WHAT ANOTHER SECRETS OF THE MOTORWAY?????!!!!!🎉

If it weren't for the cars, I would think this road was just entirely abandoned in the 70s. That road surface looks terrible.

Tring. The home of the bicycle bell. 🚲

Used to drive this road often in the early 1990s between Aylesbury and Hemel. Never even knew it used to be a motorway. Every day's a schoolday. Great vids, cheers.

Yah, the motorway downgrade means the old hard shoulder has now become a "pull over and piss" lane!

The stretch of A41M around Tring was great for checking my motorbike after I'd done some maintenance.

Ahhh that explains it, I drive this road often and had no idea

Great choice, Jon. The A41(M) used to cut a very odd figure after the string of settlements from Hunton Bridge to Northchurch. Apart from the hard shoulder, another thing that makes this a curiosity near the outer end of the A41 dual carriageway from M25 junction 20 (completed 1993 or 94) is that it must be the longest stretch without a parking layby. The section beyond, completing the dual carriageway down the Chiltern scarp and bypassing Aston Clinton, was opened in 2003. Incidentally, looking that up for the date, I saw that Aston Hill, presumably the former A41 thus bypassed though it's now called Tring Hill, was a speed hill climb favoured by Lionel Martin - and so gave its name to the Aston Martin company.

It’s so exciting when JON covers your local road.

“Cunk on Motorways” came to mind for some reason.

The section around Aston Clinton wasn't added until around the year 2003. That took over the large roundabout junction you showed, which now has an over bridge with two small roundabouts, and then carried on west towards Aylesbury, bypassing Aston Clinton.

Here's another bit of trivia I picked up, having lived in Berkhamsted Berkhamsted has a very large police station, for the size of the town. It was built to be able to cater for the Traffic Units needed for the completed Tring to Watford Motorway

3:13 I believe that the motorway declassification, the A41 to the south and the A41 to the north were built at separate times. The A41(M) was downgraded to the A41 in 1987, followed by the 12 miles of dual carriageway to the south being built to the south was completed in 1993, linking the ex-A41(M) to the M25. As for the final three and a half miles of dual carriageway to the north, this was completed in 2003-5, the same time as the road was handed over from the Highways Agency to Buckinghamshire County Council and the Hertfordshire County Council.

I grew up in Tring, when the A41M was already a thing. Going for a blast up the bypass was very much a thing back in the 70s and 80s, where speed limits didn’t exist and even the most humdrum family cars could reach mythical velocities. The extension which joined it to the M25 was a godsend.

And as soon as it opened, the traffic in Berko seemed to get worse because people wanted to use the bypass (hurray) but needed to go through the town to get to it (boo).

The A41 former A41M story is compelling, well worth the pixels and I have used it in anger when every road north from the M25 was jammed solid, taking off through Tring along charming countryside and wooded hills back to Milton Keynes. Your usual expert knowledge and charm works well mid week and thanks as ever. However I am still waiting for a expose on the former M10 now identifying as the tail end of the A414, connecting to the M1. Do you take requests gratis or is there a fee? I am a loyal and humble subscriber. Cheers

Hey John could you make a video about the M10

Thanks Jon, I have driven along this road so many times and never knew it was previously a motorway. You’re right, now I know why there are hards shoulders. That road can be so very dangerous when the sun is low. There are also some dangerously short slip roads along it. It has to be closed so many times because of collisions Another great report. Thank you again 👍

Thanks for telling us the story of the A41(M) .... and the outro shows what a lovely tree-lined drive it is! 🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🎄

I enjoyed another exciting episode of secrets of the motorway so I've pressed the button specifically for that.

This explains a lot, I have driven to work up and down this road for years and wondered what the story was. Thank you.

There’s also part of the A414 which used to be known as the M10 for you to cover if you haven’t already done so. It’s the section that’s closest to the M1 and was extremely short even when it was a motorway

I have been waiting years for you to mention my home town of Aylesbury.... WOOP WOOP THANKS!

I remember travelling between Salzburg and Munich in Germany in the 2010’s and always looking out to the north where a partially completed motorway coming up from the south Bavarian alps terminated at a rock face. The motorway was in a cutting, so when they ended the motorway, but presumably planned to continue it northbound at a later date, the motorway continued beyond the last junction by around 75m, then just ended at a very very dead end. I always thought it would be cool to go down there, just to take a photo of this 6-lane stretch of tarmac, complete with painted lines and street lights, but that ended so abruptly.

The on-ramps at Bourne End and Berkhamsted are the worst that I have ever seen - there is no acceleration lane and, basically, both these ramps are unacceptably dangerous. Additionally, road users drive at speeds beyond the legal limit - there is not one camera to (at least) keep an eye on things.

I remember using the old A41M. Thank you for filling in all the details about it.

That’s awesome Jon, a bit of local-to-me stuff 😁 I’ve tramped the A41 on and off for donkeys years and always felt like it was hiding something. It’s a great stretch of road anyways, between the M25 and Aylesbury it’s enjoyable in a between A-road and Motorway way… And now we know why!

I love this series. Always wondered why the Tring by pass was stuck on its own. Thanks for clearing this up. Any chance of doing the old M10 in a later episode.

I dove this road lots when I was working and never knew this A 41M existed. Thank you John for another informative and enjoyable video

I used to live near this road (just the other side of the railway line in Apsley) and didn't realise it used to be motorway but it does make sense.

Just when you thought Jon had covered all the Motorways, he only goes and finds another one! Well done.

If you watch some of the "On the Buses" films and Carry on films, they often used the A41 as a "stock" duel carriageway or motorway.

Short and sweet road and video

Thanks, Jon! Being based at RAF Halton from 1983 to 1986, with my weekend civvy home in North London, I used to love this little stretch of motorway. Hacking down there, to get through the not-magic Hemel roundabout and, eventually, the M1, coming off on the M10 to get on to the start of the M25... Great times, on two Herts motorways that are no longer motorways

Similar with the A806 in Scotland - A 1 mile section of it used to be part of the M80 before the M80 was completed however in that case, it being downgraded to a A-road didn't remove the motorway from existence as the M80 of course still exists

An oddity I recall about the southern junction at Tring, is that the long-time unused and coned-off northbound 'off slip to nowhere', being quite flat and secluded, frequently attracted travelers to use it as a campsite. Presumably fed up with constant evictions and clearing piles of rubbish, the DfT eventually just opened it, signposted to Wigington, a local hamlet far too small to have it's own motorway junction. Ultimately, once the rest of the A41 was built, it became the Northchurch/Tring turning.

Only been up that road ONCE in my life… and I noticed the ‘hard shoulder’ and thought… John’s going to tell me this was once a bit of old motorway… and here we are!!

I used to drive along the A41(M) in the 1980s. My recollection is that your diagram at 2:19 is correct. Going West along the old single carriageway A41 (now A4251), you peeled off to the left on to a link road /slip road which took you directly to the westbound carriageway of the A41(M) just before the flyover on the junction. If you were so inclined, you could have continued on the old A41 to the first roundabout of the junction, go under the flyover to the second roundabout and join the A41(M) in the conventional manner via the Westbound on-slip. Going East along the A41(M), you simply left via the west bound off slip. The whole junction was there then - the only thing that’s changed is the addition of the A41 dual carriageway and the complete obliteration of the cheeky link road. On a recent visit, I couldn’t see any trace of where it used to branch off from the old A41 (A4251)

Awww...I was looking forward to hearing the old music. But nice video, sir, as always!

I remember it as the shortest Motorway in the UK before it became the A41. There was a slip Road off the then A41 (now A4251) going towards Tring before the Cow Lane junction. It was one way and became the North carriageway just before the bridge of the junction. It saved you having to go around the two roundabout and up the current slip road. Come back South you had to use the current junction slip road on to the roundabout. There was no flyover as suggested.

The A41M had bothered me for ages - so grateful you cleared it up PROPERLY Jon 👍

Again, I’ve driven this road many times with knowing these facts. So, what’s nice. Thanks John. All the best Bob

I have a feeling that you have mentioned it in the past, but it would have been a nice touch to do so in this here offering. If for no other reason than the numerical and geographical closeness. I'm of course talking about the short lived M41 just a few miles south east of its little brother, running for a whole mile from the elevated A40 Westway down to the Shepherds Bush roundabout. John Prescott demoted it overnight without warning and the unsuspecting commuters instantly racked up loads of speeding fines too.

do more of these secrets of a hidden motorway, make this a series

How did any road building projects ever get finished in the UK. There were more cancellations than an old British Rail service.

The Tring motorway "bypass" always used to remind me of the very similar, and only slightly longer (8 km) Naas motorway "bypass" in Ireland (near Dublin). That was the very first genuine section of motorway constructed in Ireland (in 1983), and the only difference to Tring really was that it was then successfully added to the later M7 motorway as planned (albeit on one end only)... and therefore kept its original designation after being linked into newer dual carriageways either side.

Excellent, many thanks. I've been using this road since the 1980's and frequently drive into the motoring hell hole of Aylesbury.

Quick simple and susinsict!

Intellectual as always, thanks Jon

The Aston Clinton Bypass wasn't added until much later, early 2000's after a lot of local campaigning for it. Before that the dual carriageway finished at a roundabout that was shown at the west side of Tring and traffic that carried on through Aston Clinton was awful, I remember the week the bypass opened and how much the the traffic dropped off and A.C. became a quiet village. I'm sure I have the letter still from MP John Bercow when we all wrote in to get the last section built.

Brilliant as always thank you

Have the orange emergency phones been removed? I'm sure they were still there - although probably out of service - the last time I drove on this section of road but that was way back in 2011.

I have driven on this a few times, I always think the bridge design was nicked from the M62. Cheers Jon 👍🏼

Interesting as always. Keep at it!

Wow! I was driven twice on the A41, I never knew of it. Thank you for sharing.

Also a superb piece of road to stretch out a car legs very early on weekend mornings on a near 3 mile straight downhill north section with no bridges,lay-by’s or junctions; my Morris Minor once reached 66mph on one such sunny morning.

Love these vids, lots to learn about :)

I used to live in Tring……nice town…thank god they got the bypass. The best thing about it is the bridges going over the road to the parks & woodlands

I remember the M41, it used to go from the roundabout at the top of Tring Hill to the other end at the junction near Wiggington. The carriageways ended in a cutting with no road going to the A41 pictures on the OS map. All traffic on and off used the junction near Wiggington. The M41 was a 1.5 mile race track at night. The police were there often nicking young me who were racing on it. We knew it was a dodgy road after dark on Friday and Saturday nights. Teh same toung men would race in the "Mad Mile" the A41 between Aylesbury and Aston Clinton. This road has a bend on it and many of them died there when using the whole road for racing each other.

Cripes! I was on this very road yesterday, as this was published. Cheers as always, Jon.

Nice. Despite it being a long old A-road that goes all the way from Aston Clinton to the M25, we just used to refer to it (and often still do) as the Hemel Bypass.

Ooh, I'm going to be in Tring in July, I'll keep an eye out for that

Yup. I remember it well as the A41(M) (or was it M41?). But hey, half-a$$ed road schemes are the DoT's stock in trade. At least this ended up a bit better than just being the A41.

I travel down this road everyday and now it makes a lot more sense that sections of it are the way they are!

I believe this was where Noel Edmonds was caught *very* speeding in his original GT40. "Tring Bypass". This would be late 1970s, perhaps.

Wish they would carry on the A41 as it ends at Aylesbury, turning into one of the worst road layouts known to man, snarling up the traffic. But partly to blame Aylesbury council who's traffic management is as good as a chocolate tea-pot.

Always with the great content here

I’ve driven up and down this part of the A41 and always noticed the hard shoulder part but never knew why, now I do

Another great video! Secrets of The Hidden Motorway A14(M)!! I would love to see what you've got to say about this because it's a hidden motorway on certain maps where the A1307 lies as well as in theory the 'new' A14 linking the M11 to the A1 was built all under motorway regulations but no motorway signs.

Hey MNIJ, thanks as usual. That's my midweek fix of motorway creamy goodness sorted 😀

I'd driven down this stretch of road hundreds of times driving for Ocado and a few times thought, 'why has this road got a hard shoulder?' So funny to find out something I really hadn't bothered to find out before, or care😄This channel is brilliant!

Should have started with “Hello and welcome to this special edition of Secrets of the Motorway”

Don't knock the ol' A41M. To a young Aylesbury lad back in the day, this stretch of road was quite exotic! I can only imagine how bad the traffic was in Tring before this was built. 😲

From memory, there was never a two or single lane connection to the A41 at the eastern end. The bridges remained out of use for 25 years and any traffic westbound went past the end of a stub embankment on the south side up to a roundabout that led under the out of use bridges and entered the motorway section up a one lane slip from the Wigginton roundabout. Eastbound traffic came down the slip before the bridges and joined the roundabout on the north side. The original alignment plan to the motorway toward the railway and canal where it was intended to go the other side of the River Gade valley and Berkhamstead rejoining the current alignment near Bourne End. If you look to the east of the original motorway junction you might see (if using Google Earth aged views) the is a lush green bank with dots on it next to a large farm house. That was the original carriageway the was abandoned as the bypass was extended, curving sharply right as you come off the original bridge eastbound (the realignment also lost the hard shoulder on the east bound bridge to ease the curve a bit). The lust green area had the road bed removed and was turfed, the dots being newly planted saplings.

When you head north on the A41 from m25 there's a layby. If you park and climb up the embankment some 50 yards you will find the remains of Kings Langley ROC post.

Amazingly I drove on this road on Tuesday. How exciting.

Blimey, I was driving that just a few weeks ago, thinking it was an odd stretch of road. I was also stood on that bridge ... spooky.

I love your droll style of delivery. 😊

I always thought it was going to be part of the M41 once they connected the bit in central London through to connect.

With the current "improvements" on the m1 between Luton and Milton Keynes, the a41 has become a viable route when traveling from Watford to Northampton. You just have to navigate some back roads to Leighton Buzzard, but it still beats the m1 at the moment, as the a41 dual carriageway ends by plowing right through Aylesbury (which is actually having a new ring road built right now)

Hi Jon, there it was, gone. There is two other dual carriageways I know have hard shoulder the A55 from Llandulas through Colwyn Bay to just before A470 for Llandudno, Conwy and Betws-y-Coed. The A494 Queensferry which has Three lanes and a hard shoulder to the Deeside Industrial Estate and the carriageway goes from three to two lanes as it crosses the English Border to N W England. As always a great video, have a good one

Of all the pointless things on the internet to watch this is by far the most pleasant. Thanks Jon!!

Please do one of these on the secret motorway part of the A55. I've been waiting for someone to do that one

Have vague childhood memories of the weird starting slip for the A41M, as well as later memories of using that stretch to achieve legally inadvisable velocities in a 1.1 Fiesta Popular Plus.

Way back in the day on my Honda NSR125 I was on my way from Croydon to the IOM. Following my trusty map I hit this closed Stretch and L plates blazing continued Northwards. It was a lovely 2 miles with no other vehicles.

The a41 is a good alternative for me to get on the m25 northern section. Only trouble is I have to drive through Aylesbury. Yuck!

John popping back to tidy up loose ends. More wonderful trivia! Don’t governments have short attention spans?

A short sub series is needed to cover secret or extinct motorways, for example M10, A102(m) and A40(m)

Hi. As a local who used the A41M a lot back in the day, I hope I can provide some clarity on the way the eastern end of it worked. Heading towards Tring on what is now the A4251, as you approached a sweeping left hander, a filter lane would appear on the left of the carriageway. This lane was only accessible for traffic heading west towards Tring. If you look at google Maps you can see that the tree line appears to be suspiciously distant from the current road. This is because that extra lane has been removed. The slip road would continue to the left as the A4251 straigtened out and would pass through a gap in the embankment just before Pendley Beeches. The line of this slip can be seen in aerial maps by the tree line. The single westbound link would then join the end of the motorway and the Eastbound side of the motorway would suddenly appear as it existed at this point but it was just concrete. Strangely the Arnco central reservation barriers also existed at this point. Westbound traffic continued across the overbridge of the Wiggington junction and the exit slip for Westbound traffic also existed so you could hop back off the A41M at this point to go to Wiggington. You could also join the A41M from Wigginton junction too and the Motorway was your usual jointed concrete fayre right down to the Crowsnest Roundabout. Heading East was more interesting as all Eastbound traffic exited at the Wiggington junction. I recall there being a barrier of those round black and yellow jointed concrete blocks with accomanying chevron signage, directing all traffic off the motorway and down the slip road. The overbridge was there and the surface was just bare concrete and the Eastbound carriageway ended abruptly with spoil heaps from construction. The entry slip for Eastbound traffic was constructed at the Wiggington junction but it was never surfaced and so you just saw a well engineered grass bank slope heading up to where the carriageway would have been. It all looked like it was temporary solution that just got forgotten for about 20 years which in truth it was.

Great vid

You had to exit on the junction slip road 02:24 when heading to berkhamsted. In th eother direction, i think if i remember correctly you entered over the bridge.

Not to be confused with the M41, which was also downgraded to an A-road along with the A40(M) Westway in London, of which it was a sort of southern spur to the A40 at Shepherd's Bush.

Just when we thought there were no more secrets!

Great - I recommended this

awesome video, wonder how many people will drive on the A41 to see that hard shoulder now

3:48 that's not a hard shoulder anymore, it's the finest cycle lane in the country!

Not just exciting but interesting John 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂❤

Could you please find out why there is a 40 speed limit for 200 yards when you leave batford and enter Wheathampstead?

Another great video Jon. Also another great example of how useless our governments have over the years.

I remember as a boy being driven along this section of road. The southern end was definitely a single direction temporary on slip, across the unused section of dual-carriageway. The dual-carriageway ended abruptly at the foot of a grassy hill! - roughly where now is the cutting and arched bridge. It's also interesting(?) in how the former hard-shoulder is becoming more overgrown now. Does that imply that on current motorways there is regular ongoing maintenance of the hard-shoulder to remove weed growth etc? Perhaps a secret to look into??