Commuters in Edinburgh and the Lothians will know how much of a nightmare the M8 can be during peak travel times.
The long stretch of motorway between Edinburgh and Glasgow is breakdown and accident central with regular delays, closures and even roadworks to battle with on your way to and from work.
However, commuters will also be able to relate to the feeling of driving along without any traffic or incidents to make you late for work in the morning or late for your dinner in the evening.
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Having a long stretch of road to cruise down is a great feeling, and that's exactly what motorists in the 1970s enjoyed more often than not judging by eerie footage filmed at the time which shows the motorway almost completely deserted.
An intriguing video released by West Lothian Heritage shows a motorist driving along the M8 broad daylight – with no signs of any of the traffic chaos it has become famous for.
The driver then heads along a number of Livingston roads – showing just how different things looked back then, with countryside and woodland where there are now buildings.
It is believed that the footage was shot for inclusion in a promotional film at the time.
West Lothian Heritage posted on Facebook: "This short nostalgic snippet comes from a reel of 16mm film that pieces together various scenes of Livingston's roads during the early 1970s.
"It seems very likely that these were rough footage for inclusion in one of the Development Corporation's promotional films. Shot from a moving car you're taken from the M8, along the spine road, to streets winding between the flat-roofed Jesperson blocks of Craigshill; the new town's earliest community."
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They add: "The roads are familiar but the landscape seems strange, with fields and open views in places that are now built-up or wooded.
"From traffic-free M8 you were once able to travel at motorway speed (or above) along the spine road with little fear of speed cameras. On reaching Lizzie Bryce's roundabout you had little option but to turn round and race up the other side of the dual carriageway."
West Lothian Heritage compile and share old photos and memories from the area's past – drawing on collections from the Almond Valley Heritage Trust.
This article was originally published on April 1, 2019.
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