Staples Corner is a crucial road junction in north-west London. It connects the A406 North Circular Road -- a (mostly) dual-carriageway road which forms half of an orbital route for London -- with the start of the M1, and the A5. It takes the form of two linked roundabouts under the A406 flyover, one ("Staples Corner West") with a further A5 flyover, and the other with an extra slip road from the westbound A406 to the M1. A map and aerial photo can be found on the Streetmap.co.uk site.
However, Staples Corner was not always planned to be the origin of the M1: originally, the motorway would have started further into London, probably on the projected Ringway 1 near Finchley Road Underground Station, running parallel to the mainline railway. When the M1 was opened to Staples Corner in 1977, provision was left to extend the motorway. What they would have done with the junction numbers all the way up to Leeds is another matter! A few years ago, one of these loose ends was tied up by providing the slip road from the westbound A406 to the M1.
Clicking on any of the thumbnails will bring up a larger picture.
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Looking at the approach to the roundabout from the A406 westbound. Traffic for the M1 must get over to the right. The road to the left of the footbridge is a single-carriageway, two-way access road to the Brent Cross shopping centre and retail park. The flyover to the right is the A406. |
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The new entrance to the M1 for westbound A406 traffic, in the middle of the roundabout! The slip road is subject to a 30mph limit, because of the sharp bend. There is a small variable matrix signal to the right of the slip road. |
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Looking north from the roundabout, at the M1. Traffic coming southbound (towards the picture) must divert off what was going to be the main carriageway onto the roundabout. There would have been a flyover directly in front of us, over the roundabout. The new A406-M1 flyover is at the left of the picture. |
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Access to the M1 (from the eastbound A406) from the roundabout. |
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The new A406 flyover, sweeping gracefully over the junction... |
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The beginning of motorway regulations for the M1 (the original access from the roundabout, now used by A406 westbound traffic). Not one of the original signs, in which the various things you couldn't do on a motorway were listed in no uncertain terms, but better than nothing. As I was a pedestrian, I couldn't get any closer to this sign! Pedants will notice that the "M1" on the sign on the left is in the wrong font (it's Transport Medium, and should be Motorway Permanent). The sign to the right of the slip road is OK though (not really discernible from the picture). |
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The two halves of Staples Corner are split by the Midland mainline railway, which runs to and from St Pancras. This is looking eastward from Staples Corner West, the A5 junction. The A406 is the higher flyover above us. The A5 flyover is not visible on this picture, being behind the vantage point. |