It's twenty years old today, Mrs Thatcher's vision of motoring utopia and the A.A's vision of infinite subscription income. Conceived and designed to handle 100,000 cars a day, its busiest section (between Junctions 13 and 14) is used by 250,000 cars a day and that's why it's being widened.
Okay some M25 Facts:
* At 117 miles long it's not the world's longest bypass, that's the 121 mile long A10 Berlinger Ring
* It doesn't actually go all the way round as the M25 - the Dartfor Crossing is the A282 both north and south of the river
* There is no official cost of the M25 because of the way it was planned and built although experts estimate it to be £7.5 million per mile
* North Ockendon is the only town or village in Greater London that is actually outside the M25
* Policing duties are shared by six constabularies: the Met, Thames Valley, Essex, Kent,Hertfordshire and Surrey
* I have never travelled clockwise by car further than 12 or anti-clockwise further than Jct 2
6 comments:
There's something to do before you die then Paul... ;)
I've done all of it at some time or other, to often at 9 miles an hour...
I haven't been on the M25 since 1988. Strangely, I don't feel I'm missing anything!
And you'd be absolutely right Shy.
A short story about my step mother and her mother, who were off to see my stepmother's grandmother you know, my grandmother's mother, in Cardiff (you with me so far).
Anyway they set off for Cardiff by heading down the A3 and joining at junction 10 with 5 junctions to go to junction 15 the M4.
About an hour and half after they left my father got a call from my step mum who said 'Which direction is Essex we keep seeing signs for Essex'. They had shot their junction by the mere matter of 12 or 13 junctions and were heading past the M11 at the time.
On realising their mistake they collapsed in fits of giggles and then took the decision that maybe they should just cut straight across town rather than carry on round the M25(don't ask). They reached the M4 four hours after they'd left from Esher.
I went just the once on M 25.
I got completely lost, confused then scared, as I just didn't recognise any turn off signs.
Horrible motorway, and since then I have avoided it, even if it means going the long way to my destination. Ugh.
Six,
People get attracted to motorways like moths to lights don't they. I know people who get lost on the M27 and it only goes east-west not around anywhere.
I don't enjoy motorway driving in the U.K Rupe, we have such bad lane discipline in this country I use the M3 to Winchester then the A3 if I want to go into London.
And now LBC says that the Governemnt are thinking of trying a congestion charge on the M25 and already have plans for a trial on a stretch of it...
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