Editing Route number (section)

====A, B, unnumbered, and unclassified roads====

{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | total_width = 340
 | caption_align = center
 | header = Examples of UK road numbers
 | image_style = border:none;
 | image1 = UK-Motorway-M25.svg   | caption1 = Motorway
 | image2 = UK-Motorway-A1(M).svg | caption2 = Motorway
 | image3 = UK road A6.svg        | caption3 = Primary route
 | image4 = UK road A73.svg       | caption4 = Non-primary A road
 | image5 = UK road B1159.svg     | caption5 = B road
}}

In the United Kingdom, road numbers consist of a number up to 4 digits, prefixed with the letters A or B.<ref name=dftroads>{{Cite web |title=Guidance on road classification and the primary route network |author= |website=[[Department for Transport]]|date=13 March 2012 |url= https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-road-classification-and-the-primary-route-network/guidance-on-road-classification-and-the-primary-route-network}}</ref> The main road from [[London]] to [[Edinburgh]] was designated the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]] in 1921; the "A" indicates a "trunk"  or "principal" road, between regional towns and cities.<ref name=whatroad>{{Cite web |title=How to Tell What Type of Road You're Driving On in the UK |author= |work=Holts |date= 28 November 2019|access-date=20 April 2021 |url= https://www.holtsauto.com/holts/news/how-to-tell-what-type-of-road-youre-driving-on-in-the-uk/}}</ref> In Great Britain, the A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 and A6 radiate out from London, or nearby, (in clockwise order) to points around the coast. Some A-roads, or sections of A-roads, are [[dual carriageway]], without being full motorways; some sections upgraded to motorway standards are designated in the form A1(M). B roads are minor roads; they may connect small towns and villages, or offer an alternate route to major roads. Classified unnumbered roads, unofficially called C roads, are smaller roads typically connecting unclassified roads with A and B roads. Unclassified roads are roads intended for local traffic; 60% of UK roads are unclassified,<ref name=dftroads/> and the 200,000 miles of B, unnumbered, and unclassified roads constitute 87% of total road length in the UK.<ref name=whatroad/>

All classified roads in England and Wales starting in the zone between the A1 and the A2 begin with the figure 1 (e.g. A137, B1412), all classified roads in England and Wales starting in the zone between the A2 and the A3 begin with the figure 2 (e.g. A213, B2767), all classified roads in England and Wales starting in the zone between the A3 and the A4 begin with the figure 3 (e.g. A374, B3143), etc. Scotland is similarly divided into zones by the A7, A8 and A9 which radiate out from Edinburgh. Zones are not used in Northern Ireland.