There is a secret motorway that most people have never heard of hiding less than 20 miles away from the M5.
The M96 has been dubbed a ‘mock motorway’ that is used for training – with the general public banned from using it.
It’s located in the Cotswolds and is less than 20 miles away from two major motorways – the M5 and the M50.
The stretch of road measures just 400 metres long and has seen more crashes and traffic incidents than major routes, with it primarily being used to train emergency services workers.
It has four lanes and is well known by 999 services across England, according to GloucestershireLive.
It is located at the Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucs., and is used to train blue light emergency workers in how to deal with major traffic incidents.
West Mercia Police, Hereford and Worcester Fire Service, as well as West Midlands Ambulance Service, West Midlands Police and West Midlands Fire Service all use the M96 for training.
Horrific crashes are simulated to help prepare emergency services for the worst.
Some simulations involve multi-vehicle pile-ups with lorries, cars and buses, and volunteers play the part of motorists and pedestrians caught up in the fake crashes.
This is to help blue light emergency workers train in a realistic and safe environment. The Fire Service College describes the M96 as a realistic four-lane motorway – albeit a lot shorter.
It says: “The M96 facility is regularly used to train helicopter emergency personnel and newly qualified paramedics, as well as fire and rescue service personnel in multi-agency exercises. The motorway has the capacity to run several incidents at one time. It can be used by any agency that works in the road industry and would like to train in a safe realistic way. “
The M96 often comes up in quizzes as being the UK’s shortest motorway – although the “real” smallest motorway is the A308(M) which runs off the M4 in Berkshire and is just 0.6 miles in length.
In comparison, the M5 is 160 miles and the M50 is 22 miles. The longest motorway is the M6, at 236 miles in length.
