Secrets of The Motorway - M77

#infrastructure #motorway #scotland
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Back in Scotland this week to look at the M77 motorway that runs from Glasgow to Fenwick. In Scotland. There's abandoned roads, motorway junctions and volcanoes!
In this series we aim to explore what our motorway network is hiding. As we drive along at 70mph..ish...we simply just wouldn't be aware of what we're missing. This series aims to uncover some of the hidden secrets our motorways have to offer.

[@adamclark6756]

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

[@dough740]

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

[@thesloaneranger1]

lol! I used to have M74 OOH on my Ford Probe....... this was before the extension, when nobody ever believed it would happen and we were destined to be stuck on the M8 at Townhead forever lol!

[@jbaldwin1970]

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

[@robertsinnott9325]

Nice comment👍I remember the protestors who were in the trees opposite the old pollok centre.yeah Glasgow is pretty blighted by motorways.not the prettiest of cities in many areas and they do create areas of nothingness roundabout them Maybe one day the m8 will be filled in again...if we ever get decent public transport infrastructure!

[@danem2215]

Nice to know purposely routing highways through poor areas and cutting off access to services isn't just an American thing, I guess.

[@andrewkennedy1172]

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.....

[@egpx]

Which is what happened in the early 2000s when the sleeper and passenger in the car he hit were killed. It was that crash that seemed to galvanise the authorities into finally build the M77, something they’d been dithering over for years.

[@colincharliesdroneadventur9102]

yep that road was super sketchy back then

[@stuinNorway]

I believe if you go back a bit further in time, for a while it was a 3 lane road... 1 lane each way + a "shared" overtaking/suicide lane in the middle. Later it was relined to bo a 2nd lane one direction only, but the upgrade to 4 lanes helped until the M77 came. Used to be driven along it often heading to Stewarton to visit family.

[@G4RY1159]

Remember it too Andrew, me and a pal once cycled from East Kilbride to Ayr when we were both about 15 years old, coming back was very testing, the best bit was going down the big steep hill at Eaglesham, smoke coming off the bike tyres lol

[@GPaint]

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!

[@TheGiff7]

Remember that.

[@dminalba]

And I remembered as well the MP for Eastwood Allan Stewart turning up to meet with the protesters with his son carrying a shotgun

[@dminalba]

A stunt that ended his political career forever.

[@tommyquinnhughes]

I had a friend at university studying something like Civil Engineering. He had a placement working on the extension through Pollok Park. There were a few environmental activists who were mates and lived beside him in the halls of residence. Several times he would give these guys a lift and drop them off near the protest site. They would happily spend their day protesting against him, before he gave them a lift back home afterwards. Top guy!

[@PhilipMurphyExtra]

Starting the Sunday afternoon right with some Motorway action.

[@erithromycin]

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.

[@seanrodgers1839]

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

[@AutoShenanigans]

Glad to hear :)

[@dennisphoenix1]

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 😆

[@gloomsurvivor]

i was actually quite surprised to see this, climbed loudoun hill a few times in the last couple of years and never noticed the monument at all, lol

[@starlight5229]

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 ☹️

[@AutoShenanigans]

It's progress I suppose?

[@starlight5229]

@@AutoShenanigans I disagree to a large extent but my views on this are too in depth and long winded to get into on a light hearted 'SoM' jolly 🙂👍🏻

[@stevenwright4102]

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 .

[@scottc1589]

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 KZbin channel that I've been subscribed to for a while.

[@Tankurface]

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 )

[@AutoShenanigans]

M8 episode ;)

[@Species1571]

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.

[@Kefuddle]

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

[@ColinChick]

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!

[@MrBreadman1966]

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

[@roderickmain9697]

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.

[@BenCurrington]

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?

[@ashleesales9318]

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

[@colingeer479]

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

[@rogerduerden373]

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!

[@harkmannah7432]

Thanks! Really great!!

[@rsdotscot]

My old man worked on the M77 extension in the '90s as a clerk of works. We lost him a year and a half ago :(

[@stevekelly5166]

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

[@MrSpeedbird]

I live five minutes from Patterton Farm and can see it from my house. It was torn down due to local kids setting tyres in the barn on fire which led to many fire service call outs. That's pretty much the reason why the remains are no longer there. As for future development plans, no idea. The field is empty and always has been. Maybe the council will start developing new builds on the land but as I said, for now, it's desolate.

[@TheFatmer]

WSA John 👍🏻

[@SteveW139]

Nice choice of closing music, Jon, very appropriate.

[@52robbo]

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

[@MrGreatplum]

Gosh, those housing estates are without character! Great video though - loving the history, geography, urban planning etc.

[@ADJLfanatic52]

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

[@rickydub6950]

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 😢

[@iainfarrington4191]

I never knew that monument was near Loudoun Hill, I'll have to drop in next time I'm passing. I've driven past it countless times one the way to and from the grandparent's house. We nicknamed it flat-cap hill when I was young because, as you approach from the West, I always thought it looked like an old man wearing a flat-cap.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Its a nice walk about and easy parking :D

[@vougiedipond6979]

My home motorway finally🎉

[@AutoShenanigans]

I quite enjoyed the M77, nice part of the world.

[@MrKenny777]

In the 1990s I travelled from Glasgow to Irvine every day and it felt like there was a serious accident on the A77 near Fenwick every week. Coming home at night in winter along the A77 was quite scary because there was no middle barrier and the glare from oncoming traffic on a bendy and hilly road was blinding. The road also had icing problems.

[@G4RY1159]

Seen a good few bad accidents when the fog came in or the snow, people just didn't amend to the weather conditions and often paid the price.

[@joeweston3252]

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.

[@leeriddick7]

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

[@hamishashcroft3233]

Insanity. Destroyed so much of the city and ironed in cad dependany to its heart

[@vincentharriman3283]

As John explains in his M8 video, it was part of plans for a Motorway around the whole city centre. It dates back to the days when Inner city Motorways seemed a good idea.

[@mad7206]

What a difference the M77 has made . I remember how long it took to get to Glasgow.

[@SquareoftheyearFM]

Great episode

[@rogerswift1983]

Love it when he does one I've never driven on (which isn't many)

[@suecharnock9369]

Ah, another case of - 1960’s development done over a bottle of port in the funny handshake club, implemented decades later without any thought of what people are going to eat (build houses on good farm land and import and transport the food from?), and of course needing to totally and utterly disregard any objections from local people ( many of which are well founded) and this despite the legal requirement to ‘consult’ the local population as well.

[@AutoShenanigans]

You're familiar with road planning meetings I see.

[@JimmyCaswell]

Thanks

[@AutoShenanigans]

thanks a lot mate!

[@georgedavidson957]

thank you for that. drive these roads every week .... nice insight into why I cant use junc 7/8 in a sane way

[@kirkmooneyham]

I'm simply blown away by how many abandoned road sections exist across the UK. I'm sure there are a lot of abandoned roads in the US, Canada, Australia, etc, but those roads are scattered across a rather large land area. Seems you can't drive very far in the UK without passing some abandoned road!

[@jimmydesouza4375]

I understand that it is because in the US at least if a new road is built they'll still keep the old road in service whereas in the UK if a new road is built they close off the old road.

[@scott-si1oe]

I heard about a hidden slip road, was rumoured to go from Helen Street police station onto m8. Never touch cats eyes on motorways, massive static shock 😂

[@piratepete1475]

it was thatcher and her goverment ..that put a stop to a lot of building work in scotland ..hampden park as well

[@sandwichbar8226]

Hello Jon, how the devil are you, have you had a good week?

[@ALMELMUSIC]

If it is not copyrighted then use the Take The High Road Theme tv tune on the next scot vid. I look forward to sundaysnow so you have to keep doing these... not too far from 100k. Brilliant

[@HeimirTomm]

That's what she said...

[@davidioanhedges]

William Burrell made money in Shipping .... His collection is "Art" ... loosely ... Loudoun Hill was Robert the Bruce vs England ... Or actually Robert and the Terrain vs the English so Robert won ...

[@jsimpson6002]

The A77 death road should have been upgraded to motorway at least 30 years before it was. I suspect the reason was the rivalry between supporters of Glasgow Airport and Prestwick Airport. Guess who won? Obviously a better road network from the central belt to Prestwick would have taken business away from Glasgow.

[@garymcwilliams2001]

I use the M77 All the time, reluctantly, hate the thing, slow speeds majority of the way (maybe due to the danger the road used to pose) but still not a fan

[@ianstewartorr8455]

I never had a problem with the old A 77 bad road no bad drivers

[@bryansmith1920]

My cheek muscles so hate you right now, piss of I hert 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@willtricks9432]

Calm down son.

[@Leminko11]

Our local

[@Allocated_Brain]

But are you going to colab with Ringway Manchester?

[@couchslouch13]

Great videos, though I do wish you'd stop waving at the camera!

[@AutoShenanigans]

That's sort of my thing.

[@danteeightsix9069]

M77 must be the one featured in Forza Horizon 4.

[@AutoShenanigans]

That's the M68 ;)

[@malcolmfowler8972]

Shouldn't be long before you reach the 'wicked sweet awesome' total of 100k subscribers 😂

[@Alan_Watkin]

steeling you mean... how else would a guy amass a collection of stuff that don't belong to him.... works for me anyway

[@S.ASmith]

Love Scotland. Beautiful place. Used to live in Aberdeen and I've driven on several of Scotland's motorways in the last 6 weeks. I hope you're getting a lot of use out of the drone! Just out of interest John...what drone licenses do you have? Or..is this your occupation (surveying work?)

[@BezosAutomaticEye]

01:18 Not sure if it's this junction or the next.....SHIT.

[@33andy33gmail]

"Wait ... isn't it illegal to stand on a motorway [slip road]" ... "ah no, John will be standing just in front of the motorway regs signs :-D "

[@fightfairfightfair]

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.

[@johnsim3722]

Caused quite a number of deaths. Only when one was a worker for a politician was it decided to improve the road.

[@fatkev1983]

I started uni just as the extension started. I had a classic Mini as my car to commute back and forth on the old A77. Had a few near misses on that stretch of road. Also had a few near misses with the big trucks working on the M77. I also got my first speeding ticket on the roadworks during the M77 extension work where it was set to 40mph for ages. The people that drove the old A77 daily knew what lanes to be in. The issue seemed to come from people who weren't familiar with it. But as you've stated, you don't expect to see a car stopped in the right hand lane like that. I recall the bit at the red house (was it a tea house?) could be a right ball ache.

[@johnsim3722]

@@fatkev1983 Yes, red house with a tea room in it. I don't know if anybody would be brave enough to slow down and turn into that one! Passed it so many times going up to Glasgow, just around a corner and you've got everybody around you driving fast. Never seen anybody coming from Glasgow trying to turn in (right across traffic) as that would pretty impossible with the amount of traffic. Now the old A77 is quiet and safe they don't have a tea room any more.

[@Silverbullet767]

I remember having to stop in the outside lane to cross over to the Fenwick road. Playing chicken with the traffic waiting on your turn to gun it across!

[@hamishashcroft3233]

Sounds like the A9 as current

[@egpx]

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.

[@hilolottery]

My mother always commented on the deer, she would see them although I was always too busy concentrating on the road to ever have a proper look. One night, shortly after her death I was driving at the section in question and remembered what my mum would say about the deer - had a quick glance at the embankment and sure enough, two of 'em.

[@dublindave78]

God, i remember that. 2 lanes of dual traffic barreling at each other at 80mph round corners, with no divide to separate the traffic flows

[@apollobouncer]

It took a drunken geriatric former cop wandering about on the road at night to finally give the people of the area the transport system they deserved. Probably the greatest service the old boy ever did for the public that paid him so well over many years.

[@spannerpasser]

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

[@Mrrwb]

I live in Fenwick so found this episode especially interesting.

[@leeriddick7]

I just said exactly that to my partner haha! “He pronounced Fenwick properly, good stuff”. I drive this road 5 days a week, the elevation changes allow for some good mpg (when it’s not mobbed with traffic)

[@_starfiend]

I've never heard of Fenwick until this video, sorry, but as someone who knows Keswick in the lake district well, I would have pronounced it correctly more by association.

[@kildogery]

Get Tae Fenwick!

[@lickyagyalcuz]

Possibly helped by his Northamptonshire residence as there is a village in the county called Stanwick pronounced without the W too.

[@KaitlynnUK]

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

[@Croz89]

Wonder who owns it, the house or the council?

[@flannelplant]

@@Croz89i've driven up there a few times to turn round, i belive it's just private property, there's a cool old truck that's been sat on that road for years now and im not sure who owns it though

[@fayh364]

it was originally part of the farms land I believe, and one of the conditions on the purchase of the land was that it needed access. Pretty sure MacMic own the abandoned farm, funny to hear it called patterton village as I've just always known it as part of Mearns and then into Deaconsbank

[@DJ-kh3kc]

@KaitlynnUK For historical accuracy I have answered your question and some of the others in my comment 30/6/23

[@paulwheeler4283]

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

[@CycolacFan]

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

[@daviethomson5707]

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.

[@ayrshiresoundman]

I remember the M77 opening just as I passed my driving test. Id waited my whole life for a motorway on my doorstep.

[@andrewthomson870]

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

[@Tez_Thorn1405]

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

[@andrewjambo1]

Pollok

[@ChimpManZ1264]

​@@andrewjambo1Not like the fish then

[@CmG1005]

It does actually pass through the park. There is an entrance on the west side of the motorway off corkerhill road.

[@Tez_Thorn1405]

@@CmG1005 it was a joke

[@ThatGuyThanus]

There’s only one!

[@jobbiejew]

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.

[@cameronc393]

Are you going to cover the M898 while you're in this part of the world?

[@gazzaman28]

I bloody hope so, although it'll be the shortest episode yet unless he concentrates on the Erskine bridge!

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

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.

[@dangerousandy]

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

[@VinDieselS70]

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.

[@ruggedscot69]

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.

[@DJ-kh3kc]

To answer @KaitlynnUK who 1 month ago (edited) wrote, "I love how the house on the left @4:29 has it own access/slip roads :)" That's my road and it's private. To answer others replying to her, it's not owned by the council. The "cool old truck" Is a Hydrocon Crane, one of three I have. It was the first hydraulic operated crane. Before the first Hydrocon in 1949 cranes were either electric or steam powered. They were built originally in Maryhill docks, then they moved to Burnfield Rd. in Giffnock then to Coatbridge. Summerlee museum is in one the former Hydrocon fabrication sheds and the surrounding housing and industrials estates were part of the factory complex. Mac & Mic do not own Patterton farm. To address some of the points raised in the video, the bridge over the 77 at Patterton was necessary because the M'Way cut the farm into two and it gave the farmer access for a tractor and to get cattle to the other side. Jct 4 is a disgrace and the Police were minded to not grant it a road opening notice but they got their arms severely twisted by the Scottish office. At the public enquiry they sprung on us that Jct3-4 was to be built on fill not cut as planned. It was to the best of my knowledge the only design and build contract for a m'way. Wimpey won the tender for IIRC £24M. The were given the CPO'd land and then were left to design and deliver the M77 hence the weird junctions arrangement at Jct 4 as it was cheaper. There is space behind Waitrose to upgrade it to a badly needed diamond junction which is what it should have been in the first place. There is much more I could reveal but perhaps not as there is none so bitter and twisted than the public sector when their dirty little secrets are revealed. Suffice to say Wimpey jumped before they were pushed by selling the project and others to Tarmac (now Carillion) in a swap for Tarmac's house building division.

[@coolzebrauk]

Can you do a Secret Motorway Of M90

[@geecars6263]

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.

[@boola69]

I worked on the M77 Malletsheugh Jct 5 to Jct 8 in 2005 and let me tell you Fenwick Moor in the middle of winter is not a place you wanna be BRRRRRRR! 🥶

[@grahamlait1969]

I enjoy your posts, but you really do have to do your research a little bit better. Sir William Burrell did not travel the world to amass his huge and eclectic 'art' collection; he didn't have to. What he had was a worldwide network of shipping agents who knew of his interest in ancient art and artifacts and alerted him to items in which he might be interested, no doubt in return for a modest, probably in Sir Williams case a very modest, fee. Having a shipping line, he could also have them transported back to Scotland relatively easily at little or no cost to himself. While he amassed a huge collection of Chinese ceramics, whether or not he ever travelled to the far East is unlikely... and as he was the epitome of the canny Scot, some of his employees had a rather different view of his 'philanthropy', at least to themselves. Moreover, it is rumoured that some of the vessels that tramped around the world for his profit were only fit for the breakers yard. One doesn't like to 'ding a man doon', but there might be another side to the story in Sir Williams case.

[@davidhall7744]

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

[@craighobbs3708]

I use the M77 daily. I absolutely hate it! - 50mph for most of it and only 2 lanes and its inclines mean slow lorries…

[@Rickytricky01]

It reminds me of an interesting documentary about dung beetles which primarily focuses on 💩 oh & dung beetles believe it or not

[@ianhelps3749]

I drove down the M77 on the way from Glasgow to Troon in 1996. It must have been shortly after the section to J5 opened. Any plans to extend southwards? I can concur that the A77 is (was) a nasty road.

[@TheGiff7]

It is a major commercial and tourist route that is in desperate need of upgrading once past Ayr. To be fair Maybole now has a bypass and there are several crawler lanes now in place. The A75 also needs attention (route from Stranraer to Carlisle.

[@egpx]

The A77 south of Fenwick is limited access duel carriageway as far as the Monkton Roundabout now, the section near Symington being upgraded a few years ago, though it retains the 50mph speed limit for no good reason. Duel carriageway continues to the Whitletts Roundabout at Ayr, which is an abysmal roundabout by the way, before becoming single carriageway. It really should be duel carriageway until well south of Ayr but unlike the old A77 north of Fenwick, I don’t suppose enough people have died on it yet.

[@benkerr9051]

@@TheGiff7 I was up and down from Glasgow to Girvan/Maybole most days up until November 2021, so I saw the bypass being built, but never actually driven on it. Maybole traffic used to be a nightmare, though i wonder if the bypass will kill off a lot of the custom for the Maybole shops now.

[@TheGiff7]

@@benkerr9051 The bypass is great and cuts out a lot of time. It does have a 50 restriction on it though that may have changed in the last few months. I don’t imagine trade will have been impacted. In thirty years I only stopped once. I have heard that the town is much more pleasant now the through traffic has been eliminated. The next town will be Girvan. Personally I see no reason why the 77 cannot be duelled as far as Turnburry.

[@nightw4tchman]

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.

[@michaelchannon2644]

When are you going to get some "Auto Shenanigans - Wicked Sweet Awesome" t-shirts made up?

[@gryff8400]

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

[@David_Crayford]

*Junction* is another. In a previous short, he said *bats* about 25 times.

[@thesloaneranger1]

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

[@ringosimon1]

What happened to the final part of the M6. The last video stopped at Warrington yet I believe the motorway goes all the way up to Carlisle

[@harviemilligan1887]

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.

[@milehighclassics]

Ach ne laddie yadooon ne nooo wu ya gooon on abooot ya sasanak tha Oban m99 fram glassier neve gut bult

[@AutoShenanigans]

yes

[@michaelclay6278]

Scott's don't need motorways. They have bikes. Lol

[@the1gip]

What confuses me about the M77's Southern terminus is that it changes to the A77 after J8, but the opportunity to join isn't for another half a mile. So that bit of the A77 can't be accessed by general traffic - does that technically make it the A77(M)?

[@Ayrshore]

There actually signs for the A77(M)... which has never existed... in Irvine.

[@mtgcardzandreview2756]

So then Scotland has/had volcanoes as they've been plugged up.

[@geolawie]

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

[@GPOTOM]

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.

[@gggggggg3542]

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

[@AutoShenanigans]

You'd never get away with such (fair) things today.