The SECRETS of Redditch's Unfinished & INSANE Road Network

#infrastructure #redditch #driving

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Redditch.. it's definitely a town. Invented in post war Britain, it's what we call a new town and these sort of places usually had a crazy road network designed to go with it. Like all good infrastructure projects in England, we set out sights high but ultimately fail to deliver. However interestingly, Redditch's road system wasn't cancelled because of a lack of budget.

[DanWRS]

I have a claim to fame, during the 5:18 downward drone shot, you can see some tyre marks in the grass on the bottomish left between the trees and the road. I made these when I got my work van stuck there.

I had a Redditch Council guy doing a survey knock my door a few years ago.He asked me "what would encourage you to ditch the car and walk more?"
I replied that some pavements would be nice😄😄

[sporkafife]

Im glad this road wasnt finished, now we all get to admire Ethyl's bush!

[jimmyhackers]

"and you just know that vauxhall mokka driver hasnt looked in his rear view mirror since the 1940s" so true :D

[Fairyfink]

I have lived in Ditch for over 40 years. I strongly suspect that if you always select the option 'All other districts' from the road signs, you will eventually enter an alternate reality in which Ditch is a really nice place to live.

[dblandford]

Sunday is finally complete now, thanks Jon!

[JohnnyH]

I learned to drive in Redditch, and this is giving me some PTSD 😂

[luketurnbull]

There are 90, 000 people - it did grow as intended. Traffic flows amazingly. You hardly ever queue and you can get across the town (5 miles across) in less than 10 minutes pretty much any time.

I think the planned roads were overkill and what was built works just fine.

[TheSaintsray]

"Admiring Harold's potatoes and Ethel's bush plant'. Just wee throwaways like this during your brilliant acerbic commentary about the idiosyncratic road systems on these islands make me chuckle. Plus aside to your films being entertaining and educational without any patronization, you can make the mundane interesting, which is something few can do. Cap doffed.

[skyrocketautomotive]

Your ability to read the land is nothing short of amazing, it's like archaeology, but for highways geeks.

In fact as I type this I just realised it reminds me of those Time Team sections where they draw what would have been on the site over a shot taken from a helicopter!!

I love that cloverleaf junction too!

[julieparry]

Fascinating video. On my first visit to Redditch 31yrs ago, I got stuck going round and round the Redditch road system. By the cloverleaf junction there used to be a Megabowl - I only knew I was going in circles as I kept passing it and couldn’t find the way 'out'. Needed to get back to Birmingham but couldn’t find the right road. Ended up following signs to Warwick, got to Henley in Arden and finally found my way back from there. A year later, when we were house-hunting and were pleasantly surprised by how green everywhere in Redditch is. An estate agent told us you can pretty much get from one side of Redditch to the other in 15mins, and they were right. Now we've happily lived in Redditch for nearly 30years and I love our road system. Hardly ever any queues, a very clear grid layout once you know the key roads, and the greenery is beautiful, especially in the spring and autumn. We are really very lucky. Thanks for such an informative video.

[martinh]

I've heard that when driving in the midlands if you put your foot down, you can miss Redditch entirely and have a much nicer day.

[pmrose]

my Dad built the architectural models for this road system back in the late 60's he worked for Redditch Development Corporation for about 10 years

[adammalpas]

As someone who currently lives in Redditch my best compliment about the town is its road system. All other local towns suffer with heavy traffic congestion. As Redditch has dual carriageways and plenty connecting roads you rarely sit in a jam.

[eceldran]

Redditch native (and continuing inhabitant) here - very interesting to see our road 'system' explained! ^^
Though, I would like to apologise to visitors for... *gestures to the roads* that... However, I will say that once you get to know the road network, you begin to appreciate how genius it is. Redditch's roads are very useful - mercilessly unforgiving - but still very useful!

[sullacicero]

Every Sunday Jon reminds me why I didn’t pursue a career in major infrastructure construction. When my post Sunday roast snooze ends, I tell the missus I need 5 shirts ironed and then remember I have to get up in the morning to work on my major infrastructure project.

[lukedaniel]

I live a couple of villages away from Redditch and loathe driving there. Some psychotic planner decided that every junction should look identical, down to the the verge planting. I'm told there is a very large Tesco store, but in three attempts I have yet to find it. Give me the dubious pleasures of attempting to drive into Stratford upon Avon any day.

[vicomt]

Excellent work, although you only covered 1/2 to 2/3 of the horrors. Carrying on down the A441 to the island where the dual carriageway terminates (affectionately termed the McDonalds Island by many) and past it's junction with Woodrow Drive would have shown some more partial completion highlights, including the junction with the (later built) Alexandra Hospital which is probably one of the WORST small islands I have ever seen.

[avidpix]

I never imagined that the world of roads and junctions could be so interesting, but still find myself as a subscriber and dipping into the back catalogue.

I can only begin to imagine the amount of planning, selection and research you put into these videos, certainly, the end results are without exception, brilliant.

[ceptimus]

John Bonham, the Led Zeppelin drummer, came from Redditch. One of the underpasses has a mural painted up in his honour.
I live just south of Redditch, in Studley, which is just across the border into Warwickshire. I'm very familiar with all these roads, and worked at a couple of the factories you can see in some of the aerial shots in this video.