M40 motorway
Template: Infobox trunk road / Maintenance / GB -M
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The M40 motorway (English for, the M40 motorway ') is the second motorway in the British road network that connects London with Birmingham.
History
The first part of the M40 was built in the 1960s and connected London with the A40 at Stokenchurch on top of the Chiltern Scarp, a few miles from High Wycombe. On some cards, the original ring road of High Wycombe as A40 (M) is called instead of M40. In 1974, the highway to Chilworth, about 8 miles east of Oxford was built along with a four-lane continuation in the city. Thus, the majority of four-lane link between the capital and the university city of Oxford was finished, of which about 32 miles highway.
The end of 1980 began with the construction of the continuation to Birmingham to relieve the existing motorway connection via the M1 and M6. First, the connection M42 Warwick was opened in 1989, in 1991 was followed all the way from Oxford to Warwick. It had to be chosen in order to avoid the marshes east of Otmoor Oxford, an alternative route. To date, the highway Oxford - Birmingham is the last major highway construction in England.
The M40 came on 18 November 1993 in the headlines. The night before a busy accident with 15 students from Worcestershire minibus near Warwick. The group came from a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Cause of the accident was that the teacher who drove the bus, fell asleep at the wheel. Ten students and the teacher succumbed to her injuries at the scene, another student died two days later in hospital. Only four people survived.
The accident led to safety from the compulsory equipment for buses and coaches were, although there is no Gurttragepflicht in buses and coaches so far.
An anecdote
The fact that the M40 from London to Oxford and leads the M11 from London to Cambridge, led to a famous skit in an episode of the BBC series Yes, Minister.
Jim Hacker, a member of the government and protagonist in the series, wondering why Britain fast highways to these ancient university cities, but not too important seaports such as Dover or Felixstowe has. Sir Humphrey Appleby, the permanent private secretary, explained that the highway system was developed by officials who were formed on either one or the other university. The opinion of the officials, like the statement of Sir Humphrey will be summarized in a different sequence: "Of course I believe in universities, Minister: to both "
Trivia
- In the film, Thunderbird 6, the time is not yet released for traffic M40 motorway the fictional M104 dar.
- The M40 is also seen in the beginning scenes of the movie " The Vicar of Dibley ", a flight from a bird's eye view over the Chiltern scarp ( locally known popularly The Grand Canyon ), and the landscape of the Oxfordshire.