A4540 road
Encyclopedia
The A4540 is a Ring Road
in Birmingham
, England
, also known as the Middle Ring Road, or the Middleway. There are proposals to make it a red route
. It runs around the centre (St Philip's Cathedral
) of the city at a distance of approximately 1 miles (1.6 km). Birmingham City Centre
is the area within this ring road. The ring road was planned and designed by Herbert Manzoni
. It is now simply known as the Ring Road due to the removal of the old Inner Ring Road.
s, whilst Bordeseley Circus has uncontrolled pedestrian crossing points despite often heavy traffic. There are mostly lightly used pavement
s around the entire ring road, though several busy side roads joining the ring road have only uncontrolled crossings for pedestrians. Some parts of the pavement (and the 3 subways) are designated cycle
paths, although much of the rest of the pavement is used by cyclists illegally to avoid the heavy traffic and/or frequent roundabouts on the ring road.
Ring road
A ring road, orbital motorway, beltway, circumferential highway, or loop highway is a road that encircles a town or city...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, also known as the Middle Ring Road, or the Middleway. There are proposals to make it a red route
Red route
Red routes are major roads in urban areas of the United Kingdom, on which vehicles are not permitted to stop. This includes stopping for loading or unloading, and boarding or alighting from a vehicle . Red routes are mainly used on major bus and commuting routes.Red routes are marked with red lines...
. It runs around the centre (St Philip's Cathedral
St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham
The Cathedral Church of Saint Philip is the Church of England cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Birmingham. Built as a parish church and consecrated in 1715, St Philip's became the cathedral of the newly formed Diocese of Birmingham in the West Midlands in 1905...
) of the city at a distance of approximately 1 miles (1.6 km). Birmingham City Centre
Birmingham City Centre
Birmingham city centre is the business, retail and leisure hub of Birmingham, England. Following the removal of the Inner Ring Road, the city centre is newly defined as being the area within the Middle Ring Road. Birmingham city centre is undergoing massive redevelopment with the Big City Plan...
is the area within this ring road. The ring road was planned and designed by Herbert Manzoni
Herbert Manzoni
Sir Herbert John Baptista Manzoni CBE MICE was a British civil engineer known for holding the position of City Engineer and Surveyor of Birmingham from 1935 until 1963...
. It is now simply known as the Ring Road due to the removal of the old Inner Ring Road.
Route
The A4540 covers the following route: –- Ashted Circus (junction with A47A47 roadThe A47 is a trunk road in England originally linking Birmingham to Great Yarmouth. Most of the section between Birmingham and Nuneaton is now classified as the B4114.-Route:...
--with pedestrian subwaySubway (underpass)In England and Wales, the Republic of Ireland, Hong Kong and some Commonwealth countries , the term subway normally refers to a specially constructed underpass for pedestrians and/or cyclists beneath a road or railway, allowing them to reach the other side in safety.The term is also used in the...
island) - Lawley Middleway (with Curzon Circus in the middle)
- Garrison Circus
- Watery Lane Middleway
- Bordesley Circus (junction with A45A45 roadThe A45 is a major road in England. It runs east from Birmingham past the National Exhibition Centre and the M42, then bypasses Coventry and Rugby, where it briefly merges with the M45 until it continues to Daventry...
) - Bordesley Middleway
- Camp Hill Circus (junction with A41A41 roadThe A41 is a formerly-major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now largely been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton,...
Stratford Road) - Highgate Middleway
- Haden Circus (junction with A4167 and A435A435 roadThe A435 is a main road in England running between Birmingham and Cirencester .-Birmingham to Alcester:...
) - Belgrave Middleway
- Belgrave Interchange (junction with A441A441 roadA441 is an A-road in England which runs from central Birmingham to Cookhill, Worcestershire.-History:Once one of the main routes between Evesham, Redditch and Birmingham, the A441 has now largely been superseded by A435 which has been upgraded to the East...
followed by A38A38 roadThe A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
) Main road passes underneath interchange - Lee Bank Middleway
- Islington Row Middleway
- Five WaysFive Ways, BirminghamFive Ways is an area of Birmingham, England. It takes its name from a major road junction, now a busy roundabout to the south-west of the city centre which lies at the outward end of Broad Street, where the Birmingham Middle ring road crosses the start of the A456 .-History:The name of Five Ways...
Island (junction with A456A456 roadThe A456 is a main road in England running between Birmingham and Woofferton, Shropshire, south of Ludlow.-History:Much of the road is almost certainly medieval in origin...
which passes underneath island. Original plans showed the A4540 as passing under the roundabout but this was later changed, a move which is commonly viewed as a mistake and would have alleviated the heavy congestion at the island. Broad St/Hagley Rd (A456 roadA456 roadThe A456 is a main road in England running between Birmingham and Woofferton, Shropshire, south of Ludlow.-History:Much of the road is almost certainly medieval in origin...
) runs under the island instead (Pedestrian subway through island) - Ladywood Middleway
- Ladywood Circus
- Junction with A457
- Icknield StreetIcknield StreetIcknield Street or Ryknild Street is a Roman road in Britain that runs from the Fosse Way at Bourton on the Water in Gloucestershire to Templeborough in South Yorkshire...
- (Heaton Street, a road which connects the A4540 to Hockley Circus and the junction with the A41A41 roadThe A41 is a formerly-major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now largely been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton,...
) - Boulton Middleway
- New John Street West
- Junction with A34 Newtown Row
- Newtown Middleway
- Dartmouth Circus (Roundabout with Aston Expressway and A38A38 roadThe A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
Lichfield Rd) (Pedestrian subway through roundabout) - Dartmouth Middleway
Pedestrian facilities
All but 4 of the numbered A4540 junctions have signal-controlled pedestrian crossings of the ring road. Dartmouth Circus, Ashted Circus and Five Ways have subwaySubway (underpass)
In England and Wales, the Republic of Ireland, Hong Kong and some Commonwealth countries , the term subway normally refers to a specially constructed underpass for pedestrians and/or cyclists beneath a road or railway, allowing them to reach the other side in safety.The term is also used in the...
s, whilst Bordeseley Circus has uncontrolled pedestrian crossing points despite often heavy traffic. There are mostly lightly used pavement
Sidewalk
A sidewalk, or pavement, footpath, footway, and sometimes platform, is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb...
s around the entire ring road, though several busy side roads joining the ring road have only uncontrolled crossings for pedestrians. Some parts of the pavement (and the 3 subways) are designated cycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
paths, although much of the rest of the pavement is used by cyclists illegally to avoid the heavy traffic and/or frequent roundabouts on the ring road.
Coordinates
| Location | Coordinate |
| Northern point | 52.49417°N 1.90853°W |
| Eastern point | 52.47457°N 1.87497°W |
| Southern point | 52.46323°N 1.88656°W |
| Western point | 52.47849°N 1.92664°W |