SABRE
@sabre-roads.org.uk
From the A1 to the V12, the members of SABRE (the Society for British and Irish Road Enthusiasts) explore the history and future of the British and Irish road networks.
Why not join us?
https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk
Why not join us?
https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk
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And you can see the route of what we lovingly call the PNLR right here on SABRE Maps:
www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/index.p...
www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/index.p...
December 5, 2025 at 5:56 PM
And you can see the route of what we lovingly call the PNLR right here on SABRE Maps:
www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/index.p...
www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/index.p...
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Some of London's urban motorways were built. Some were planned but spades never hit the ground. And some were so vague, so ethereal, that we still don't even know what they were called. Take a journey with us on a road that's little more than a ghost. www.roads.org.uk/ringways/nor...
Possible North London Radial
Filling a gap in North London's road network, and potentially relieving two of London's existing major roads, this elusive motorway proposal never got beyond the ideas stage.
www.roads.org.uk
December 5, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Some of London's urban motorways were built. Some were planned but spades never hit the ground. And some were so vague, so ethereal, that we still don't even know what they were called. Take a journey with us on a road that's little more than a ghost. www.roads.org.uk/ringways/nor...
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On this day 67 years ago (1958): the M6 Preston Bypass opened. Once the solution to a major bottleneck, Britain's first motorway remained busy and has since been extensively rebuilt, now forming a key part of the national motorway network.
Picture credit: roads.org.uk
Picture credit: roads.org.uk
December 5, 2025 at 9:30 AM
On this day 67 years ago (1958): the M6 Preston Bypass opened. Once the solution to a major bottleneck, Britain's first motorway remained busy and has since been extensively rebuilt, now forming a key part of the national motorway network.
Picture credit: roads.org.uk
Picture credit: roads.org.uk
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We like to mention sometimes that we have the world's largest freely available repository of relevant Ordnance Survey OpenData #maps - and there's still future plans to bring more. However, as we also periodically ask, we are missing some mapping from our archive.
December 3, 2025 at 6:02 PM
We like to mention sometimes that we have the world's largest freely available repository of relevant Ordnance Survey OpenData #maps - and there's still future plans to bring more. However, as we also periodically ask, we are missing some mapping from our archive.
Reposted by SABRE
Transport is full of terminology. Do you know your Pegasus from your Pelican? Could you point out a refuge or a repeater if you saw one in the wild? Don't worry, if you're lost in jargon our dictionary can help. www.roads.org.uk/dictionary
Dictionary
A comprehensive glossary of the terms used by those discussing British roads. Some are engineering terms, some were created by road enthusiasts, some have multiple meanings; all are defined here as…
www.roads.org.uk
December 3, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Transport is full of terminology. Do you know your Pegasus from your Pelican? Could you point out a refuge or a repeater if you saw one in the wild? Don't worry, if you're lost in jargon our dictionary can help. www.roads.org.uk/dictionary
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A suitable sign for the onset of winter. A 'pre-Worboys' direction sign at Chilton Moor, Co. Durham, as seen in Jan 1963, a bitter winter, by Ed Fulton on Flickr. Chilly & atmospheric for a child of the '60s! @showmeasign.online @roads.org.uk @sabre-roads.org.uk
flic.kr/p/2mJWwxV
flic.kr/p/2mJWwxV
December 1, 2025 at 1:02 PM
A suitable sign for the onset of winter. A 'pre-Worboys' direction sign at Chilton Moor, Co. Durham, as seen in Jan 1963, a bitter winter, by Ed Fulton on Flickr. Chilly & atmospheric for a child of the '60s! @showmeasign.online @roads.org.uk @sabre-roads.org.uk
flic.kr/p/2mJWwxV
flic.kr/p/2mJWwxV
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Our collection of road sign fonts has been fuelling people's imagination for 20 years. If you haven't downloaded them yet, maybe now's the time to make your own road sign? www.roads.org.uk/fonts
Fonts
Download and keep the distinctive lettering styles used on UK road signs for free.
www.roads.org.uk
November 29, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Our collection of road sign fonts has been fuelling people's imagination for 20 years. If you haven't downloaded them yet, maybe now's the time to make your own road sign? www.roads.org.uk/fonts
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Westminster's council has spent several years trialling "3D" zebra crossings, in the hope the optical illusion will cause drivers to slow down. The artwork is nice but would you be fooled? We paid a visit to the first one when it had just opened. www.roads.org.uk/blog/3d-zebra
November 27, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Westminster's council has spent several years trialling "3D" zebra crossings, in the hope the optical illusion will cause drivers to slow down. The artwork is nice but would you be fooled? We paid a visit to the first one when it had just opened. www.roads.org.uk/blog/3d-zebra
November 28, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Voiceover: they really weren't.
If you want to learn more about traffic lights generally, then may we humbly suggest the SABRE Wiki: www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/Traffic...
If you want to learn more about traffic lights generally, then may we humbly suggest the SABRE Wiki: www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/Traffic...
November 27, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Voiceover: they really weren't.
If you want to learn more about traffic lights generally, then may we humbly suggest the SABRE Wiki: www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/Traffic...
If you want to learn more about traffic lights generally, then may we humbly suggest the SABRE Wiki: www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/Traffic...
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You can drive London's North Circular today, but it would have been a different road if sixties planners had their way. Take a look at the plans that would have fitted it in to a city-wide network of motorways. #northcircular www.roads.org.uk/ringways/rin...
North Circular Road
1960s plans to upgrade the North Circular Road to form one of London's motorway "Ringways" would have seen it change out of all recognition.
www.roads.org.uk
November 24, 2025 at 5:08 PM
You can drive London's North Circular today, but it would have been a different road if sixties planners had their way. Take a look at the plans that would have fitted it in to a city-wide network of motorways. #northcircular www.roads.org.uk/ringways/rin...
A massive fascinating new map of the Lancashire Road Plan published today on SABRE Maps, with accompaning articles on the SABRE Wiki. Have at it! buff.ly/a0ruuuS
November 24, 2025 at 9:04 PM
A massive fascinating new map of the Lancashire Road Plan published today on SABRE Maps, with accompaning articles on the SABRE Wiki. Have at it! buff.ly/a0ruuuS
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Hopefully everyone has enjoyed the last three weeks when we've brought you roads plans from London, Glasgow and Manchester. So, tomorrow, we'll bring a fourth major roads plan to life - but this time instead of being a conurbation plan, it's that for a county. But which one?
November 23, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Hopefully everyone has enjoyed the last three weeks when we've brought you roads plans from London, Glasgow and Manchester. So, tomorrow, we'll bring a fourth major roads plan to life - but this time instead of being a conurbation plan, it's that for a county. But which one?
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Conwy is home to an impressive array of bridges and tunnels, many of them on (or formerly on) the A55. The Conwy Tunnel itself isn't the most glamorous but it's probably the most used. An unusual arch commemorates its opening and frames a view of the town. #conwy
November 23, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Conwy is home to an impressive array of bridges and tunnels, many of them on (or formerly on) the A55. The Conwy Tunnel itself isn't the most glamorous but it's probably the most used. An unusual arch commemorates its opening and frames a view of the town. #conwy
Our Maps team (@maps.sabre-roads.org.uk) uploaded a georeferenced scan of the 1962 SELNEC Highway Plan a few days ago.
Now we're joining in on the act, with the full text of the list of all routes proposed so that you can cross-reference with the map:
www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/SELNEC_...
Now we're joining in on the act, with the full text of the list of all routes proposed so that you can cross-reference with the map:
www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/SELNEC_...
Making sure you're not a bot!
www.sabre-roads.org.uk
November 22, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Our Maps team (@maps.sabre-roads.org.uk) uploaded a georeferenced scan of the 1962 SELNEC Highway Plan a few days ago.
Now we're joining in on the act, with the full text of the list of all routes proposed so that you can cross-reference with the map:
www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/SELNEC_...
Now we're joining in on the act, with the full text of the list of all routes proposed so that you can cross-reference with the map:
www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/SELNEC_...
Reposted by SABRE
So, we promised a follow-up for this #MapMonday to the Ringways Map for London and the Greater Glasgow Transportation Study for two more cities in Great Britain.
We did, of course, cheat slightly, because today's new #map is that for the 1962 SELNEC Highway Plan.
We did, of course, cheat slightly, because today's new #map is that for the 1962 SELNEC Highway Plan.
November 17, 2025 at 6:00 PM
So, we promised a follow-up for this #MapMonday to the Ringways Map for London and the Greater Glasgow Transportation Study for two more cities in Great Britain.
We did, of course, cheat slightly, because today's new #map is that for the 1962 SELNEC Highway Plan.
We did, of course, cheat slightly, because today's new #map is that for the 1962 SELNEC Highway Plan.
Reposted by SABRE
The UK's road numbers all radiate from a central point in London. So if you follow them back to the start, you'll find a central point, right? Er, no. Join us in the search for the hub that never existed. www.roads.org.uk/blog/middle-...
The middle of nowhere
A national system of road numbers radiating from a central point suggests there is… well, a central point. But if you go looking for it you’ll find it doesn’t exist.
www.roads.org.uk
November 14, 2025 at 5:48 PM
The UK's road numbers all radiate from a central point in London. So if you follow them back to the start, you'll find a central point, right? Er, no. Join us in the search for the hub that never existed. www.roads.org.uk/blog/middle-...
Reposted by SABRE
Our Motorway Database is famous for its strip maps of major roads, but there's more to them than meets the eye. Take a look at our guide to make the most of the colours and symbols that pack so much information into these tiny maps. www.roads.org.uk/motorway/key...
Key to exit lists
For the full detail on the UK motorway and expressway network, you can’t beat the exit lists in our Motorway Database. Here's how to get the most out of them.
www.roads.org.uk
November 15, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Our Motorway Database is famous for its strip maps of major roads, but there's more to them than meets the eye. Take a look at our guide to make the most of the colours and symbols that pack so much information into these tiny maps. www.roads.org.uk/motorway/key...
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The '60s saw the start of construction of the main spine of the UK's motorway network; 15 Nov 1963 & Minister of Transport Ernest Marples, an interesting character in his own right, officially opens the Staffordshire-Cheshire section of the M6. @showmeasign.online @roads.org.uk @sabre-roads.org.uk
November 15, 2025 at 11:08 AM
The '60s saw the start of construction of the main spine of the UK's motorway network; 15 Nov 1963 & Minister of Transport Ernest Marples, an interesting character in his own right, officially opens the Staffordshire-Cheshire section of the M6. @showmeasign.online @roads.org.uk @sabre-roads.org.uk
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In the early 70s, South East London came within inches of building a massive four-level motorway interchange. What happened to the Shooters Hill to Falconwood Motorway? #eltham www.roads.org.uk/ringways/sou...
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…
www.roads.org.uk
November 11, 2025 at 5:47 PM
In the early 70s, South East London came within inches of building a massive four-level motorway interchange. What happened to the Shooters Hill to Falconwood Motorway? #eltham www.roads.org.uk/ringways/sou...
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As well as being nearly 2 years out of date and wrong, an article in today's Daily Express makes the bizarre claim that the UK hasn't opened any other service stations since 2005.
November 11, 2025 at 7:46 PM
As well as being nearly 2 years out of date and wrong, an article in today's Daily Express makes the bizarre claim that the UK hasn't opened any other service stations since 2005.
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Well, we promised a follow-up for #MapMonday to the fascinating London Ringways #Map for another major city in Great Britain, so here it is...
The Greater Glasgow Transportation Study from 1968.
The Greater Glasgow Transportation Study from 1968.
November 10, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Well, we promised a follow-up for #MapMonday to the fascinating London Ringways #Map for another major city in Great Britain, so here it is...
The Greater Glasgow Transportation Study from 1968.
The Greater Glasgow Transportation Study from 1968.
Reposted by SABRE
It's meant to spare you from a nasty collision, but is the Accident Black Spot sign really helping? We pay a visit to Essex to see the resurrection of a questionable idea from the past. #essex www.roads.org.uk/blog/acciden...
Accident Black Spot
Someone's been bringing 1950s signs back from the dead. Is that wise?
www.roads.org.uk
November 10, 2025 at 5:08 PM
It's meant to spare you from a nasty collision, but is the Accident Black Spot sign really helping? We pay a visit to Essex to see the resurrection of a questionable idea from the past. #essex www.roads.org.uk/blog/acciden...
Did you know that road numbers in Great Britain are now 103 years old? Find out all about those original numbers in the SABRE Wiki.
www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/1922_Ro...
www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/1922_Ro...
Making sure you're not a bot!
www.sabre-roads.org.uk
November 10, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Did you know that road numbers in Great Britain are now 103 years old? Find out all about those original numbers in the SABRE Wiki.
www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/1922_Ro...
www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/1922_Ro...
Reposted by SABRE
Not many of these 1960s/70s "Y" street name sign supports left in Blackburn now.
November 9, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Not many of these 1960s/70s "Y" street name sign supports left in Blackburn now.