Brooklands Roundabout
Brooklands Roundabout is a roundabout that acts as a major connection between Manchester and Trafford by road.
Details
Road connections
Baguley (Manchester) connects to the east of the roundabout via Altrincham Road.
Altrincham (Trafford) connects to the south-west of the roundabout via Shaftesbury Avenue.
Timperley (Trafford) connects to the west of the roundabout via Stockport Road.
Brooklands (Trafford) connects to the north-west of the roundabout via Brooklands Road.
Brooks Drive connects to the south of the roundabout, but this is a 'stub road' which doesn't go anywhere, as it was previously used to access the now demolished Baguley Railway Station. As the road almost immediately becomes a bridge, it converts into a public footpath which leads south-east and is densely surrounded by overgrown trees and bushes.
Driving lessons
Driving instructors often use Brooklands Roundabout for driving lessons, due to the "challenges" it poses with lane discipline and right-of-way rules.
History
Brooklands Roundabout is known to have existed as early as 1948, when Manchester United began their FA Cup victory parade there after beating Blackpool in the final at Wembley.[1]
On 15th August 1960, a three-ton lorry carrying 1,300 hens lost its load while using the roundabout. The wooden crates containing the hens crashed onto the road and dozens of hens were killed, though the vast majority survived. Police and the RSPCA responded to the scene to help free the trapped hens and clear up the scene, which caused a large traffic backlog on the Timperley Bypass.[2]