 The route of the A1 in London originally started at Aldersgate Bars, which marked the boundary of the City of London, and followed the Great North Road mail coach route through Barnet; the route was re-designated in 1954 to follow the East Finchley and Barnet by-passes built in the 1920s and 1930s, so within London the coaching route is now mainly only followed when passing through the borough of Islington. During the early 1970s plans to widen the A1 along the Archway Road section were abandoned after considerable opposition and four public inquiries during which road protesters disrupted proceedings. The scheme was finally dropped in 1990.
