Its the most confusing road in the country, and its just become even more confusing, the A561. Its that road between Ditton Island and Speke, built on a bed of compressed galligu (hence the occasional ripples in the surface). Some people call it Route Seven. That was nothing to do with pretending Widnes was a wild west state in the USA. It was the name given by Lancashire County Council when the road was nothing more than a potential route on a map, in fact the countys seventh active road scheme at the time, hence Route Seven. It is also known, even now, by some as the Ford Road, even though the Ford Motor Company have long since vacated Halewood. Strange, it has never been known as the Jaguar Road, or Land Rover Boulevard. There are some who call it the Speke-Widnes Link Road. Given its unusual footings, if I had had my way I would have called it Stink Bomb Alley, a tribute to the rotten eggs aroma of our favourite chemical byproduct. The official name is the somewhat pedestrian Speke Road. So what has made it even more confusing? In the last few days Knowsley Council has introduced a 60mph speed limit on the stretch passing through its stretch. If you like playing numbers games, this is what happens on the journey along Speke Road joining the dual carriageway at Ditton Road Island (or coming over the bridge). The speed limit is 50mph, for a few hundred yards. Then it become de-restricted, which means 70mph. Cross the brook close to the Knowsley boundary and its is now 60mph (be careful - its a big fine and points if you are nabbed doing seventy!). At the Knowsley boundary at the entrance to Liverpool the limit returns to 70mph, but only for a short distance when it becomes 50mph, and just before the first set of traffic lights close to Morrisons it drops down to 40mph. You would have thought, as we are all supposed to be one big happy family as Liverpool City Region, Super Dooper Combined Authority, or whatever, there might have been some neighbourly joined-up thinking to avoid what is a confusing name, and a confusing speed limit regime, and an end to what seems like the lottery numbers.... 50-70-60-70-50-40. Play safe and stick to thirty and you cant go wrong......drive safely out there!
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 23:29:28 +0000
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