About CBRD
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This page attempts to give some background information on what CBRD is, what it tries to do, why it's here and who's responsible for it.
What is CBRD?
CBRD stands for Chris's British Road Directory - a repository of all manner of information on the roads of mainland Britain. It was set up in August 2001 when I started thinking that there were no other sites on the internet that did this and that one was needed, to satisfy my own interests if nothing else.
While researching the site, and having one last look around before putting this site up, I stumbled across the original SABRE website and realised I was not alone. I found myself emailing SABRE's author, Brad, with those infamous words "I thought I was the only one" which have since been uttered by the majority of people who have joined in the community since.
However, SABRE didn't cover everything I thought needed to be done so I put my own site online anyway, and before long found that there were a surprising number of people who wanted to read about this stuff. Since then the whole thing has snowballed. I never cease to be amazed at the number of people who visit the site.
What does CBRD do?
CBRD is here to provide information and entertainment - if a visitor to the site finds out something new, answers a question they had or spends a few minutes in an enjoyable way, then I've done my job.
The site has helped out all sorts of people over the last few years.
- There have been numerous press enquiries, from publications such as The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, FHM and 'Local Transport Today' to organizations like BBC Local Radio.
- Both enquiries and information have come from the roads "industry", from contracting companies and local government to the RAC. The AA published material from the British Roads FAQ in some of its 2006 maps.
- The site has helped out a Japanese highway research project and made a contribution to Turkish road safety.
- It's on the BBC's internal list of useful web resources and used as an information source for some radio travel reports.
- According to one source, CBRD is widely read in the Transport Research Laboratory, and has been used and quoted in academic research and consultants' reports several times.
To cap it off, the Highways Agency and Department for Transport have been known to refer some queries here when they couldn't provide the answers themselves.
CBRD regularly provides research for homeworks and historical investigations, and has regular visitors from Belgium, Germany, Poland, Finland, Australia, and the USA, among other places.
It is the biggest UK roads website on the internet, and the most frequently updated.
Why call it CBRD?
Back in the summer of 2001 I didn't seriously expect anyone else would look at my little collection of pages. So I gave it the first name I thought of. I'd like to think I have learned my lesson.
Who is this Chris person?
Chris is 24 and from Leeds, now living in South London. The Daily Telegraph described him as "not at all geeky". He passed his driving test in December 2006 on the first attempt, having run the biggest website on the subject of British roads for the previous five years. He still doesn't have a car.
He is employed by a certain organisation noted for its work in British Broadcasting, and spends his days messing about in radio studios with foreigners. He's not sure how he manages to get paid for enjoying himself in this way.
He writes about himself in the third person.
You can read more about Chris on his personal website, www.chris5156.com, and hear him on the Mark and Chris Podcast if you're into that sort of thing.
And finally...
A word of thanks to everyone who visits the site. Since August 2001, CBRD has picked up a number of regular visitors and contributors (the number of whom never fails to astound me). Whether you drop by every Saturday without fail to see the new update or you just came here once, by accident, looking for the date the Preston Bypass opened, thank you for taking an interest and giving me a reason to carry on!
With thanks to Mark Kendrick for the stunning photography on this page.
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