Bbc Archive
@bbcarchive·780K subscribers·1.9K videos
1969: The Cost of BRITISH MOTORWAYS | Nationwide | Retro Transport | BBC Archive
Posted
September 18, 2025
Views
228,238
Likes
3,176
Comments
677
Engagement
September 18, 2025
228,238
3,176
677
1.69%
Every word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
19:39Now Playing"Every time the plan for a new motorway is published, the battle begins."
A special edition of Nationwide reports on the progress of Britain's motorway network.
Jack Pizzey reports from Westmorland, where a three-mile section of the M6 - which necessitates blasting away mountainside and the construction of multiple bridges - is on track to become the most expensive piece of road ever built in the UK. Jack breaks down where all the money goes in these major infrastructure projects - from the planning stages to contruction. He visits the proposed site of the M4 motorway, which is supposed to go a far as Wales, but has stalled some 30 miles from London due to planning disputes.
Jack then looks at how we drive on motorways, and particularly the phenomenon of "bunching" - where drivers drive too close together at high speed. What can be done to make motorway driving safer? Jack visits the Road Research Laboratory, where research into crash barriers, anti-lock braking, sophisticated road-signalling systems and even self-driving cars is underway.
Further updates are provided on motorway developments in Glasgow, Manchester and London.
Finally, Bob Langley reports from Leeds, where a connected approach to planning and public transport is paying off. Among other things, Leeds is trialling a park and ride system, where commuters are encouraged to park in carparks on the outskirts of the city centre, and use public transport to complete their journey. Could this approach be the solution to congestion in other British cities?
Clip taken from Nationwide: Motorway Special, originally broadcast on BBC One, 4 November, 1969.
You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of TV to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic clips from the BBC vaults.
Make sure you subscribe so that you never miss a single stop on our amazing journey through the BBC Archive
You can also dive into plenty more BBC Archive on our website
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.
