List of primary destinations on the United Kingdom road network
Primary destinations are locations that appear on route confirmation signs in the United Kingdom. Most are important settlements or conurbations, but some are bridges and tunnels, or even villages that are important junctions, e.g. Scotch Corner or Crianlarich.
In 1994, previous lists for destinations in Great Britain were superseded when English, Scottish and Welsh destinations were prescribed in Appendix C of Local Transport Note 1/94: The Design and Use of Directional Informatory Signs (LTN 1/94), published by the then Department of Transport.[1] A revised list for England was published in 2009[2] and updated in 2010.[3]
The 1994 list had 333 entries for England. When the 2010 list was compiled, 15 entries were removed[note 1] and 16 added,[note 2] giving a total of 334 entries. In December 2011, following a consultation, the Department for Transport announced that it would add Birmingham Airport, East Midlands Airport, Luton Airport, Thamesport (for Medway Ports East) and Port of Tilbury; and, in response to local feedback, that it would also add Colne and Minehead and ratify the removal of Stone.[4]
The list for Northern Ireland destinations has always been maintained separately from those for Great Britain. Since devolution under the Scotland Act 1998 and the Government of Wales Act 1998, transport matters and hence responsibility for maintaining lists of primary destinations have been devolved to the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd and their respective governments.
Some maps show primary destinations in a different colour or font size to other places.[5] However, these sometimes include places which are not on the official lists.
Signage
Primary destinations in Greater London, other than Heathrow Airport and London, will generally only be signed within the M25 motorway.
List of primary destinations
England
Greater London
Specific primary destinations in Greater London, other than Heathrow Airport, will generally only be signed within the M25 motorway: instead a general primary destination of London is signed. Inside the M25, Central London replaces London on signs, along with specific destinations within the conurbation.
| London Borough | Destination |
|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | Barking |
| Bexley | Bexleyheath |
| Barnet | Brent Cross |
| Lambeth | Brixton |
| Bromley | Bromley |
| Camden | Central London (generally signed instead of The City, Westminster and West End, unless the two go in different directions) |
| City of London | |
| Hackney | |
| Islington | |
| Westminster | |
| City of London | The City |
| Wandsworth | Clapham Junction |
| Croydon | Croydon |
| Hackney | Dalston |
| Tower Hamlets | Docklands |
| Ealing | Ealing |
| Enfield | Enfield |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | Hammersmith |
| Harrow | Harrow |
| Hillingdon | Heathrow Airport |
| Islington | Holloway |
| Hounslow | Hounslow |
| Ilford | Ilford |
| Brent | Kilburn |
| Camden | |
| Kingston | Kingston |
| Lewisham | Lewisham |
| Southwark | Peckham |
| Richmond | Richmond |
| Havering | Romford |
| Newham | Stratford |
| Sutton | Sutton |
| Hillingdon | Uxbridge |
| Lambeth | Vauxhall |
| Waltham Forest | Walthamstow |
| Brent | Wembley |
| Westminster | West End |
| Westminster | |
| Merton | Wimbledon |
| Haringey | Wood Green |
| Greenwich | Woolwich |
Scotland
This list is under review[1] with Arbroath, Braemar, Coldstream, Forth Road Bridge, Kincardine Bridge, Kyle of Lochalsh, Montrose, Newtonmore, Peebles, St Andrews and Tay Bridge proposed for removal and Aviemore, Dunfermline, Keith, Kingussie, Kincardine, Skye Bridge and Uig proposed for addition (Uig is already de facto a Primary Destination following the extension of the A87 across the island of Skye).
Wales
Northern Ireland
Primary destinations in Northern Ireland are published separately from those in Great Britain. The current list is:[5]
Notes
- ^ Entries that were removed: Alton, Avonmouth, Bawtry, Brighouse, Esher, Hatfield, March, Midhurst, Redhill, Stretford, Stroud, Swanley, Wells, Wimbourne and Workington
- ^ Entries that were added: Altrincham, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Garston, Heysham, Huyton, Keighley, Leigh, Manchester Airport, Newquay, Shepton Mallet, Speke, Trafford Park, Tunbridge Wells, Uckfield, Wellingborough
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Every destination in Wales along with some English destinations signed within the country is translated into Welsh where applicable on road signs.
- ^ a b c Outside the Teesside conurbation, Teesside is used, otherwise Middlesbrough and Stockton are used.
- ^ Bilingual road signs with Scottish Gaelic translations of destinations have been phased in across the Scottish Highlands and the A9 trunk road between Inverness and Perth.
References
- ^ Department of Transport (July 1994). "Local Transport Note 1/94: The Design and Use of Directional Informatory Signs" (PDF). London: HMSO. pp. 24–26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ Department for Transport (18 December 2009). "Primary route destinations in England by region" (PDF). London. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ Department for Transport (7 July 2010). "Primary route destinations in England by region" (PDF). London. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ Department for Transport (6 December 2011). "Road Network Policy Consultation – Response" (PDF). London. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ a b "ViaMichelin maps". Michelin. Retrieved 17 February 2012. ("ViaMichelin key". Michelin. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2012.}