The A1079 is a major road in
Northern England. It links the cities of
York and
Kingston upon Hull, both in
Yorkshire. The road is noted for its past safety issues, and regularly features in the Road Safety Foundations reports on Britain's most dangerous roads. Campaigners have been calling for the entire route to be made into a dual carriageway.
Route
The road begins in central
York, heading east initially as
Lawrence Street and then Hull Road. After it meets the
A64 at the congested
grade separated Grimston Bar roundabout and gains
primary status. Continuing as Hull Road it passes
Dunnington and
Kexby, before heading into the
East Riding of Yorkshire and passing
Wilberfoss
Wilberfoss is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the north side of the A1079 approximately east of York city centre and north-west of Market Weighton. According to the 2011 UK census, Wilb ...
,
Barmby Moor
Barmby Moor is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately west of the market town of Pocklington and 12.5 miles (20 km) east-southeast of the city of York. It lies north of the A1079 ...
and
Pocklington. A roundabout at Pocklington Industrial Estate was constructed in 2011. After going through
Hayton the road becomes a
dual carriageway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
for , at the end of which is
Shiptonthorpe
Shiptonthorpe is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately south-east of the market town of Pocklington and north-west of the market town of Market Weighton.
...
, where the road becomes ''York Road''. This was a Roman Road between York and Brough, and when it was dualled, various Roman artefacts were uncovered. It meets the
A614 (to
Goole and
Bridlington) at a
roundabout
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...
, before
bypassing Market Weighton. The bypass was opened in 1991 – prior to this the road went through the town centre, originally being the York – Market Weighton turnpike road. The bypass was built with one roundabout, at the junction with the
A1034. A second roundabout, at ''Holme Road'', was constructed in 2014. The road then goes through
Bishop Burton
Bishop Burton is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies on the A1079 road approximately to the west of the market town of Beverley.
According to the 2011 UK census, Bishop Burton parish had a population ...
before meeting the
A1035 and
A1174 at a roundabout west of
Beverley at ''Killingwoldgraves''.
The section from Killingwoldgraves roundabout to the northern outskirts of Hull is known as the Beverley Bypass; it passes around the southern side of
Beverley, with a short dual carriageway section. The road crosses over the
A164 (Beverley to Humber bridge) at a grade separated junction. It also bridges the Cottingham to Hull section of the
Hull to Bridlington line, as well as the Cottingham to Dunwell road (Dunswell lane, underpassed). A new roundabout junction was constructed on the A1079 around 2011 for the
Swift Leisure group caravan factory north of
Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire
Cottingham is a large village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England with average affluence. It lies north-west of the centre of Kingston upon Hull, and south-east of Beverley on the eastern edge o ...
.
The Beverley Bypass section terminates at a roundabout junction (Dunswell roundabout) with the
A1033 and
A1174 road. Here the A1079 loses its primary status as it heads into the centre of
Kingston upon Hull as
Beverley Road and later, Ferensway. The road terminates at the junction with the
A63 (Hessle Road).
About the road
Into the 1930s, the road continued past York on the course of what is now the A59, diverting at Green Hammerton and continuing to Boroughbrigde town centre, where it terminated at the Great North Road. Much of the road is built to single carriageway standard, although a stretch of the
Beverley bypass
Bypass may refer to:
* Bypass (road), a road that avoids a built-up area (not to be confused with passing lane)
* Flood bypass of a river
Science and technology Medicine
* Bypass surgery, a class of surgeries including for example:
** Heart bypas ...
and a stretch near
Shiptonthorpe
Shiptonthorpe is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately south-east of the market town of Pocklington and north-west of the market town of Market Weighton.
...
are of
dual carriageway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
standard.
The majority of the road is
national speed limit (60 mph / 97 km/h on single carriageway sections (including Market Weighton hill), / 113 km/h on dual carriageway sections).
Following its
de-trunking in 2003, the road is maintained by two authorities:
*
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
*
City of York Council
Safety
The road had a reputation for being dangerous, primarily because the majority of it is single carriageway. Cars therefore have to turn across oncoming traffic to access adjoining roads. Between 1999 and 2005, emergency statistics revealed that there had been 615 accidents. A local campaign group ''Action Access A1079 (AAA1079)'' propose that in the long-term, more of the road be made dual carriageway to help combat these problems.
In the
European Road Assessment Programme
European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP) is an international nonprofit ( vzw) organisation registered in Belgium. It operates from Worting House, Basingstoke, Hampshire.
In partnership with national motoring organisations and local author ...
survey, which gives all major roads in Europe a safety rating, the A1079 is categorised as 'Medium-high risk' between Market Weighton and Hull, and 'Low-medium risk' between York and Market Weighto
The Market Weighton-Hull section was also identified in a
EuroRAP
European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP) is an international nonprofit ( vzw) organisation registered in Belgium. It operates from Worting House, Basingstoke, Hampshire.
In partnership with national motoring organisations and local author ...
report in June 2007 as being one of the 10 most dangerous roads in the UK, with 69 fatal or serious collisions between 2003 and 2005. In 2019, the A1079 was awarded a better safety record, now being identified as 'Low-Medium' risk for the section between York and Market Weighton, 'Medium' risk between Market Weighton and the outskirts of Hull. However the section through Hull is designated as a 'High-Risk' road.
References
External links
Action – Access – A1079 partnershipA1079 on SABRE
{{DEFAULTSORT:1-1079
Roads in Yorkshire
Transport in York
Transport in the East Riding of Yorkshire