Road to Nowhere: London's Unfinished Motorway 

The reason the short bits of motorway in London were downgraded was because they discovered that the legislation that set up TFL didn't give it authority over motorways. That's why they were reclassified as A-roads. I'm also pretty sure that the London Box scheme was dead in the water before the Reclaim the Streets protests of the 80s. The roads around there were used as through routes, with local roads such as the A219 signposted as accesses to the A4 for example. If you look at an 80s small scale road map of London you'll see a lot of primary routes that are nowadays local roads. The M25 took a lot of through traffic off the streets of inner London such that people will nowadays make for the M25 rather than use inner-city cut-through roads and not enter London unless they really need to.

When I was a boy, I lived in West London. It is almost inconceivable that in those days, the A40 into London terminated at Wood Lane, where incoming traffic either turned left toward Willesden, or right to Shepherd's Bush. Can you imagine what the traffic chaos would be if that was still the case?

Very informative video, I like the new animations 😀 will there be more videos about the Ringways coming soon?

Excellent info. Thank you.

I understand that West London would have had a major motorway that might of gone from A40 Westway to South London and to connect with the M23 motorway near Croydon. With plans for another motorway in South London. But now London has its own A406 North Circular Road and A205 South Circular Road and the M25 London Orbital Motorway. And the new Silverlink Tunnel which is due to open from 2025/26 and could be numbered as A122.

Would have been ideal for an Inner London Motorway to be built and to follow how the A406 North Circular Road. And the A205 South Circular Road that forms a inner circle route around Greater London. And the M25 London Orbital Motorway that would have formed an Outer London Motorway.

Toronto had planned multiple expressways to cut through the heart of the city, they were cancelled by the late 60s as a major show of popular urbanist support. (As well as preserving the tram network from scrap.)

Had any of it been built, by now it would be in need of repair and most likely would be closed like the slip road on the A40, which connects to the west cross route today. Because it is closed people have to use the wood lane juntion and go over the traffic lights to get the same roundabout. I missed the turning one day due to traffic and had to go all the way to baker street to turn around.

Never heard Balham pronounced like Ballham before. The "bal" should be like ballet

The series, "Unfinished London" explains it in more detail

it's not strictly true to say construction of the motorway network was driven (ha!) by car ownership - this was more the case in the USA, but over here it was mainly due to industry shifting from rail to road transport, and increased trading with Europe if you look at any British town or city with a high-quality road network, they all have one thing in common: they are or were heavily industrial for most people, permanent car ownership was not affordable

The West Cross route in part impacted on what was to have been the design of the Estate Grenfell Tower was on, with more space, additional building ,and perhaps not even Grenfell Tower being built. Losing part of the area planned for new housing to the road meant the estate became cramped up and over deveioped for its footprint at the time, though the council running out of money meant changes to the east never occured with the retention of classical terraces to the North of Notting Hill / Portobello happening.

The West Cross route used to be useful, until Westfield Shepherds Bush took roadway and increased demand to travel to the area, it is now a pain to get through , even on Sundays.

That Reclaim the Streets party still ranks as one of the best days out ever!

You mispronounce Balham.

It’s not Ball ham it’s Bal ham. Good video though.

Like EVERY Infrastructure or otherwise project in UK... the NIMBYs are always out in force - even when it is Not even their back yards! And as soon as the abc, xyz Opens... all the Nay'sayers totally Disappear! Where are all the xRail / LizPurp line naysayers? Gone. We should look at What is required and needed and click sign off and start work on the projects because the NaySayers do nothing but ADD Additional Costs to the projects. NIMBY go home and find another tree to hug... trees are replaceable by planting a seed or sapling! lol

For a global metorpoly, London has incredubly awefull traffic, where it might take you 40min to drive 6 miles. Not having completed or forced the completion of the ring system is probably one of London biggest failures which satisfied a view but also made the city as a whole much less accessible by many others, thus making it actually much more segregated.