A217 road

A217 road
Major junctions
North end: Gatwick
  M25 motorway
A23 road
A24 road
A25 road
A232 road
A236 road
A240 road
A297 road
A2022 road
A3 road
South end: Wandsworth
Location
Primary
destinations
:
Sutton
Road network

Roads in the United Kingdom
Motorways • A and B road zones

The A217 is a road in the United Kingdom. It runs south from Kings Road in Fulham, London, crossing the Thames at Wandsworth Bridge, then passing through Wandsworth, Tooting, Mitcham, Cheam, Banstead, crossing the M25 motorway at Junction 8, then passing through Reigate and terminating shortly before reaching Gatwick Airport.

Contents

Landmarks on the route

Major roads intersected by the route

Illegal racing

The stretch of the A217 called 'The Mad Mile' has been popular for illegal street racing. It is a straight length of dual carriageway that runs downhill from the junction with the A2022 to the junction with the B2230 at Belmont.[1] This length of road has been known locally for generations, used by bikers during the early 80's when starting grids were marked out at either end of the carriageways, then became popular again in early 2000 with the modified car scene where frequent races would take place, usually on Thursday nights. This information spread quite quickly with the use of the internet, as far north as Birmingham and as a result people from all over came to participate and watch these races. Police presence gradually diffused this illegal activity, but it has not completely disappeared.[2] Measures to stop these races include crash barriers erected on the centre grass verge which runs the length of this stretch. People used to park here while the races were in progress.

This stretch of road has also made news appearances in the early 2000s as well as documentaries on the modified car scene/cruising.

Fatal Incidents

In August 2006 two men who raced along the road and caused an accident that killed three people were sentenced to prison. It was said that the two men were driving recklessly at a speed much faster than the 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) limit on the road.[3]

References

External links