Germany and Italy built their first motorways before the second World War, but in Britain we waited until the 1950’s. Our first proper motorway ran for about 100 km north from London into the centre of England. The government gave it the romantic name “M1” – the “M” stands for “motorway”, of course. And 50 years ago this week, the first cars and lorries started to use it.

　　A lot of things were very different then. There were no speed limits on the new motorway. You could drive as fast as you liked. There were no crash barriers in the middle of the road, and no lighting. And there were many fewer cars than today. The M1 was originally built for 13,000 vehicles a day. Today, it regularly carries 10 times that number.

　　There was lots of public interest in the new motorway. People stood on the bridges over the motorway and cheered and waved as the cars passed below them. Drivers enjoyed going as fast as they wanted – though often the cars did not enjoy it as much as the drivers, and there were lots of breakdowns from things like overheated engines. At weekends, families who were lucky enough to own a car used to get in the car and drive up and down the new motorway, just for fun. If they were really lucky, Dad might even stop at one of the new service stations to fill the car with petrol, and everyone could get out and get something to eat. It all seemed very new and modern and exciting.

　　Before the motorways were built, long-distance journeys by road were slow and difficult. Most of the main roads were narrow and twisting, and ran through the centre of towns, instead of round the edge. If people wanted to travel a long way, they normally took the train. But the trains were often slow and dirty, and the number of people using them was falling. So in the 1950’s it seemed very sensible to build new roads and close old railway lines.

　　Today, the M1 often looks like this!

　　What is it like today? We have over 3000 km of motorway in Britain, and some of our motorways are the busiest in Europe. We also have huge traffic jams and pollution, and endless road works. When the M1 was built, there were only 2 million vehicles in the country. There are now well over 30 million vehicles on Britain’s roads, and they all seem to be on the same road as me! In the 1950’s, hardly anyone opposed the building of the first motorways. Today, many people say that if you build more roads, they will quickly fill up with more cars. And the motorway service stations, which once seemed so glamorous, are today crowded and expensive, with huge car parks full of Coca-Cola cans and empty crisp packets.

　　Happy birthday, M1.