The A30 is an old trunk road (main road) which runs from central London to Land's End, the westernmost point of the mainland of England (though not of mainland Great Britain), and is sometimes called the Great South West Road. At 284 miles (457 km) long, it is the third longest 'A' road in the United Kingdom, behind the A1 and A38. The A30 makes up part of the main freight and tourism route to South West England, and in many parts it has been dualled and also now bypasses many of the old towns through which it originally ran. A63(T) trunk road A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major road—usually connecting one or more cities, ports, airports, etc. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Lands End shown within UK Lands End, the most westerly point in England The wreck of the RMS Mülheim at Lands End, 2003 This article relates to the location at the western tip of Cornwall; for other uses, see Lands End (disambiguation) Lands End... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... Corrachadh Mor, Ardnamurchan peninsula, Highland, Scotland is the western point of the British mainland and not the Point of Ardnamurchan. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... km redirects here. ... Sign at Junction 1 of the A1(M) at South Mimms in Hertfordshire The A1 is the longest numbered road in the UK at 409 miles (658 km) long. ... A38 passing under M50 in Worcestershire The A38 is a major trunk road in England. ... Freight is a term used to classify the transportation of cargo and is typically a commercial process. ... Tourists on OÊ»ahu, Hawaii Tourism is travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes, and also refers to the provision of services in support of this act. ... South West England is one of the regions of England. ... Bypass routes are a type of bannered highway usually used when the main route of the highway goes through a town and an alternate route of the same highway goes around the highway. ...

The A30 runs through many towns and villages, including Camberley, Basingstoke, Salisbury, Shaftesbury, Sherborne, Yeovil, Honiton and Exeter. Between west London and Basingstoke the A30 has been replaced by the M3 motorway, and the road is no longer trunked here. Between Basingstoke and Honiton the A303 runs parallel to the A30 between five and ten miles to the north, and since 1946 the A303 has been the trunk road and taken the bulk of traffic. The A303 is being upgraded to make it continuous dual carriageway east of Ilminster. West of Ilminster the A358 will be upgraded to the M5 motorway at Taunton. Between Basingstoke and Honiton the A30 remains, for most of the route, a single carriageway carrying only local traffic. Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 30 miles (48 km) south west of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. ... Basingstoke railway station, as seen from Alençon Link. ... Salisbury Cathedral by Constable. ... For other uses, see Shaftesbury (disambiguation) Shaftesbury is a town in North Dorset, England, situated on the A30 road near the Wiltshire border 20 miles west of Salisbury. ... See also: Sherborne, Gloucestershire Sherborne is an affluent market town in north west Dorset, England, situated on the River Yeo and A30 road, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale six miles east of Yeovil. ... Yeovil is a town in south Somerset, England, on the A30 and A37. ... Location within the British Isles Honiton is a town in Devon, England. ... The city of Exeter is the county town of Devon, in the southwest of England, also known as the Westcountry. ... In the Republic of Ireland, the M3 motorway is a planned upgrade to part of the N3 road from Dublin to Cavan and the Northwest. ... The A303 is a trunk road in England. ... Ilminster is a quiet country town in the countryside of south west Somerset, England, with a population of 4,781[1]. Bypassed a few years ago, the town now lies just east of the intersection of the A303 (London to Exeter) and the A358 (Taunton to Chard and Axminster). ... Ilminster is a quiet country town in the countryside of south west Somerset, England, with a population of 4,781[1]. Bypassed a few years ago, the town now lies just east of the intersection of the A303 (London to Exeter) and the A358 (Taunton to Chard and Axminster). ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 3 in Great Britain starting west of the A3 and south of the A4. ... The M5 near J28, Devon This article concerns the M5 motorway in England. ... Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. ...

Between Honiton and Exeter, the A30 is dualled. At Exeter the A30 merges with the M5 motorway, which terminates a few miles west splitting into the A38 and A30 westbound. When the Indian Queens to Bodmin project finishes in 2007, the A30 will be virtually entirely dualled between Exeter and and the A30/A39 junction at Carland Cross near Truro. Continuing west, the A30 returns to single-carriageway until one meets the Chiverton Cross roundabout. From here, another substantial dualled section begins, bypassing the Redruth/Camborne area. A mid 1980s bypass takes the A30 around Hayle. Between Hayle and Penzance, the A30 returns to a single-carriageway section as it passes through several villages. Approaching Penzance, the A30 becomes a dual-carriageway once again. The M5 near J28, Devon This article concerns the M5 motorway in England. ...

Protests by environmentalists

Opened in August 1999 is a new dual carriageway link between Honiton and Exeter in East Devon, giving ready access to Exeter Airport. This road was built under the 'Design Build Finance Operate" scheme by the private consortium 'Connect A30', who funded its construction, and who receive a 'shadow toll' from the government for each vehicle that travels along this section of the road. ^[1]. There were many protests by environmentalists against the damage caused by the building of this road, and the particular nature of the DBFO scheme, with a long-lasting occupation of sites on the planned route, focused around the village of Fairmile. Swampy became well-known for his part in this protest. The city of Exeter is the county town of Devon, in the southwest of England, also known as the Westcountry. ... “Devonshire” redirects here. ... Exeter International Airport is an airport in the county of Devon, in England. ... Shadow tolls are payments made by government to the private sector operator of a road based, at least in part, on the number of vehicles using the road. ... Shadow tolls Shadow tolls are payments made by government to the private sector operator of a road based, at least in part, on the number of vehicles using the road. ... For the psychology topic, see Environmental psychology. ... Shadow tolls are payments made by government to the private sector operator of a road based, at least in part, on the number of vehicles using the road. ... For the boat builder, see Fairmile Marine Fairmile is a hamlet in the English county of Devon. ... Swampy (real name Daniel Hooper) is a British environmental protester, or eco-warrior. ...

Cornwall

A major new portion (from the 1980s onwards) bypasses Okehampton and skirts the northern edge of Dartmoor in Devon, thence into Cornwall via the gateway town of Launceston and then on into Cornwall via Bodmin Moor. During 2006 one of the main bottlenecks on the road was removed when the roundabout at Merrymeet between Okehampton and Exeter was replaced with a grade-separated junction and dual carriageway. [1] The new section of road was opened on Thursday 21st December 2006, several months ahead of schedule. [2] Okehampton is a town in Devon, England, at the northern edge of Dartmoor, on the River Okement. ... High Willhays, the highest point on Dartmoor and southern England at 621 m (2037 ft) above sea level, with Yes Tor beyond. ... “Devonshire” redirects here. ... Cornwall (Cornish: ) is a county in South West England, United Kingdom, on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar and Devon. ... Launceston (pronounced Lanson, Larnson or Lawnson by the Cornish, but Lawnston by most other people) is a town in the north of Cornwall, England, with a population of approximately 7,000. ... The Cheeswring, a granite tor on the southern edge of Bodmin Moor (Photo by Mick Knapton) Bodmin Moor is a granite moorland in northeastern Cornwall, England, 208 km² in size, dating from the Carboniferous period of geological history. ...

In Cornwall it previously crossed Goss Moor along a single carriageway section of the road. This has been a major bottleneck in the county's transport system and has been subject to a long running campaign for expansion. As Goss moor is a National nature reserve [3] it is one of the most highly protected wildlife sites in the UK, and plans for expansions were strongly opposed [4]. In late 2004 a decision was finally reached and a new dual carriageway now runs around the moor with the existing road converted to a cycle lane [5]. The first, 4 mile, section of the new dual carriageway between Highgate Hill and the new Victoria Interchange opened at midnight on 9/10th May 2007.The former bottleneck of the iron bridge has now been eliminated. It is anticipated that the remaining 3 mile stretch of new dual carriageway between Victoria Interchange and Innis Downs roundabout road will open by mid-July 2007.The remains of a Stone Age settlement have been discovered along the new route [6]. Goss moor is a National Nature Reserve in Cornwall. ... National Nature Reserve is a United Kingdom government conservation designation for a nature reserve of national significance. ...

Two other improvements: Temple to Higher Carblake and Carland Cross to Chiverton Cross were planned and would have created a continuous dual carriageway from Exeter to Camborne but were shelved in 2006 as they were not considered a regional priority [7]. This early German Autobahn uses a dual carriageway design. ... The city of Exeter is the county town of Devon, in the southwest of England, also known as the Westcountry. ... Not to be confused with Cambourne in Cambridgeshire. ...

References in popular culture

John Betjeman immortalised the A30 in his poem "Meditation on the A30". Sir John Betjeman CBE (28 August 1906–19 May 1984) was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Whos Who as a poet and hack. He was born to a middle-class family in Edwardian London. ...

References

1. ^ http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/3505.aspx