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@Oliver Schick
I rode along the A127 for a few miles when some of us rode to Southend (in 2008, I think). It was fine on the way out, as there wasn't that much motor traffic about, but in the evening there were heavy numbers and high speeds, so that I used the path on the footway.
The engineering on that road leaves a lot to be desired. I assume that it would have been widened from a single-carriageway road when first built, and it wasn't widened enough. From what I recall, visibility is very poor in places and the exit and entrance ramps that I saw were designed very badly. Lane widths are highly problematic and lead to very close overtaking. It feels constricted and seems to have a much greater 'channelling' effect (by which I mean that motorists feel well-'guided' at high speeds) than other A-roads one sees. Added to this, the alignment is obviously very good, probably based on a very old road, so that it attracts too much motor traffic just for that reason. I'm sure it used to attract the testers for the same reason.