Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, UK, Earth

An English New Town

by Alexander Lachlan McLintock (alexmc@biccdc.co.uk)
written 31 Jan 1994

This article is classified "Real"


This new town is at Junction 9 up the M1 motorway.  It is south of Luton
and north of Watford.  As is common in English new towns, Hemel Hempstead
is inflicted by a plague of roundabouts.  The most famous of these is the
"Magic Roundabout" of Hemel, second only to the legendary town of Milton
Keynes into whose road system many brave travellers have ventured, never
to return.  The Magic Roundabout is made up from six little roundabouts
arranged in a hexagon, with short roads linking them.  Five major roads
lead to and from the Magic Roundabout.  (The sixth was unaccountably
closed off).  This cunning device does seem to keep traffic moving but it
is a bit stressful trying to get onto and off of it, both undamaged and at
the right exit.

There are no recommended Pubs or nightspots in Hemel and the cinema is a
Bingo hall four times a week instead of a cinema.  I have yet to meet
someone who likes living there.

Hemel Hempstead has two large industrial parks which house sites for
various companies including 3Com, UniPlex, Dell, and BICC, my current
employer.

Disclaimer: My employers do not share my views and I don't speak for them.

Attached documents:
Simplified map of Hemel Hempstead's Magic Roundabout


See also:
  • Watford, London, England, UK, Earth
  • McLintock, Alexander Lachlan
  • Luton, England, UK, Earth
  • Hatfield, Herts, England, UK, Earth

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