History, geography, urban planning and a motorway! What a great addition to a Sunday.

I was about to cycle down to Pollok Park but watched this instead. The M77 was and is hugely controversial as it cut the people of Pollock off from the park but nobody cared because that’s where the poor people lived. There’s a good overview of it in the book Poverty Safari. When you do the M8 there are some great videos from the 60s about how wonderful it will be knocking down bits of Glasgow to run a motorway right through the middle. It’s a mess. I live here but need a satnav to get on and off the 77 and 8 as it’s all so… horrible

I used to see a Range Rover with the reg M77SUX - I could feel his pain as he sat in the daily morning queue to the M8 that started at Junction 5

He’s not exaggerating when he said the A77 was incredibly dangerous. It was a single carriageway with two lanes in each direction and nothing but a strip of paint between the two directions. There were lots of small junctions where turning right was allowed, so you’d have people stopped in the overtaking lane waiting for a gap in oncoming traffic to turn right. It was insane.

Another interesting M77 fact is that you often see deer from Pollok Park grazing on the embankments between junctions two and three having somehow discovered gaps in the fencing, the little scamps. On a more serious note, the 2004 extension from Newton Mearns to Fenwick finally occurred after many fatal accidents on the appalling A77, a four lane single carriageway death trap. One crash in particular, where an off duty senior Glasgow police officer died, seemed to be the one that finally persuaded the authorities to stop dithering and get a proper motorway built.

Friends of mine met in the climate camp protests during the m77 extension through Pollock park. Now that they drive they've admitted it is a useful road. Cowglen also had its own power generation and its chimneu was a local landmark. There is an equivalent banking complex for RBS out Edinburgh way.

I love how the house on the left @4:29 has it own access/slip roads :)

As someone who uses the M77 all the time I found this informative and I’m impressed that you pronounced Fenwick properly.

Worth mentioning that there was significant environmental protest at the 90s extension which ate into the edge of Pollok Park, leading to the site being occupied by protestors including the Birdman of Pollok up in the trees!

I remember the M77 getting built. My mate worked as groundsman in Pollok Park and on my days off, I would take my dog for a walk, and go up and see him. Part of the route through the park, had been taken over by protesters, and called the Pollok Free State. The protesters, where your usual non threatening, non violent tree huggers (Swampy, before people had heard of Swampy). A MP by the name of Allan Stewart, who also happend to be number 2 in the Scotland office, one day decided to go and face them, accompanied by his son, who for reasons known only to him, brought his air rifle. A confrontation of some sort took place, which resulted in the MP waving a pick axe handle at the protesters, and getting arrested for his troubles. A £200 fine later for him and his boy, ended his ministeral career.

Starting the Sunday afternoon right with some Motorway action.

I'm old enough that not only do I remember cows walking over the Patterton Farm bridge, but also the old A77 four-lane-no-central-divider road to Troon/Ayr....that road was something else! Four lanes, 70mph and only a pair of solid white lines seperating you from a driver on the opposite carridgeway falling asleep after a long shift.....

We do appreciate the time and effort you go to , especially framing the background with the outline of the man and the mountain. Well done that man 😆

Loving the Take The High Road theme. Used to go over the rest to see my auntie and the old intro used to remind me of her.

End theme is Take the High road, or just High Road as it was later renamed. The rock version that they used in the 90s was the best, bringing it from a soap about farmers and their yews into a more modern time. Same thing happened when Emmerdale Farm became Emmerdale and its music was updated.

I live only a few miles from the south end of the M77. I’ve had 3 cars literally detonate their engines on me as I approached junction 7. That junction is fuggin cursed! I never pass it on lane 2 southbound anymore because of the curse.

Brilliant as usual. If you look really closely you can see a couple of fields they haven’t yet built houses on…

This is still the preamble to the main event of the M8, I hope. Bonkers decision splitting Glasgow in two with a motorway right through the middle

You know, it's always shocking to me how much green space we've lost over the years. Course, I know it goes on everywhere but when you do the then and now aeriel views, it really brings it home ☹️

The A77 from Fenwick to Darnley was lethal! Two lanes + two lanes separated by two white lines and going south to Kilmarnock, suddenly you had a car stopping indicating right as he/ she was going up to one of the farms crossing northbound carriageways. Totally dangerous. Now it's so much easier.

It's amazing how many motorway junctions in the UK have slip roads to nowhere thank you again for another wonderful interesting and informative episode it's not a motorway I've driven along yet but I will do so thank you

Passes through Pollok Country Park, sounds like a load of polloks to me

Talk about timing. Coincidently I'm sitting at home in Virginia watching this but was at Pollok Country Park only 5 days ago visiting the Burrell Collection and the highland coos and their calves. It's very odd to see the place on a KZfaq channel that I've been subscribed to for a while.

At last! My local motorway! 😀🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

With more than half of my family from Scotland, I appreciate the hint of bagpipes in the theme music.

Wow, the "Take the High Road" theme took me right back to simpler times. Wicked, Sweet, Awesome!

I like the outro music, some people of a certain age will remember the tune is from the STV soap "Take The High Road"

And you finished with the theme from Take The High Road 😂🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Watching this the day after my father in laws funeral and one place he always visited with his support worker was the Burrell Collection, so this hit home for me and my wife as he always spoke about this place and we wondered where and whst this place was about.

Another wicked-sweet-awesome episode; living about as far away from the A77 as is humanly possible (and never likely to close that gap), I still get overly excited when a new SOTM pops up on the feed. Thanks for the entertainment!

Fascinating stuff Jon. Filling in stuff that I didnt know about. The Burrell collection is well worth a visit (so my wife tells me - she's been!). Technologically speking, the building is quite clever keeping the insides at a defined temperture and humidity throughout the year. A few years ago when we were looking to move back to Scotland, we looked around many places and there are so many new houses being built. It was hard not to wonder what was going on. Where was the business the people who would live in these new hosing estates would be employed at. I cam to the conclusion it must be some secret space port hidden from view. Nobody is telling - but then it wouldnt be a secret if they did.

Before the mid 00’s extension the northern part of the A77 was a narrow dual carriageway with no central reservation, just a pair or white lines separating the outside lane of one side from traffic speeding down the outside lane of the other. Occasionally you’d see vehicles go onto the wrong side of the road to overtake two lanes of traffic on their side. Combine this with the unrelenting weather on Fenwick Moor and you can see why the road was a terrifying experience! The new M77 was a considerable improvement and it could be argued that the A77 to Ayr should be upgraded to the same standard to improve safety.

Apostrophes. 80s, 90s, 00s. Great videos

Another interesting motorway video! I recall driving from Ayr to Lanarkshire in the 90s, when J1 to J5 was open but the section on to J8 hadn't been built. You could either turn right towards Eaglesham across two lanes of southbound traffic with a very short waiting lane (the road this led to has been bypassed by the new A726 Glasgow Southern Orbital road from J5 to East Kilbride), or you could stay on the A77 and then plunge down the hill on the M77 and then onto the M8. It used to annoy the hell out of me that the speed limit was 70 from Ayr on the dual carriageway without central barrier A77, 60 on the single carriageway death trap A77, then 50 on the M77 with hard shoulders and central barriers. Not having an electric car which would at least put some charge in the battery, it still annoys me as I have to brake going downhill towards J3 to keep to 50.

Nice to end on the Take the High Road theme. It’s up their with the Crown Court theme for 70’s bunking off school nostalgia.

Drove the M77 today!

I use the M77 every (week) day. It is a bloody nightmare 😩

Hi Jon, yes all good thanks. Saw The Chats in Birmingham on Wednesday, that was fun, also caught up with a mate I haven't seen for a while. Just been doing some gardening, seats are out of the Multipla and it's full to the ceiling with green waste to go to the tip! Knackered now so having a quick break, hence watching your video. Anyway enough about me, how the devil are you? Have you had a good week?

Viewers are rising. Pleased to see it. Bloody interesting stuff

It really looked like that blue car was going to drive off the roundabout and straight across the motorway!

Lawd mi mercy! Dis ya man really a di masta of dem asphalt rivers, seen? Di way mi soak up di history of dem roads, mi nearly buss wid joy! Hats off, mi bredda, yuh dun di place!

Missed the unbuilt service station - kingswell which would have been a signle sided affair near the A77 B764 junction, a bit of fear that people would continue to use the B764 as a link through to East Kilbride if the junction was made full access. That B764 was a major route in its time. Junction 8 is wierd.... The motorway actually stops before Junction 8. heading south. Its signed as a motorway but the end of motorway signs appear right before the slip road.

I do enjoy a to the point, irreverent video about mundane things I'm already acutely familiar with. Thanks.

Btw, it’s only magma when it’s underground, lava when above, top vid as usual 👍

I can remember getting 3 points when coming off at Drumbreck Road because the 30mph sign was behind a tree----- I went to court with some photos, thought to myself it wasn't a 30 (no street lights, no houses, 2 lanes each way) so I was doing 40. Got the points removed.......... result!!!! but that was decades ago

Fun facts: the roundabout originally at the start of the M77 had Park's Austin Rover dealership just off it, styled as "Park on the Roundabout". During construction of the section through Pollok Park in 1995 the local Tory MP, Allan Stewart committed career suicide by brandishing a pick axe at a group protesting the road's construction.

Nice choice of closing music, Jon, very appropriate.

Glasgow!!! YAAASSSS! Love it, you should have added a little bit extra to this video as theres a section of the M74 which is a stones throw away from where you shot one of the aerial drone clips where the M74 "slip road" from the M8 just stops. ( Kingston Bridge )

This is the best video I've ever seen about anything

Excellent

Wow that was the theme tune to “Take the High Road” at end wasn’t it?

Informative as always, thanks John

I do enjoy your witty and informative videos John. They are both wicked, sweet and awesome.

2.08 The Burrell Collection. I heard of this but having been in the construction industry I'm more curious about the building. When it was built in the 1970s it was hailed as the most innovative piece of architecture of the decade but when they moved in they found it leaked like sieve and due to its innovative design was almost impossible to maintain. Obviously it's many years since I read anything about it. The last I heard 40 years ago was they were trying to get hold of the architect who had done a disappearing act

(Interstate) 77 is my local highway number here in the United States.

I flippin' love Auto Shenanigans! Keep 'em coming John.

As always great job ,so wicked sweet awesome

Thanks for another wicked sweet awesome video.

Thanks! Really great!!

Really interesting ! Thanks !

Drinking game - have a shot everytime Jon says "77" 😂

Another brilliant video. 😊

Excellent as always

I enjoy watching your videos. I hope to see more

the spot your standing at on the closed junction 5 slip road was where i had my first car crash, lol

6:19 - 'a battle over - oh, I dunno...freedom or something'. 🤣 Seems to sum up just about all wars/battles. ☮

As always, very interesting. Also, love the aerial shots, fascinating. Cheers, John.

These videos are great!!!! The detail and history is 👌🏻

Thanks John. More Scotland please.

Another great presentation - info about past & present, plus humour. Thank you.

Thank you 😃 Very interesting.

Cool video and nice musical ending 😎”Take the High Road” 😄

I wish I knew you were around - I live further down on the A77 itself and would've made you a coffee.

Really appreciate the time and effort you put into these videos, they're wicked sweet awesome! Also, it's really nice how you blend the before/after maps 🙂

Another excellent as well as exciting episode. I'm really enjoying seeing my local motorways getting the Auto Shenanigans treatment! I can tell you're building up to the big one - the M8. Cannae wait!

always find your video's interesting and informative john regarding the history of the area's the motorways went through and how they have changed over the decades.

Literally snooping around at the end of my street. Love it

"Freedom or something..." 🤣🤣🤣

Can't wait til you get to the M8 and its insane sliproads on the RIGHT

I’ve never used this motorway but still found the episode interesting. Which is a plus I suppose. Thanks again John 👍🏼

Great video and really great to see my local motorway discussed - the sliproad at junction 5 always did remain a mystery to me, as I've never seen any car use it and for a while there was a fair amount of rubble on it. Well done on the pronunciation of Fenwick as well. Greetings from North Ayrshire.

One of the most informative channels on KZfaq - genuinely fascinating

Good video as always

Great episode

That is the road that I had to use getting off the ferry from Stranraer, and I was delighted when the motorway was opened as the A77 went through some high ground and in winter it was difficult, for some reason the motorway gets prioritised over other roads to be kept open not that I’m complaining now, on another note the ferry port at Stranraer has now been moved to cairnryan I don’t know the exact amount of years the ferry link between Stranraer and Larne existed but it was over a hundred years in operation, great post Jon

That's what she said... :( Needed to practice rewind and pause a few times to catch that snippet of useful information.

The M77 Motorway in Scotland could of extend right into Kilmarnock if plans were to extend the M77 close to Kilmarnock. But as you said the M77 motorway ends at Fenwick few miles north of Kilmarnock. And is a ideal local motorway connecting Glasgow with Kilmarnock. I do believe that the M77 motorway would of gone straight into Kilmarnock if the extension did happen. And yes the Spirit of Scotland structure is a absolute masterpiece that represents Scotland which I have to say it does look marvellous.

Thanks for this very informative video. I frequently use this motorway and find it gets extremely busy at certain times. When on the southbound carriageway, I often get off at junction 5 and join the old A77 (Ayr Road). It is now a very quiet road with very little traffic and I can drive parallel with the M77 with a much reduced stress level. Eventually at Fenwick the M77 ends and merges with the A77, towards Kilmarnock. I then turn on to the B751 in the direction of Kilmaurs and home town of Irvine.

The magic 100K subscribers gets closer 😊

Warning: southbound use of this motorway may result in finding yourself in North Ayrshire.

Another amazing episode and this one even closer to home than last week! M77 is great when its quiet 😁 interesting to see the expansion of housing over time. It is happening all over the local area, East Renfrewshire & Renfrewshire. Sad to see the destruction of green belt 😢

Shockingly good episode.

Good vid , my Dad worked on that bridge for the farm at at Patterton and some of the other junctions ,years later he was on the M77 extension at south side of the city .

Extreme!

M876 is going to be a huge episode........

Great one as always Jon!

WSA John 👍🏻

Thanks

Nice to get a different (drone) view of a road fairly local to me along with its history. Have to agree with others-the old A77 was a very poor and hazardous bit of road especially latterly with the traffic volumes it was handling. From memory Patterton Farm was bought out as part of the planned housing developments and the family are still farming having moved to Ayrshire as I recollect.

Awesome Video