Secrets of the Motorway - A38M

#driving #infrastructure #birmingham #cars

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Urban inner city motorway built in the 1960s.. yeh ok, I'm in. The A38M... a small yet significant motorway pretty much in the middle of Birmingham. Therefore it promises interesting features and indeed the A38M is quite unique in that is offers something you wont find on any other motorway.. You'll have to watch the video to find out of course.

There's also some serious discussion about condiments, missing sliproads and a steam engine. Which sounds much more like a typical Secrets of the Motorway episode.

In this series I aim to explore what our motorway network is hiding. As we drive along at 70mph..ish...we simply just wouldn't be aware of what we're missing. This series will uncover some of the hidden secrets our motorways have to offer.

[GeoWizard]

I drive on this road a lot and it is surprisingly safe, until you factor in Birmingham drivers. A few weeks ago I witnessed a taxi pull a U-Turn right over the central lane 😂

[gamerfreakUK]

I do love the random cameos from behind, and Jon's polite startles.

[JayForeman]

Found myself actually punching the air at your choice of song over the end credits. I love your videos!!

[srpacific]

They really need one of those RoadZipper machines for that central lane. Very easy and relatively inexpensive way to make it safer for traffic, and to allow the speed limit to increase to 60 maybe

[MrLOFTYBOBBY]

The central red lane was not like it is now, there used to be a drainage channel running down the middle of it, and it had to be covered over due to a death of a motorcyclist when he hit a cover sticking up. So your right it is the most dangerous motorway .

[stevewilson]

Any time I see footage of Birmingham's central dual carriageways the SuperPrix springs to mind. BTCC through Brum!

[peterj.francisdunleadebarr]

I sat on that bench about 6 years ago and also 'admired' the 'view'. Its probably the grimmest 'park' in the UK. You're probably the first person to sit there since I was there.

[IshmaelSimpson]

The clean air zone comment nearly floored me. This man is peak humour!

[MartinvonBargen]

Wonderful with the fella on the bike. Monty Python meets the Open University!

[MrKpsuk]

8:12 Brum! Any British child of the 90s should instantly remember the classic TV show about a small yellow car 🚕😃

[adrianthorneycroft]

Honestly, I feel like the A38 could be worthy of it's own mini-series being the monster of a road it is... There's gotta be a lot of interesting stuff in the areas around it given its length.

[andyyouell]

Thanks Jon. As always, this is way more interesting than it should be ....and you do it with fantastic production and delivery.

[philtucker]

Wow that “shared” middle lane idea seams really unusual in the respect that there is no actual wall between the two directions of traffic. It’s actually like almost every single main road throughout the whole of Great Britain whilst remaining unique.

[tobortine]

When I lived in Birmingham we referred to the A38M as the "Aston Distress Way" because at rush hour it slowed to a crawl making it relatively safe.

[samhall]

So refreshing to see someone talking about one of my favourite things in life.

The British road signs and road and the Motorway network is a passion of mine that I’ve had for around 15 years.

I have a photographic memory which allows me to remember all the motorways and roads, the junctions and the names of the service stations all from memory without looking at a map or using the internet.

Keep up the great work! 🤙🔥

[spuriouspodge]

Ah, the Sunday treat is here. Lovely.

[tdyerwestfield]

Makes me appreciate the M5 and M6 around Birmingham a lot more after seeing what the A38M is like.

[keystonedriving]

Tidal flow is an A38 thing. As the A38 enters Cornwall it passes over the Tamar Bridge, which was built with 3 lanes having a tidal flow in the centre lane. When the Saltash tunnel was built it was built with 3 lanes to permit the tidal flow arrangements to continue. The tunnel is built on a curve with a significant gradient, just to liven things up a bit! The bridge and tunnel have always had a 30mph limit and there haven't been many incidents on/in them. Oh, and you have a toll plaza at the Plymouth end of the bridge for Eastbound traffic only, Westbound is free.

[The_Dee_Jay]

I drove out of Birmingham on the A38M just yesterday afternoon. An Uber driver tried to squash my car when joining from a slip road (my fault for not instantly vanishing to make way for him) and then drove on through the traffic like it was a slalom course. Fun times.

[SteveDull]

Jon, just want to say how great you were on Upndowns 25 hr talkathon for Sophie's Legacy. Fair play for giving up your day - and diesel- travelling down and back for just for an hour (ok extended) spot. You're a star! 👍👏👏👏👏