The AA is celebrating the 65th anniversary of the UKs
first full-length motorway, the M1 on November 2nd.
To coincide with the anniversary, The AA surveyed 10,237 drivers
of which 7428 (72.6%) have driven on the M1. They were asked for
their impressions of the congestion; road condition; road
markings; signage; lighting; quality of service areas; and
litter.
Over half (60%) responded that congestion is poor; a third say
that the road condition is poor, but nearly half (48%) think the
signage is excellent.
|
|
Poor
|
Excellent
|
|
Congestion
|
60%
|
10%
|
|
Road Condition
|
33%
|
24%
|
|
Road Markings
|
21%
|
39%
|
|
Signage
|
16%
|
48%
|
|
Lighting
|
29%
|
28%
|
|
Quality and number of service areas
|
37%
|
22%
|
|
Litter
|
47%
|
21%
|
The first stretch opened between Watford and Rugby and was billed
as the London to Birmingham motorway. It took 19 months to construct
despite the poor weather conditions and 1958 being one of the
wettest summers on record.
The M1 now runs for 193 miles linking London to Leeds. It was
constructed in four phases with the final part opening in 1999.
It quickly established itself as the North/South gateway.
Prior to the construction of the UKs motorway network, drivers
relied on a series of A roads which went through towns and
villages, these were often single carriageway and very often
congested.
The early M1 had no speed limit, crash barriers, or lights, and
had soft verges rather than hard shoulders.
During the first year, 20,000 motorists used the M1 each day –
today it's between 130,000 and 140,000 a day.
14,000 drivers were assisted on the M1 in its first year of
operation by a special fleet of AA Land Rover patrols coordinated
from a special Mobile Operations Centre at Newport Pagnell. Last
year, The AA attended 15,000 call outs on the motorway. The main
causes of call out haven't changed in the last 65 years – engine
trouble; tyre issues; and flat batteries.
In 2009, the first section was converted to Smart Motorway
operation (between Luton South and the M25) – now 120 miles is
subject to some form of smart motorway rules.
The AA has had severe reservations about smart motorways from the
beginning, and 81% of members want to see them scrapped.
With the development of motorways, came the advent of the
motorway service area – the first were at Newport Pagnell and
what is now known as Watford Gap (previously Blue Boar). Dozens
of famous people stopped at the 24 hour restaurant, including The
Beatles and Rolling Stones whilst they toured the UK. There are
currently 12 service areas on the M1.
Edmund King, AA President, said: “The M1 has
been the backbone of British motoring for 65 years. Whilst it has
its issues, people forget or don't realise what it was like
before our major motorways were constructed. The construction of
the M1 led to more freight moving to road enabling easier North
to South delivery routes. Major towns and cities were congested,
and journey times were much higher than they are today. However,
more than half of motorists said congestion on the M1 is a major
issue for them.
“The M1 transformed mobility in the UK – it enabled families to
visit relatives in far-flung parts of the country which would
have taken many more hours to get to and led to the expansion of
motorway network we recognise today.”
ENDS
NOTES FOR EDITORS
* Yonder received 10,237 responses from AA members to its online
poll between the 15th to 23rd October 2024 Yonder is a member of
the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
