Every Sunday, John checks in on me, asks how my week was, tells me some interesting things about the motorways, wishes me a good week, and leaves with a nice drone shot. I feel loved
If you take the A6 viaduct into Stockport from Manchester, the smell from McVities- the Jaffa Cake factory- on the Manchester side can be quite something.
I love this series. John does a great job keeping his audience engaged in essentially what boils down to; "Well you see, the government thought we needed a bunch of new roads and motorways in (1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, ect. ect.) so they either completely strangled the historic landmarks and structures in the way or just demolished them outright. Out of the proposed 1000 new motorways, 2 would actually be built, with 2 others left half-complete until the sun burns out.
The Ferranti Mark 1 - a tidied up and commercial version of the Manchester Mk1 - As designed by a load of people who "just turned up" knowing more about computers than was possible having just been released from essential war work they couldn't talk about Also Tim Bereners-Lee's parents met whilst working on the Ferranti Mk1
Our first tv in the 1950s was a Ferranti. When my dad told the 5year old me this, I got upset because I thought he meant my auntie was going to keep it...think about it...
Looked at the thumbnail and thought wow the UK has a diverging diamond interchange. Then was brought back to down to reality to discover it's just another standard UK style fudge. Standard 😂
I live in Stockport and I'm nearly 50 and I'd like to say I'm approaching a point in my life where I'm starting to be comfortable with the motorway junctions here. They're all insane. It's definitely advanced class.
Surprised you didnt mention the tight right hander bend around J25 thats so tight that theres a permanent 50 mph speed limit controlled by average speed cameras (the first one’s i’d ever seen) creating a never ending bottle neck. Also in the opposite direction is a sign saying “motorway liable to flooding” which was put up when that stretch of the motorway was built which begs the question “ why did you build a motorway that you knew was going to flood” answers on a postcard.
During construction around Redrock a digger 'accidentally' hit the Tiviot Dale railway tunnel under the church, securing it's fate. There was also a spectacular viaduct paralleling the motorway across near Portwood roundabout that got flattened and the junction was added
Was once 'lucky' enough to see something similar happen to a Georgian dwelling in the centre of Liverpool when a fella reversed his wagon into the backend. I mean reversed it like he was filming a scene for The A Team. The soft c**t admitted to it by shouting down his early 2000s Nokia, telling his boss that he'd taken out the place he'd been asked to, and where should he drop the wagon off. Twat. 🤬🤬
The film 51st State (Samuel L Jackson, Meatloaf, Robert Carlyle ) used the completed, but not yet opened, M60 for the scenes where SLJ was picked up from Manchester Airport. A section about 2 to 3 miles from the M62/66 junction. I worked as a driver on it and was driving a coach alongside the Jag as general traffic when they filmed, but must have ended up in the bin because I'm certainly not in the actual film.
The missing slip roads at junction 20 is a NIMBY thing, though a little more understandable. The houses would have needed to be demolished to build it so they managed to get them to change their mind about it. The other side did actually have an unfinished slip road if I remember correctly, but was never actually used. They've since build Tesco on part of the land it would have been on. I vaguely recall seeing the end of a massive pipe sticking out of the ground there too when they were building the thing. It used to dip down then up again before the bridge was built.
Manchester still confuses me, I first went up that way, driving professionally, before most of the motorways had been built. Every time I went back another bit of motorway had been added, then they started renumbering them just to add further confusion. I'm semi retired now, and full retirement will be soon, so I don't have to worry about any more changes confusing me around Manchester! Oh, nice vid by the way!
Better idea go to Manchester by train then you can miss the lot out. Just don't go when Man Utd are at home since all the trains are full of Man Utd fans heading to Manchester. 🤣
Used to visit my gran in greater Manchester in the 1970s and early 80s. Now I have next to no hope of ever stumbling across one of the old routes across the tops.
I just hope more people notice the colourful lanes on the Simister Island roundabout - even today I watched a huge pile of Renault get it wrong and desperately squeeze themselves back in to 'stay on the M60'
I'm so pleased we got to see junction 25, where a slip road comes onto the fast lane of the motorway. I have showed this junction to several visiting friends as they don't believe me...
there is at least one like this in Glasgow as well, though I can't remember if the right lane is an exit or an entry (or both), it is potentially just as scary.
Great week, thank you, Jon. Hoping yours has been also. It seems to have stopped raining in Southern California, so less slipping on our slippery slip roads where the SR-94 flies over the SR-125 as it hauls up to the I-8 ... you do it so much better.
As someone who has been driven on the M60 at J25 and always knew there was a planed Motorway fly over but never knew it would end up in Hazel Grove and it would most likely connect to the A555 to Manchester airport, also something I’m not 100% sure with is that I think there used to be a railway line that ran under the Stockport Viaduct where the M60 is today but all I have found on it was one black and white picture and even that was about 3 years ago.
J25 was my intro to the M60 every morning for years. Joining the anti-clock, the slip road joins the 2-lane motorway and becomes the new L3. And all the racing enthusiasts clamour to dart out to occupy it asap because outside lane faster! Sometimes, they even recognise the presence of a vehicle already existing in that lane. Exciting! Also of interest: On the clockwise side the approach to J25, and continuing all the way around to just before J26 is an average speed control zone set to 50mph, because this bit is all re-purposed slip roads with tighter than normal curves for a motorway. It's a stretch of road that generates a huge amount of speeding tickets.
Racing enthusiasts also make joining from the M62 fun before the exit, and trying to accelerate going up the hill after some daft beggar doing 40 is terrifying
The Bredbury turn had its share of fatalities until the average speed cameras were introduced. It was originally built as two lanes and re-marked to three when the loop was nearing completion.
Simister Island interchange where the M60, M66 and M62 motorways do meet. I do think that a new slip road should be built to allow traffic on the M60 clockwise carriageway to avoid the congested roundabout with ease. As what you have explained in your previous video. Plus I still do believe that the M63 motorway should of been built so it would connect from the M6 motorway at Junction 19 near Knutsford to the M56 especially when coming from Birmingham and the South. That would make it easier to travel to Manchester from Birmingham.
Lovely job. Bored out of my mind trying to find something intelligent on the radio, but found Rob Beckett. Completely dire. They really are killing Radio 2. Glad to see there are limits to Jon's inner nerd. Even I find knowing about the Manchester Computer pointless, and I read Information Systems. *EDIT* You know what? If Tom Scott or Johnny Ball covered the MEC, I bet they could make it work.
Loved your explanation of the flustercuck that is junction 25. Joining the motorway there from Bredbury normally involves a bit of breath holding and hoping that death isn't imminent! The A6(M) I think was planned to cross the A6 and head over to the airport; the south part of that (A6 - airport) was finally built in 2017 as the A555; but that took 45 ish years to happen. Whether the bit that links to the M60 will be built in anyone's lifetime remains to be seen.....
I live in hope for it to be completed but both Stockport and Hazel Grove Golf Courses might have something to say. Most of the route is left in preparation for it to be constructed.
@@apb3251 Agreed. In 2004-ish there was a mailing that went to all houses in the locality discussing the junction with the A6 and all the information suggested that the road was being built right through. But clearly they changed their minds!
When I moved to Manchester 20-odd years ago people warned me about Jcn 25 and it’s “fast lane” sliproad, but coming from Glasgow I was well used to that since the M8 has (had?) a couple of them just West of the City Centre.
The word Ferranti took me right back to the news reports about defence cuts and the Falklands conflict. But I've never heard of a differential Durdle Door spring (02:20) at least it was something like that.
Approaching Stockport there used to be another railway that passed beneath the viaduct. There was a short tunnel which suffered damage while they were building the motorway and the line was closed.
I can actually add some of this video as an MCR resident: 1. The old M63 used to end just before what is now the site of the Pyramid building (which was, is and always will be a strange thing for a largely unprofitable, socialist banking establishment to build and move into in 1990's surburban Manchester. As someone mentioned below, the section between the Pyramid and where the A6(M) should be was formally a rail route, which if I recall went from Manchester Central (once named GMEX, now named Manchester Central again, but no longer a railway station) to London (either St. Pancras or Paddington - can't remember now). The section of the old track on the other side of river Mersey now forms part of the Metrolink network after standing disused since the early 1980's. I think it was the bridge under the A6 that was damaged, but I thought it was from explosives use, not a digger, however I agree, it was suspiciously well timed. 2. The fast line entry of the slip road at the site of what should have been the A6(M) is indeed spectacularly dangerous, if you aren't familiar with the route, as you can find yourself gunning round a blind bend, only to find a truck preoccupied with having to traverse left across three lanes of traffic right in front of you. That same section of motorway heading in the opposite direction has such a tight turn that it is equipped with cameras and a permanent 50mph average speed limit, which must be one of the shortest sections of such things on the UK motorway network and long predates the concept of smart motorways. 3. I turned sixteen in 1999 and the topic of our GCSE Geography project was the impact of the up coming completion of the Manchester orbital motorway. We stood next to the Roxy cinema and the print works looking down on a remarkably undeveloped strip of land right through where the motorway now runs. Also stood atop of Audenshaw reservoir. I seem to remember being told that this structure was losing it's third element entirely, so when I noticed years later when flying in and out of Manchester Airport, I presumed this part of the scheme had been reworked, incorrectly it would appear. 4. I now live near Sinister Island and a public consultation has recently completed in relation to upgrading this monstrosity a great deal. It's slated to be gaining a loop round, flyover junction off the south bound M66, which will completely bypass the roundabout altogether and join up with the west bound M60. I'm sure studied have been done indicating otherwise, but common sense would dictate that if there is only the cash to do this for one slip road, the one joining the east bound M60/M62 and east bound M60 proper would be the one best served. Currently the north bound M66 junction and the west bound M60 proper to M60/M62 west bound junctions do not need to use the roundabout at all. 5. You discussed this in the previous video, but worth mentioning here, the section of road from Sinister Island to the M56 junction(s) is absolute chaos, twice a day, every week day. This section has junctions leaving and merging to multiple motorways and dual carriageways, as well as passing by both the Trafford Centre and Trafford Park, the latter of which gets especially busy when United are at home on a weekday evening. I've completely given up with this section of motorway at peak times and depending on where I am going and at what time of day I will either go the long way round the M60, or just use regular roads instead...
John a quick suggestion since your in the areas filming these maybe include video footage from your pov as you drive along 1 of the many "oddities" im sure theres a few who watch these have never ventured onto the m60 and witnessed the mind buggery of a hgv appearing in lane 3 and trying to get over 😂
Exactly... Being a lorry driver from Sunny Oldham. I have used that junction dozens of times. Not only does it put an hgv/driver into the outside lane ??? of the motorway. You Must move back across to the nearside lanes whilst traffic is passing through at M/way speeds on the blind side of hgv (crazy). Has we know, at this location on the opposite carriageway the speed limit is restricted to 50mph (sadly due to an horrific accident). But you would have thought they would of speed restricted both sides. 👍
@@toebo9683 it boggles my mind why it's not speed restricted with cameras, I went past that slip road daily for 6months and its literally pot luck wether you have an accident or not
Its one of the few motorway junctions where it is safer to exceed the speed limit rather than stick to it because of all the cars zipping along the inside.
It scares the crap out of me every time I use it as I go from lane 3 to lane 1 for Denton Island. The only other one that scares me is the Junction of Barlow Moor Road (Southern Cemetary) turning right from Chorlton towards the M60, where you have to cross traffic coming up Princess Parkway from Moss Side, etc and try get over to the left for the M60 towards Stockport.
You should have done it in your best Jeremy Clarkson voice... "The Stockport Viaduct is considered to one the largest brick structures......(dramatic pause).......In The World!"
As you mentioned about Simister Island interchange were the M60, M62 and M66 motorways meet. I do think that a new section of the M60 flyover or underpass would of been built to allow clockwise traffic on the M60 motorway to avoid that notorious interchange.
Why hasn’t itv or BBC got in touch with you? This series and all your other videos (Britains abandoned roads etc) are worthy of a TV series. Brilliant stuff John. Looking forward to another exciting episode of Secrets of the Motorway.
4:34 *with A555 not A6 , in 70s to 90s with A523. A6 was supposed to meet A6(M) next to the Marple where new dual carriageway that was bypassing Disley and High Lane was supposed to end. The junction was supposed to be big interchange with 22 lanes and also was also supposed to serve A627 that was passing tru site of planned junction. The road that later became A6(M) between 60s to circa 1972 was planned as M68 known as Manchester Outer Ring Road. Same road was first proposed in 1945 as part of Manchester & District Regional Plan but as we know from history lessons in that time Britain was basically bankrupt due to war and nobody wanted spend money on that unnecessary road. Howewer idea was atill around in 1960s and SELNEC worked heavily to finish investment howewer in 1972 consultation took place to select routes for "Outer Ring Road" and old route of A6(M) that was going in completely different route (more like east-west not north-south) was abandoned along with M68 (sort of).
I’ve watched a few of your videos and you made me ‘lol’ a few times, especially on this episode, so I’ve subscribed. Also, living in Oldham, this is the closest section of the M60 to me, so it was quite interesting 👍🏻
Initial thumbnail (or junction 26) reminds me of the Crossrail icon. Crossrail now the Elizabeth Line through central London. Even the MTR symbol in Hong Kong when rotated 90 degrees. Why? Because we work from home and have the railway signalling simulator in the backroom, and loads of paperwork with now what I'm calling, the M60 Jnc 26 symbols on them! 🙂
Great videos.. I used to live in didsbury (my daughter still does) right next to Stockport.. I lived in Mossley and now live in Bury. It's fascinating to see facts and sites regarding these specific motorways, as I drive down them everyday!...Ps I drive for a living so I drive down the many roads you mention 😂... 👍
Excellent John/Jon. Where J1 is I love looking at where they cut into that sandstone rock next to lane 1. And the viaduct to look at too. I’m surprised I haven’t crashed there gawping away 👀
Until the early 80s there was another line that ran under Stockport viaduct then into a tunnel roughly parallel to the line of the motorway. The line was closed when construction work on the motorway caused the tunnel to collapse. The next stretch of the motorway was built on part of the trackbed of the now-abandoned line. Coincidence?
The northern stretch of the M60 is only named as such so that Manchester can claim to have a complete orbital like London. Uppity buggers. I still call it the M62.
@markstott6689 It had me confused when they changed the M63 and part of the M66 to M60. It's definitely more logical as it is now despite some oddly constructed junctions. Clever how 18 is the same junction number on M62 and M60.
John; You mention the difficult/dangerous R/H lane on-slip where LGVs which are not allowed in the outer lane of 3+ lane M/way, have to get out of that lane as soon as ;possible. In Glasgow on the M8 there are both R/H on-slips and off-slips in the vicinity of the A82 Great Western Rd.
Just binge watched the whole of the northern motorways and they are fantastic. Surely the best show on the Internet? I now want to drive my Princess over the lot and cause a nostalgic traffic jam with a vintage breakdown.
Hi Jon thanks for covering the Bredbury junction on the M60 with its notorious joining the M60 directly into the fast lane, even better when an artic needs to cross over into the inside lane. afterwards. As you correctly mentioned the Junction was designed for the M66 to by-pass Stockport to the A6 and then on to what is now the A555 relief road to Manchester Airport. One consequence is the Motorway coming from Denton towards Stockport performs a tight bend under what would have been the through road. Subsequent to road accidents at this spot a permanent 50MPH speed limit is enforced with average speed cameras. And yes the traffic does slow does even in the fast lane. You mention the narrow lanes through Stockport. When originally built this was a two lane motorway. By time they got around to building the missing link it was decided this and the new section would be upgraded to 3 and 4 lane standards providing extended slip roads from 24 to 22. Subsequent to opening in 2000 the section around the reservoirs has been plagued with surface water and subsidence from the numerous coal working below. As you will by now guess I am a regular user of this stretch of the M60.
I've been listening to it now for over 60 years and have never commented, but I'll do that here and now for 60 years' sakes: The Coronation Street theme music is SUCH A DIRGE.
I watch all your vidoes mate and find them all fascinating!! A a HGV driver I was wondering if you would do a video on actual motorway driving especially on how to join one! .. The number of people that i see on a daily basis who do it incorrectly is astonishing!! Love your content .. Jim
2:42 I remember you saying in an earlier video that one of the rules for motorways was that junctions had to be a certain minimum distance apart. So, maybe they called all those slip roads "Junction 23" to avoid this rule? :)
@@toebo9683 Anti clockwise should be quicker due to the dedicated sliproad at Simister Island. in the other direction you have to navigate through 3 sets of traffic lights and other traffic from the M62 and M66.
A great episode from my home town. The fact you included Ferranti's as well, where my late father worked at that very site, and had to drive there pre-motorway made it even more poignant. The site ended up as the major place for making semi-conductors for all sorts of applications, such as cars, computers, etc etc.
My mother worked for Ferranti during the war, making aircraft instruments in Newton Mill, Hyde, which was commandeered complete with all the young girls who worked there. Apparently all the girls went weak at the knees when the dashing and handsome young Basil de Ferranti came round the factory on inspection visits.
Fascinating video! I live locally to Stockport, I’m glad it’s not just me that thinks joining the motorway in the fast lane is just weird!! As for the A560 abomination, again, just weird! Don’t even get me started on the Portwood roundabout!!
Stockport Viaduct looking better in this video than in real life! It's been neglected recently with plants growing out of it. Hopefully it'll be fixed BEFORE the trackbed shifts. Harringworth Viaduct has 30 million bricks and even that isn't the largest brick structure in the world. That honour is held by Malbork Castle in Poland (many parkrunners know about that one).
Every Sunday, John checks in on me, asks how my week was, tells me some interesting things about the motorways, wishes me a good week, and leaves with a nice drone shot. I feel loved
"Up next is the...WT* is that? Is that a junction?" Best one liner since the M57 "Junction 6 exists". A joy to watch, Jon. Great work
! indeed. He comes up with real quality British lines and statements..
It is clear that the construction workers quit halfway
The Coronation Street theme is really called "Lancashire Blues" by Eric Spears... thought I'd drop that in... you're welcome!
If you take the A6 viaduct into Stockport from Manchester, the smell from McVities- the Jaffa Cake factory- on the Manchester side can be quite something.
ahh that's what that was!!
I love this series. John does a great job keeping his audience engaged in essentially what boils down to; "Well you see, the government thought we needed a bunch of new roads and motorways in (1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, ect. ect.) so they either completely strangled the historic landmarks and structures in the way or just demolished them outright. Out of the proposed 1000 new motorways, 2 would actually be built, with 2 others left half-complete until the sun burns out.
Or until the Vogon destructor fleet demolishes the Earth to make way for a Hyperspace bypass.
Computers! I didn't think Jon could top his previous Secrets of The Motorway series episodes... but then we get a Ferranti story! Awesome work!
My addiction to this series has driven me to go and get coffee and watch it in my car rather than watch it at home where I can feel my Mrs judging me.
Same here, but I take a Horlicks with me, why? Because I can be asleep before she comes to bed 🤣
Best line ever, “the last junction on the M60 or it would be if it wasn’t a circle and it never bloody ends”
That Retro Encabulator insert was inspired.
The Ferranti Mark 1 - a tidied up and commercial version of the Manchester Mk1 - As designed by a load of people who "just turned up" knowing more about computers than was possible having just been released from essential war work they couldn't talk about
Also Tim Bereners-Lee's parents met whilst working on the Ferranti Mk1
I hope that's all true!! Great stuff.
Our first tv in the 1950s was a Ferranti. When my dad told the 5year old me this, I got upset because I thought he meant my auntie was going to keep it...think about it...
😂
Don't give up the day job.
Yer coat's on the bush outside.
@@TheManFrayBentos 🤣🤣🤣
Looked at the thumbnail and thought wow the UK has a diverging diamond interchange. Then was brought back to down to reality to discover it's just another standard UK style fudge. Standard 😂
Bet some planner saved money on a bridge or two. Looks OK on plan.
I live in Stockport and I'm nearly 50 and I'd like to say I'm approaching a point in my life where I'm starting to be comfortable with the motorway junctions here. They're all insane. It's definitely advanced class.
junction 26 reminds me of the Scalextric crossover track
Surprised you didnt mention the tight right hander bend around J25 thats so tight that theres a permanent 50 mph speed limit controlled by average speed cameras (the first one’s i’d ever seen) creating a never ending bottle neck. Also in the opposite direction is a sign saying “motorway liable to flooding” which was put up when that stretch of the motorway was built which begs the question “ why did you build a motorway that you knew was going to flood” answers on a postcard.
It was made 50 mph clockwise only after a couple of nasty accidents.
The section where it said motorway liable to flooding was above a valley!
Credit where credit is due for the sheer amount of effort in visiting all those cold and windy locations for a few seconds footage each time!
During construction around Redrock a digger 'accidentally' hit the Tiviot Dale railway tunnel under the church, securing it's fate. There was also a spectacular viaduct paralleling the motorway across near Portwood roundabout that got flattened and the junction was added
Martin zero did a good video on the tunnel showing it underneath the church👍🏻
Was once 'lucky' enough to see something similar happen to a Georgian dwelling in the centre of Liverpool when a fella reversed his wagon into the backend. I mean reversed it like he was filming a scene for The A Team.
The soft c**t admitted to it by shouting down his early 2000s Nokia, telling his boss that he'd taken out the place he'd been asked to, and where should he drop the wagon off.
Twat. 🤬🤬
Securing what fate? I've been in the church recently and it's still there
The church is still there but the railway in the remains of the tunnel underneath it isn't.
@@dvyt433 the Tiviot dale line
Loving this series, deserves a terrestrial TV slot! That 100k is approaching fast too, well deserved.
Thanks mate!
I think there has already been a secrets of the motorway TV series.
The film 51st State (Samuel L Jackson, Meatloaf, Robert Carlyle ) used the completed, but not yet opened, M60 for the scenes where SLJ was picked up from Manchester Airport. A section about 2 to 3 miles from the M62/66 junction. I worked as a driver on it and was driving a coach alongside the Jag as general traffic when they filmed, but must have ended up in the bin because I'm certainly not in the actual film.
The missing slip roads at junction 20 is a NIMBY thing, though a little more understandable. The houses would have needed to be demolished to build it so they managed to get them to change their mind about it. The other side did actually have an unfinished slip road if I remember correctly, but was never actually used. They've since build Tesco on part of the land it would have been on. I vaguely recall seeing the end of a massive pipe sticking out of the ground there too when they were building the thing. It used to dip down then up again before the bridge was built.
This is the best video I've ever seen about anything
That crazy junction also results in the motorway being restricted to 50mph as it bends under the various flyovers.
And who would have thought that we have mention of the Retro Encabulator on one oh Johns videos! Truly comedic timing!
The RetroEncabulator is one of the funniest things to ever be on the internet.
@@AutoShenanigans I agree. I burst out laughing when that came on screen. Nicely done John!
Manchester still confuses me, I first went up that way, driving professionally, before most of the motorways had been built. Every time I went back another bit of motorway had been added, then they started renumbering them just to add further confusion.
I'm semi retired now, and full retirement will be soon, so I don't have to worry about any more changes confusing me around Manchester!
Oh, nice vid by the way!
Better idea go to Manchester by train then you can miss the lot out. Just don't go when Man Utd are at home since all the trains are full of Man Utd fans heading to Manchester. 🤣
Used to visit my gran in greater Manchester in the 1970s and early 80s. Now I have next to no hope of ever stumbling across one of the old routes across the tops.
Oh I know, I know. And they don't arf talk funny too up there as well.
You'll be fine so long as you don't need the trams or the buses.
Cause they NEVER stay the same in the first place.
@@hublanderuk Where on the train do I put the 26 tonnes of goods I'm delivering!
I just hope more people notice the colourful lanes on the Simister Island roundabout - even today I watched a huge pile of Renault get it wrong and desperately squeeze themselves back in to 'stay on the M60'
I'm so pleased we got to see junction 25, where a slip road comes onto the fast lane of the motorway. I have showed this junction to several visiting friends as they don't believe me...
Sorry Eddie, but there's no such thing as a fast lane!
there is at least one like this in Glasgow as well, though I can't remember if the right lane is an exit or an entry (or both), it is potentially just as scary.
Bricks, witches, recognition that roundabouts never end and some really stupid junction… some of which don’t exist. Great stuff.
Damn, I was hoping to experience a full 10 minutes of John talking about the MEC ;p
I could understand all of those words! :)
So that's the Sinister Island I keep hearing about in the traffic reports 😮
I wish they would have built the A6M, the Stockport section of the M60 is an absolute nightmare during rush hour.
Great week, thank you, Jon. Hoping yours has been also. It seems to have stopped raining in Southern California, so less slipping on our slippery slip roads where the SR-94 flies over the SR-125 as it hauls up to the I-8 ... you do it so much better.
Manchester England having less rain than California just seem wrong somehow.😊
@@highvoltageswitcher6256 Maybe the Poles have shifted and nobody told us? 🤯😳😎
@@donalddodson7365; after Brexit, quite a few have returned home…😕
As someone who has been driven on the M60 at J25 and always knew there was a planed Motorway fly over but never knew it would end up in Hazel Grove and it would most likely connect to the A555 to Manchester airport, also something I’m not 100% sure with is that I think there used to be a railway line that ran under the Stockport Viaduct where the M60 is today but all I have found on it was one black and white picture and even that was about 3 years ago.
Junctions 25 and 26 are the perfect little bits of chaos to satisfy my inner child. Wicked sweet awesome!
J25 was my intro to the M60 every morning for years.
Joining the anti-clock, the slip road joins the 2-lane motorway and becomes the new L3. And all the racing enthusiasts clamour to dart out to occupy it asap because outside lane faster!
Sometimes, they even recognise the presence of a vehicle already existing in that lane. Exciting!
Also of interest: On the clockwise side the approach to J25, and continuing all the way around to just before J26 is an average speed control zone set to 50mph, because this bit is all re-purposed slip roads with tighter than normal curves for a motorway.
It's a stretch of road that generates a huge amount of speeding tickets.
Revenue you mean😅
Racing enthusiasts also make joining from the M62 fun before the exit, and trying to accelerate going up the hill after some daft beggar doing 40 is terrifying
The Bredbury turn had its share of fatalities until the average speed cameras were introduced. It was originally built as two lanes and re-marked to three when the loop was nearing completion.
@@nowster Yes, it was after the conversion to 3 lanes that the 50 limit was imposed, wasn't it?
@@JulianJLW A few years after. It was originally advisory until there were a few crashes.
Well you might have missed out Huddersfield completely, but glad to see Hazel Grove gets a mention!
You mentioned the rediculous slip lane into lane 3, well done. Twas a bit of a surprise the first time I experienced it.
Simister Island interchange where the M60, M66 and M62 motorways do meet. I do think that a new slip road should be built to allow traffic on the M60 clockwise carriageway to avoid the congested roundabout with ease. As what you have explained in your previous video.
Plus I still do believe that the M63 motorway should of been built so it would connect from the M6 motorway at Junction 19 near Knutsford to the M56 especially when coming from Birmingham and the South. That would make it easier to travel to Manchester from Birmingham.
Lovely job. Bored out of my mind trying to find something intelligent on the radio, but found Rob Beckett. Completely dire. They really are killing Radio 2.
Glad to see there are limits to Jon's inner nerd. Even I find knowing about the Manchester Computer pointless, and I read Information Systems.
*EDIT* You know what? If Tom Scott or Johnny Ball covered the MEC, I bet they could make it work.
i always smile at the discontinuous hard shoulder signs at the m60/m56 link road junction.
4:09 Silver car doing a bit of apparition under the railway bridge 😉
Just as he says "Something is a miss here I suspect" so many hidden Easter eggs in these videos !
Loved your explanation of the flustercuck that is junction 25. Joining the motorway there from Bredbury normally involves a bit of breath holding and hoping that death isn't imminent! The A6(M) I think was planned to cross the A6 and head over to the airport; the south part of that (A6 - airport) was finally built in 2017 as the A555; but that took 45 ish years to happen. Whether the bit that links to the M60 will be built in anyone's lifetime remains to be seen.....
I live in hope for it to be completed but both Stockport and Hazel Grove Golf Courses might have something to say. Most of the route is left in preparation for it to be constructed.
@@apb3251 Agreed. In 2004-ish there was a mailing that went to all houses in the locality discussing the junction with the A6 and all the information suggested that the road was being built right through. But clearly they changed their minds!
When I moved to Manchester 20-odd years ago people warned me about Jcn 25 and it’s “fast lane” sliproad, but coming from Glasgow I was well used to that since the M8 has (had?) a couple of them just West of the City Centre.
3:19 - I counted the arches...there are 16.
Now I must go...my left arm appears to have fallen off.
☮
I was not expecting a Turbo Encabulator cameo. Amazing
Your demeanor is oddly sincerely captivating, and I have a similar personality, thank you for putting yourself out there I feel not alone.
The word Ferranti took me right back to the news reports about defence cuts and the Falklands conflict. But I've never heard of a differential Durdle Door spring (02:20) at least it was something like that.
Approaching Stockport there used to be another railway that passed beneath the viaduct. There was a short tunnel which suffered damage while they were building the motorway and the line was closed.
Stockport Tiviot Dale, I think was the name of the station on that line.
Coronation Street to play out this week, awesome!! Not wanting to be demanding, but any chance of a little bit of the Treasure Hunt theme somewhen?
That shot at 1.20 is the best!
Oh the retroincabuuullllaaatooorrrr! Well played sir...well played!
One of my favourite clips from youtube Mk1.
Absolutely brilliant John. Knowledge and humour 👌👌👌
I can actually add some of this video as an MCR resident:
1. The old M63 used to end just before what is now the site of the Pyramid building (which was, is and always will be a strange thing for a largely unprofitable, socialist banking establishment to build and move into in 1990's surburban Manchester. As someone mentioned below, the section between the Pyramid and where the A6(M) should be was formally a rail route, which if I recall went from Manchester Central (once named GMEX, now named Manchester Central again, but no longer a railway station) to London (either St. Pancras or Paddington - can't remember now). The section of the old track on the other side of river Mersey now forms part of the Metrolink network after standing disused since the early 1980's. I think it was the bridge under the A6 that was damaged, but I thought it was from explosives use, not a digger, however I agree, it was suspiciously well timed.
2. The fast line entry of the slip road at the site of what should have been the A6(M) is indeed spectacularly dangerous, if you aren't familiar with the route, as you can find yourself gunning round a blind bend, only to find a truck preoccupied with having to traverse left across three lanes of traffic right in front of you. That same section of motorway heading in the opposite direction has such a tight turn that it is equipped with cameras and a permanent 50mph average speed limit, which must be one of the shortest sections of such things on the UK motorway network and long predates the concept of smart motorways.
3. I turned sixteen in 1999 and the topic of our GCSE Geography project was the impact of the up coming completion of the Manchester orbital motorway. We stood next to the Roxy cinema and the print works looking down on a remarkably undeveloped strip of land right through where the motorway now runs. Also stood atop of Audenshaw reservoir. I seem to remember being told that this structure was losing it's third element entirely, so when I noticed years later when flying in and out of Manchester Airport, I presumed this part of the scheme had been reworked, incorrectly it would appear.
4. I now live near Sinister Island and a public consultation has recently completed in relation to upgrading this monstrosity a great deal. It's slated to be gaining a loop round, flyover junction off the south bound M66, which will completely bypass the roundabout altogether and join up with the west bound M60. I'm sure studied have been done indicating otherwise, but common sense would dictate that if there is only the cash to do this for one slip road, the one joining the east bound M60/M62 and east bound M60 proper would be the one best served. Currently the north bound M66 junction and the west bound M60 proper to M60/M62 west bound junctions do not need to use the roundabout at all.
5. You discussed this in the previous video, but worth mentioning here, the section of road from Sinister Island to the M56 junction(s) is absolute chaos, twice a day, every week day. This section has junctions leaving and merging to multiple motorways and dual carriageways, as well as passing by both the Trafford Centre and Trafford Park, the latter of which gets especially busy when United are at home on a weekday evening. I've completely given up with this section of motorway at peak times and depending on where I am going and at what time of day I will either go the long way round the M60, or just use regular roads instead...
John a quick suggestion since your in the areas filming these maybe include video footage from your pov as you drive along 1 of the many "oddities" im sure theres a few who watch these have never ventured onto the m60 and witnessed the mind buggery of a hgv appearing in lane 3 and trying to get over 😂
Exactly... Being a lorry driver from Sunny Oldham. I have used that junction dozens of times. Not only does it put an hgv/driver into the outside lane ??? of the motorway. You Must move back across to the nearside lanes whilst traffic is passing through at M/way speeds on the blind side of hgv (crazy). Has we know, at this location on the opposite carriageway the speed limit is restricted to 50mph (sadly due to an horrific accident). But you would have thought they would of speed restricted both sides. 👍
I had an hgv swerve across from lane 3 (entry slip) and hit me (lane 1) before blaming me for being there! Then refused to watch my dashcam😂
@@toebo9683 it boggles my mind why it's not speed restricted with cameras, I went past that slip road daily for 6months and its literally pot luck wether you have an accident or not
Its one of the few motorway junctions where it is safer to exceed the speed limit rather than stick to it because of all the cars zipping along the inside.
It scares the crap out of me every time I use it as I go from lane 3 to lane 1 for Denton Island.
The only other one that scares me is the Junction of Barlow Moor Road (Southern Cemetary) turning right from Chorlton towards the M60, where you have to cross traffic coming up Princess Parkway from Moss Side, etc and try get over to the left for the M60 towards Stockport.
7:15 pride pendolino!
You should have done it in your best Jeremy Clarkson voice...
"The Stockport Viaduct is considered to one the largest brick structures......(dramatic pause).......In The World!"
As you mentioned about Simister Island interchange were the M60, M62 and M66 motorways meet. I do think that a new section of the M60 flyover or underpass would of been built to allow clockwise traffic on the M60 motorway to avoid that notorious interchange.
1:27 I sure that breaks one or two Health and Safety at Work regulations, but I digress. 🤔
Why hasn’t itv or BBC got in touch with you? This series and all your other videos (Britains abandoned roads etc) are worthy of a TV series.
Brilliant stuff John.
Looking forward to another exciting episode of Secrets of the Motorway.
4:34 *with A555 not A6 , in 70s to 90s with A523. A6 was supposed to meet A6(M) next to the Marple where new dual carriageway that was bypassing Disley and High Lane was supposed to end. The junction was supposed to be big interchange with 22 lanes and also was also supposed to serve A627 that was passing tru site of planned junction. The road that later became A6(M) between 60s to circa 1972 was planned as M68 known as Manchester Outer Ring Road. Same road was first proposed in 1945 as part of Manchester & District Regional Plan but as we know from history lessons in that time Britain was basically bankrupt due to war and nobody wanted spend money on that unnecessary road. Howewer idea was atill around in 1960s and SELNEC worked heavily to finish investment howewer in 1972 consultation took place to select routes for "Outer Ring Road" and old route of A6(M) that was going in completely different route (more like east-west not north-south) was abandoned along with M68 (sort of).
I’ve watched a few of your videos and you made me ‘lol’ a few times, especially on this episode, so I’ve subscribed. Also, living in Oldham, this is the closest section of the M60 to me, so it was quite interesting 👍🏻
Where have you been, David.👍
Yes where ?😂
Yeah Dave…. Why so late to this awesome club for road nerds ?
Welcome to the gang 👍🏼
Edit, omg I’m surrounded by Daves 😂
Welcome aboard, Dave. 😉
@@Dan23_7 LOL. Not so much a dog pile, but a Dave Pile.
Initial thumbnail (or junction 26) reminds me of the Crossrail icon. Crossrail now the Elizabeth Line through central London. Even the MTR symbol in Hong Kong when rotated 90 degrees.
Why? Because we work from home and have the railway signalling simulator in the backroom, and loads of paperwork with now what I'm calling, the M60 Jnc 26 symbols on them! 🙂
Hello Jon, how the devil are you, have you had a good Easter?
Thankyou. Your reaction to J25 was exactly the same as mine the first time I used it and ended up in lane 3
Great videos.. I used to live in didsbury (my daughter still does) right next to Stockport.. I lived in Mossley and now live in Bury. It's fascinating to see facts and sites regarding these specific motorways, as I drive down them everyday!...Ps I drive for a living so I drive down the many roads you mention 😂... 👍
That time of the week and a new episode. Wicked, sweet, awesome.
Great episode! Hope I'm not the only one that always waves back to Jon during the outro
I just did it
LNER 4472 is known as 'Flying Scotsman'. No 'The'.
'The Flying Scotsman' is a named timetabled train service. 'Flying Scotsman' is the locomotive.
Same thing. Did you see the Beatles vs did you see beatles.
7:43 there it is! 😀
ive driven through simister island MANY a time. ive noticed the red lanes before, but this is the first time ive ever noticed the green
Excellent John/Jon.
Where J1 is I love looking at where they cut into that sandstone rock next to lane 1.
And the viaduct to look at too. I’m surprised I haven’t crashed there gawping away 👀
Until the early 80s there was another line that ran under Stockport viaduct then into a tunnel roughly parallel to the line of the motorway. The line was closed when construction work on the motorway caused the tunnel to collapse. The next stretch of the motorway was built on part of the trackbed of the now-abandoned line. Coincidence?
The northern stretch of the M60 is only named as such so that Manchester can claim to have a complete orbital like London. Uppity buggers.
I still call it the M62.
You mean unlike London. The M25 has a gap.
The m25 isn't a full loop. The Thames crossing is the A282.
@markstott6689 It had me confused when they changed the M63 and part of the M66 to M60. It's definitely more logical as it is now despite some oddly constructed junctions. Clever how 18 is the same junction number on M62 and M60.
Another brilliant and fascinating video John and loved the Outro with Corrie being a nod to the region.
John; You mention the difficult/dangerous R/H lane on-slip where LGVs which are not allowed in the outer lane of 3+ lane M/way, have to get out of that lane as soon as ;possible. In Glasgow on the M8 there are both R/H on-slips and off-slips in the vicinity of the A82 Great Western Rd.
My Sunday dose of motorway comedy, brilliant
You forgot to mention that on junction 25, the slip road merges into the fast lane. It's always absolute bedlam there.
Good length, factual and usually funny, the perfect RUclips Video
Just binge watched the whole of the northern motorways and they are fantastic. Surely the best show on the Internet? I now want to drive my Princess over the lot and cause a nostalgic traffic jam with a vintage breakdown.
you have grown on me, really do like your delivery
Hi Jon thanks for covering the Bredbury junction on the M60 with its notorious joining the M60 directly into the fast lane, even better when an artic needs to cross over into the inside lane. afterwards. As you correctly mentioned the Junction was designed for the M66 to by-pass Stockport to the A6 and then on to what is now the A555 relief road to Manchester Airport. One consequence is the Motorway coming from Denton towards Stockport performs a tight bend under what would have been the through road. Subsequent to road accidents at this spot a permanent 50MPH speed limit is enforced with average speed cameras. And yes the traffic does slow does even in the fast lane. You mention the narrow lanes through Stockport. When originally built this was a two lane motorway. By time they got around to building the missing link it was decided this and the new section would be upgraded to 3 and 4 lane standards providing extended slip roads from 24 to 22. Subsequent to opening in 2000 the section around the reservoirs has been plagued with surface water and subsidence from the numerous coal working below. As you will by now guess I am a regular user of this stretch of the M60.
Been watching these for a year or so and they are brilliant fun.
My compliments to John...
Wonderful Rockwell Retro Encabulator!
I've been listening to it now for over 60 years and have never commented, but I'll do that here and now for 60 years' sakes: The Coronation Street theme music is SUCH A DIRGE.
Thanks for including the witch story
I watch all your vidoes mate and find them all fascinating!!
A a HGV driver I was wondering if you would do a video on actual motorway driving especially on how to join one!
.. The number of people that i see on a daily basis who do it incorrectly is astonishing!! Love your content .. Jim
Again..thanks for your brilliant presentations
2:42 I remember you saying in an earlier video that one of the rules for motorways was that junctions had to be a certain minimum distance apart. So, maybe they called all those slip roads "Junction 23" to avoid this rule? :)
Any idea of the 'unofficial' lap record?
Clockwise or Anti Clockwise 😂😂😂
@@toebo9683 Anti clockwise should be quicker due to the dedicated sliproad at Simister Island. in the other direction you have to navigate through 3 sets of traffic lights and other traffic from the M62 and M66.
@@darren25061965 💯... Plus, with it being on the inner side perimeter of the M/way, probably a little shorter distance aswell. 😉😂👍
Ahh..Bredbury Scissors (J26) - super fun indeed!
Haha am learning to drive and Ive been through these a few times on the non motorway routes, always fun to see you covering local places
Try navigating J25 roundabout heading north from M60 at rush hour. A lead foot is definitely required.
Brilliant Jon, really enjoy your posts and the time you spend on them and of course your humour
A great episode from my home town. The fact you included Ferranti's as well, where my late father worked at that very site, and had to drive there pre-motorway made it even more poignant. The site ended up as the major place for making semi-conductors for all sorts of applications, such as cars, computers, etc etc.
My mother worked for Ferranti during the war, making aircraft instruments in Newton Mill, Hyde, which was commandeered complete with all the young girls who worked there. Apparently all the girls went weak at the knees when the dashing and handsome young Basil de Ferranti came round the factory on inspection visits.
Your content is great, very interesting, thanks, all the best, 👍👊✌️🌍.
Part 2 I never knew I needed so much
Another great job John. Thanks!
The Ferranti retro encabulator is a story that needs to be told
Fascinating video! I live locally to Stockport, I’m glad it’s not just me that thinks joining the motorway in the fast lane is just weird!! As for the A560 abomination, again, just weird! Don’t even get me started on the Portwood roundabout!!
No such thing as a fast lane I'm afraid!
Stockport Viaduct looking better in this video than in real life! It's been neglected recently with plants growing out of it. Hopefully it'll be fixed BEFORE the trackbed shifts. Harringworth Viaduct has 30 million bricks and even that isn't the largest brick structure in the world. That honour is held by Malbork Castle in Poland (many parkrunners know about that one).
Wonderful, as usual.
Thanks John.