | Zone 8 | The B9150 was formerly part of the A9. |
| B9163 | Highland | Zone 8 | A9 rerouted |
| B9164 | Highland | Zone 8 | A9 rerouted |
| B9169 | Highland | Zone 8 | A9 rerouted |
| B9176 | Highland | Zone 8 | The B9176 was formerly part of the A9 |
| B9177 | Highland | Zone 8 | The B9177 was formerly part of the A9 |
[edit] Irregularities not based on the zoning system
| Road Number | Location | Reason for irregularity |
|---|---|---|
| A135/A139 | Stockton-on-Tees | The other A13x roads are in southern England. |
| A176 | Essex | The other A17x roads are in North Yorkshire or County Durham. |
| A180 | Grimsby | The A180 is numbered as an extension of the M180. |
| A594 | one in Cumbria, one in Leicester | There are two A594s which are clearly separate roads. |
| A601(M) | Carnforth, Lancashire | "A601(M)" would be a designation for an upgraded section of the A601. The A601 is a completely different road in Derby. |
[edit] External links
- Out-of-Zone Roads (where most of the info on this page is taken from)
- SABRE's road lists. A comprehensive database of numbered roads in mainland Britain.
| United Kingdom Road Lists | ||||||||
| United Kingdom motorways | ||||||||
| Great Britain road numbering scheme | ||||||||
| A Roads | ||||||||
| Zone 1 - | Zone 2 - | Zone 3 - | Zone 4 - | Zone 5 - | Zone 6 - | Zone 7 - | Zone 8 - | Zone 9 |
| B roads | ||||||||
| Anomalously numbered | ||||||||
| United Kingdom Road Junctions | ||||||||
| London Roads | ||||||||
