Column: We've built the new road '“ now what shall we call it?

It's been a pretty significant week for Doncaster.
What will you call the new road to Robin Hood Airport?What will you call the new road to Robin Hood Airport?
What will you call the new road to Robin Hood Airport?

Things got off to an impressive start on Monday, when a decade of waiting was ended, with the opening of the much anticipated Finningley and Rossington Regeneration Route.

That was swiftly followed by Doncaster Council making a major decision the following day – the decision to sign up for the Sheffield City Region.

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The new road has been mooted ever since the opening of the airport in 2005.

The intervening years saw the long process wind its way through the corridors of power before workmen finally moved on site.

It is great to see that asphalt finally in place, and the cars starting to use it. I think we all know someone who has already been out there for a drive to try it out, and why not? It has been such a long battle to get it.

There was a lot of work from many people to get the funding in place from the Government.

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Now, we will start to find out what the road is really called.

Officially, those few miles of carriageway between junction three of the motorway, and Parrots corner is now Great Yorkshire Way.

But only time will tell if that is what we in Doncaster call it in the years to come!

I think that is the third name we’ve given to it when we have talked about.

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Firstly, a decade ago, the road was just an idea – albeit a pretty important idea.

At that stage, we all called it ‘The Airport Link Road’.

It was the obvious default name, the one which did exactly what it said on the tin.

That did the job perfectly well for a long time.

But that switched after people in power had done some pretty serious thinking about how they were going to get the project moving, and what form it would take.

And by the time the project had started to take shape, it was clear that it was going to link more than just the airport, with new elements added such as a link into Rossington and the planned Inland Port.

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That was the point when we first picked up FARRRS – the acronym formed from the Finningley and Rossington Relief Road Scheme.

Now we finally have the official option, the new Great Yorkshire Way.

Will that be the one that sticks? It certainly has the advantage – not least the enormous sign that tells motorists what they are driving on.

Personally, I rather like FARRRS – is has a sort of enigma to is, the sort of mystery that would drive visitors and youngsters to ask ‘why do you call it FARRRS’. And besides, Life on FARRRS would make a good headline!

But the answer to this one is down to you, the public. It is what you use in your everyday conversation in the years to come.