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In Depth is the section that explores various aspects of the road network in serious detail, investigating how things work and why they work that way.
The articles below are split into three categories: Roads, for articles that refer to a specific road; Road Features, for either a specific part of a road or a generic feature; and Miscellaneous, for everything else. Click the name of a section to see more.
Roads
Croydon Ring Road
Common sense suggests that you shouldn't be able to spend so much money on heavy engineering and end up with such a terrible road system.
Queensway Tunnel
The engineering marvel of its day, much altered and maligned ever since. The original Mersey Tunnel in all its glory.
Coventry Ring Road
The best ring road in the world? Possibly. The most frightening? Yes.
City Centre Loop
Learn by example how a one-way ring road can be cobbled together from existing streets.
Road Features
Emergency Diversion Routes
Those funny black and yellow symbols are everywhere — and they might just get you back on track one day.
The Magic Roundabout
Officially the seventh most frightening thing on the road network — but actually it might just be the most efficient junction ever designed.
Low Emission Zone
A first step towards emissions-based road pricing, a pointless measure to enforce something that's happening anyway, or another leap forward in traffic planning from the people who created the Congestion Charge? It's hard to say.
Road Numbers
We'd be lost without them. Find your way around road numbering — how it works, how it was done and how it doesn't always work all that well.
Urban Motorway Signs
Motorway signs are great: they're big and easy to read, and they are always a cheery blue colour. Why is that not always true for urban motorways?
Driver Location Signs
Drivers on parts of the M25, M42 and M6 might have noticed some funny blue signs down the side of the road. What are they for? Find out here.
Active Traffic Management
A recent CBRD Poll found that, even on a roads-based website, 35% of visitors hadn't heard of ATM. This section contains all you need to know.
Congestion Charging
One of the world's biggest and most controversial schemes to manage traffic by charging for roadspace: Ken Livingstone's Congestion Charge.
M4 Bus Lane
Terry Wogan and Jeremy Clarkson lead a horde of angry motorists in shaking their fists at the red-painted lane on the M4 around Heston. Is it really so bad?
Miscellaneous
Moto Services
No, I'm not going to discuss the relative merits of various service areas. Instead, let me introduce you to the painful world of traffic signs, Moto style.
Major Incidents
What happens when there's a big accident on a trunk route? Who picks up the pieces, and why does it take so long?
