A217 road
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| Major junctions | |
| North end: | Gatwick |
      ![]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Motorway_Right.svg/4px-Motorway_Right.svg.png){kind=small} M25 motorway A23 road A24 road A25 road A232 road A236 road A240 road A297 road A2022 road A3 road |
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| South end: | Wandsworth |
| Location | |
| Primary destinations: |
Sutton |
| Road network | |
The A217 is a road in the United Kingdom. It runs south from Kings Road in Fulham, London, crossing the Thames at Wandsworth Bridge, then passing through Wandsworth, Tooting, Mitcham, Cheam, Banstead, crossing the M25 motorway at Junction 8, then passing through Reigate and terminating shortly before reaching Gatwick Airport.
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[edit] Landmarks on the route
- Wandsworth Bridge
- Young's Brewery, Wandsworth
- Wandsworth Arndale Centre
- Earlsfield railway station
- Tooting Broadway tube station
- Tooting railway station
- Figges Marsh
- Mitcham Cricket Green
- Mitcham tram station and Station House
- Rosehill Recreation Ground
- Banstead Downs
- Banstead Heath
- Reigate Town Hall and former castle
[edit] Major roads intersected by the route
- A3 and A205 South Circular Road at Wandsworth
- A24 at Tooting
- A232 at Cheam
- M25 at Junction 8
- A25 at Reigate
[edit] Illegal racing
The stretch of the A217 called 'The Mad Mile' has been popular for illegal street racing. It is a straight length of dual carriageway that runs downhill from the junction with the A2022 to the junction with the B2230 at Belmont.[1] This length of road has been known locally for generations, used by bikers during the early 80's when starting grids were marked out at either end of the carriageways, then became popular again in early 2000 with the modified car scene where frequent races would take place, usually on Thursday nights. This information spread quite quickly with the use of the internet, as far north as Birmingham and as a result people from all over came to participate and watch these races. Police presence gradually diffused this illegal activity, but it has not completely disappeared.[2] Measures to stop these races include crash barriers erected on the centre grass verge which runs the length of this stretch. People used to park here while the races were in progress.
This stretch of road has also made news appearances in the early 2000s as well as documentaries on the modified car scene/cruising.[citation needed]
[edit] Fatal Incidents
In August 2006 two men who raced along the road and caused an accident that killed three people were sentenced to prison. It was said that the two men were driving recklessly at a speed much faster than the 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) limit on the road.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ "New powers over Mad Mile drivers". BBC News. BBC. 2006-04-21. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/4930690.stm.
- ^ "‘Cruisers’ cars confiscated on Mad Mile". surrey.police.uk. Surrey Police. 2003-06-13. http://www.surrey.police.uk/news_item.asp?artid=3144.
- ^ Court reporter (2007-08-31). "Racing pair jailed after pensioners' deaths". thisislocallondon.com. http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/crimenews/display.var.1655290.0.racing_pair_jailed_after_pensioners_deaths.php. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 51°21′04″N 0°12′30″W / 51.35116°N 0.20833°W
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