Great Britain road numbering scheme facts for kids
In Great Britain, roads have special names that help people know where they go. These names use a letter and then one to four numbers. The letter tells you what kind of road it is. There are two main types: motorways, which start with an M, and non-motorways. The non-motorways are split into A roads (starting with A) and B roads (starting with B). A roads are usually bigger and more important than B roads. You might also see a very few C roads, but they are rare.
This system is only used on the island of Great Britain. Other places like Northern Ireland have their own ways of naming roads.
Motorways (M roads)
Motorways are the fastest and biggest roads in Great Britain. They are designed for long journeys and usually have at least two lanes in each direction. You'll see them marked with a blue sign.
A roads
A roads are important main roads that connect towns and cities. They are usually busy, but not as fast as motorways. You'll see them marked with a green sign.
Important A roads with one number
In England and Wales, the six most important A roads start from London and have just one number. They go around London in a clockwise direction:
- A1: This road goes north from London all the way to Edinburgh in Scotland. It's also known as the Great North Road!
- A2: This road travels from London to Dover, a port city. Part of it used to be called Watling Street. The M2 now covers some of its route near Rochester.
- A3: This road connects London to Portsmouth, a big naval city on the coast. It's also known as the Portsmouth Road.
- A4: This road goes from London to Avonmouth. It was once called the Great West Road or Bath Road, but many people now use the M4 for long trips on this route.
- A5: This road travels from London to Holyhead in Wales. It's the northern part of the ancient Watling Street.
- A6: This road starts near Luton and goes north to Carlisle. It used to start even closer to London.
In Scotland, important A roads with one number start from Edinburgh:
- A7: This road goes from Edinburgh to Carlisle. However, the M74 and M8 motorways are now used more often for this journey.
- A8: This road goes from Edinburgh to Greenock. It used to connect Edinburgh to Glasgow, but now it stops about 25 miles (40 km) before Glasgow, where the M8 takes over.
- A9: This road travels from Falkirk to Scrabster in the far north of Scotland. It originally went from Edinburgh to Inverness.
B roads
B roads are smaller roads that connect towns and villages, or link to A roads. They are less busy than A roads and are marked with a brown sign. They are important for local travel.
Images for kids
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This sign in Ribblesdale, North Yorkshire, shows a rare C road. There are not many C roads in Great Britain.
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This sign at Crouch Hill shows two road numbers in Zone 2.
