Motorway Numbering

[SMW]

Is there a system for how Motorways are numbered in the UK ?

[Demonic Angel]

From Wikipedia:

In the United Kingdom, motorways sometimes adopt the number of the nearest "A" road heading in broadly the same direction. However this is just for convenience, and about half of motorways don't bypass the A road with the same number - Motorways follow their own zonal pattern, similar to the A+B road zones, but with the boundaries formed by the 1-digit motorways (and various A roads where there are gaps), as opposed to the one-digit A roads (NB, the 4 zone seems to be hourglass shaped and motorways west of the M5 but south of the M4 have 4-zone numbers). The A road usually continues to also use that number, thus allowing both an "A1" road and "M1" motorway to exist as full complementary routes.

Edited to remove non-UK!!

Edited April 15, 2006 by Demonic Angel

[SMW]

thanks Em but I still don't understand it

[Plusser]

Linky : http://www.cbrd.co.uk/roadsfaq/

The Motorways are therefore numbered on which zone in the country that they start, but the sysem used is different from the A road numbering system, which is based from the A1 to A6; all of which originate from Hyde Park Corner.

Linky No.2 : http://www.uk-roads.org.uk/witchypoo/numbering.htm