“Every time the plan for a new motorway is published, the battle begins.”
A special edition of Nationwide reports on the progress of Britain’s motorway network.
Jack Pizzey reports from Westmorland, where a three-mile section of the M6 – which necessitates blasting away mountainside and the construction of multiple bridges – is on track to become the most expensive piece of road ever built in the UK. Jack breaks down where all the money goes in these major infrastructure projects – from the planning stages to contruction. He visits the proposed site of the M4 motorway, which is supposed to go a far as Wales, but has stalled some 30 miles from London due to planning disputes.
Jack then looks at how we drive on motorways, and particularly the phenomenon of “bunching” – where drivers drive too close together at high speed. What can be done to make motorway driving safer? Jack visits the Road Research Laboratory, where research into crash barriers, anti-lock braking, sophisticated road-signalling systems and even self-driving cars is underway.
Further updates are provided on motorway developments in Glasgow, Manchester and London.
Credit to : BBC Archive