Celebrating 50 Years of the Motorway

Here at Collins Geo, we produced our first road atlas at the beginning of the last century, with the publication of Bartholomew's 1900 Touring Atlas and Gazetteer of the British Isles (only a few years after the first motorcars took to the road). Collins published the first large format GB road atlas (as we all now know them today) back in 1973. So, it is only fitting that we should raise a proverbial glass to one of its most distinguished features, the motorway, as it celebrates its 50th birthday.

It was on 5 December 1958 that the first motorway opened - not the M1, but the eight mile Preston Bypass in Lancashire, now part of the M6. Although officially classified as a motorway, it had little resemblance to those we know today. It had just two lanes in each direction, no hard shoulder, and just a small hedge (at most) to separate the carriageways. Although much of its design and construction had used the innovative techniques of the day, it had to close shortly after opening to be resurfaced due to frost damage.


Covers of the 1975, 1985 & 1995 Collins Road Atlases

Since then the humble motorway became the gold standard of modern highways in the UK - we now have a network of over 2,200 miles. At 236 miles, the M6 from Rugby to the Scottish border is the longest, the 300 m stretch of the A635 (M) in Manchester is the shortest, and the highest is the M62 which reaches 1,220 ft over the Pennines.

Of course, it's difficult to think of motorways without our pet hate - the dreaded motorway service area. The first to open was Watford Gap Services in November 1959, there are now over 90 on the motorway network. If the Norton Canes services are anything to go by, they may finally have become worth stopping at. I think most people (who have stopped there) would vote Tebay Services as their favourite - set in a stunning rural location, without the bland 60s/70s design, and providing local, traditional produce, it stands head and shoulders above any other service area.

Going back to the atlases, although we all recognise the blue/cyan colour that depicts motorways today, they weren't always shown that way. Until the late 80s they were shown in Collins atlases as orange, with a red casing, then the decision was made to show them as the same colour of the motorway signs. And, as motorways became more important, we have added more and more information to help the motorist - from details of limited access junctions, to the facilities provided at motorway services. We have also added special orbital maps of the M25, M60 and of the M5, M6, M42 motorways around Birmingham.

This month saw the opening of the final stretch of the M6 - the £174m extension from Carlisle to Guard's Mill - 50 years to the day of the very first motorway opening, and of course, on our 2009 Collins Britain Road Atlases.