The history of the M23

[queens park pete]

There was a Tory plan during the 1970s to avoid jams at Preston Circus by dualling the A23 in a London Road "bypass" by demolishing almost all of the North Laine, terminating in a series of car parks on North Street. This would have connected nicely with the M23 through south London.( I remember having an RAC atlas that showed the route of this Northern extension, even though it was never built).

Some of the City point area was cleared in preparation for this wheeze, apparently.

And looking at Tory plans to rip up the Valley Gardens for subterranean car parks, 5 minutes before the oil runs out, they haven't changed much

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Must be getting old - I found this interesting

It's not that long ago that the M27 was still in two halves - it used to finish at Hedge End I think - and the M25 took years to join all the bits up which was probably only finished around 20 years ago.

 

[Billy the Fish]

The roads in Sussex are generally pathetic. The A27 by Worthing has been due to be upgraded since the 60s!

I hear that, the A272 is pathetic as well

 

[Woodingdean Gull]

I'm a bit worried Al because I found that quite interesting. It may be because I knew the old A23 prior to any M23 being in place.

Nowadays, it seem quite quaint that back in that late '60's/very early '70's you just used to turn off the A23 into a relatively small Gatwick Airport.

When was the A23 changed to create the Crawley by pass, same as it is today, where it loops around the town centre with spurs to most of the Crawley areas? This was certainly in place in the early-mid-sixties.

 

[Brovion]

The roads in Sussex are generally pathetic. The A27 by Worthing has been due to be upgraded since the 60s!

Almost the entire length of the A27 through Sussex is a national embarrassment. Until the Brighton by-pass was built there were ony 12 miles of dual carriageway in the whole of East Sussex! Anti-stadium, anti-road, anti-sewage farm, anti-windurbines - it's all the same mindset. Tories wanting to preserve the countryside in aspic and trying to re-create some imaginary rural idyll.

PS - I found Al's original post fascinating as well! I knew a lot of the history as my (very Tory) father was part of the group set up to oppose the building of the fly-over over Chipstead valley.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I would totally agree about the neglect of the roads in Sussex - just think, we've got about 3 or 4 miles of motorway in the entire county... even our major a roads aren't dual carriageway for their entirety, and what they haven't done with the A27 around Chichester, Arundel and Worthing is ridiculous.

 

[The Large One]

When was the A23 changed to create the Crawley by pass, same as it is today, where it loops around the town centre with spurs to most of the Crawley areas? This was certainly in place in the early-mid-sixties.

I don't know (I wasn't about).

But I would be guessing that the roads would have been built in line with Crawley's exponential growth. It's a New Town and all that, and you would like to think it's all art of the joined planning of the town.

 

[Woodchip]

I'm not convinced it will sell well as a t-shirt. Only my personal opinion (although the history of Knutsford service station on the M6 would be facinating).

What about a design based on the M25 with the exits marked for appropriate London & SE teams - no ?

....Thought not

Divisional shirts showing which exits to leave for League 1,2, Chumpionship and Premiershite might work. Done in the style of the london underground maps.

They would need changing each year though, so possibly not.

 

[Scoffers]

I would totally agree about the neglect of the roads in Sussex - just think, we've got about 3 or 4 miles of motorway in the entire county... even our major a roads aren't dual carriageway for their entirety, and what they haven't done with the A27 around Chichester, Arundel and Worthing is ridiculous.

So we have probably the lowest amount of motorways of any county, but probably the highest percentage of NIMBYs, the two are inseperable, are they not

 

[The Large One]

So we have probably the lowest amount of motorways of any county, but probably the highest percentage of NIMBYs, the two are inseperable, are they not

DULL FACT: East Sussex is one of only seven English counties without a motorway.

 

[unnameable]

Once upon a time, the site of the M23 was an AONB. So was every square inch of our green and pleasant land.

 

[wehatepalace]

DULL FACT: East Sussex is one of only seven English counties without a motorway.

Who are the other six ??

 

[The Large One]

Who are the other six ??

Ah, a quiz question...

I'll let you know when you've got all six.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Cornwall?

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

Ah, a quiz question...

I'll let you know when you've got all six.

cornwall
isle of wight
rutland
worcestershire?
somerset?
cleveland?

 

[queens park pete]

Dorset

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

Norfolk
Suffolk
Cornwall
Isle of Wight
Northumberland (some of the A1(M) is in Tyne and Wear, much of which used to be in Northumberland)
Rutland (if it counts - it was part of Leicestershire between 1974 and 1996)
Herefordshire
Dorset

I can't think of any others, but that's a few more than seven.