The point is made too by Jo Moran in his great little book, On Roads, where he wrote, ‘between the first London - Brighton car race in 1896 and the semi-nationalisation of the Trunk Road Act of 1936… the total British road network grew by only 4 per cent’.
From the first in 1663, and with a great expansion in the 1750s-70s, there were thousands of trusts and companies established by Acts of Parliament with rights to collect tolls in return for providing and maintaining roads; turnpike trusts. A General Turnpike Act 1773 was passed to speed up the process of setting up such arrangements. Just how trustworthy and effective was the provision and maintenance can be imagined.
Railways had a serious impact on long distance road traffic from the 1830s, and many turnpike trusts were discontinued. The Local Government Act 1888, establishing county councils, gave these new authorities, answerable to an electorate, the responsibility for most of the existing turnpikes. Most turnpike trusts were wound up; roads were more reliable provided and maintained.
The following chronological notes are culled from various sources; do not take them as a definitive list of events.
1555
Highways Act 1555
First highways act, beginning of state control of roads. Responsibility for maintenance placed on parishes.
Fails: national traffic overwhelms the resources of local parishes.
Remained in force for 250 years.
1563
Amendment to Highways Act 1555 increases the labour for roads.
1642
The magistrates court at Cirencester heard a case in which:-
Each end of the High Street ... was secured against a horse, with a strong straight boom which our men call Turn pike. A barrier with short metal spikes along the upper surface, placed across a road to stop passage till the toll has been paid.
1663
Highways Act 1663
Justices of the Peace for Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Cambridgeshire enabled to levy tolls for their part of the Great North Road.
First turnpike erected at Wadesmill, north of Ware, Hertfordshire, and others along this road.
The first turnpike act. Up to 1706 turnpike trusts involved local justices.
1696
Sherfield to Harwich road turnpiked.
Wymondham to Attleborough road turnpiked.
1697
An act aloowed magistrates to erect signposts at crossroads.
1698
Comment by Celia Fiennes:-
... the road on the Causey was in many places full of holes, tho' it is served by a barr at which passengers pay a penny a horse in order to the mending of the way.
1700
By 1700 there were 7 turnpike trusts.
1700-50
About 10 turnpike trusts set up each year.
1706
The trustees for turnpiking the Fornhill to Stony Stratford road were independent people, not local justices. This pattern was copied for the next 130 years.
Trustess were empowered to borrow capital for road mending against the expected income from tolls.
Turnpike trusts took responsibilty for road repair. They improved alignments, eased gradients, etc. They were only partly effective.
1744
The trustees for turnpiking the Fornhill to Stony Stratford road were independent people, not local justices. This pattern was copied for the next 130 years.
Trustess were empowered to borrow capital for road mending against the expected income from tolls.
Turnpike trusts took responsibilty for road repair. They improved alignments, eased gradients, etc. They were only partly effective.
1744
An act made milestones compulsory on most turnpike roads.
1750-99
Three late 18th century engineers developed improvements in road building:-
John Metcalfe
John Loudon MacAdam (1756-1836)
Thomas Telford (1757-1834)
They all realised that good drainage was essential factor for good roads.
1750-90
About 40 turnpike trusts set up each year.
1766
General Turnpike Act 1766.
Milestones became compulsory on all turnpike roads.
1773
General Turnpike Act 1773.
Smoothed the way for setting up turnpike trusts.
Required turnpike trusts to erect distance signs to nearest towns along the turnpikes.
1790s
About 50 turnpike trusts set up each year.
1821
By 1821 there were 18000 miles of turnpike roads in England.
1822
General Turnpike Act 1822.
Marker posts required where a turnpike crossed a parish boundary.
Many turnpikes also had terminus markers.
1830s
From the 1830s onwards the development of railways caused a reduction in road usage for long distance goods and passenger traffic.
1835
Highways Act 1835
Set up districts, composed of a groups of parishes, to look after roads. Not successful.
1835-36
The last turnpike trusts set up.
1860s
From the 1860s disturnpiking was actively pursued.
1878
Highways and Locomotives Amendment Act 1878
Set up Highway Authorities.
1881
By 1881 only 184 turnpike trusts remained.
1885
The last turnpike trust ended 1885.
1889
Newly formed county councils took over responsibility for main roads.
1894
Rural district councils accepted responsibility for local roads.
1895
The last tollgate, on the London to Holyhead road, on Anglesey, ceased in 1895.
1909
Central government began to give grants to local authorities for road maintenance.
1920
Ministry of Transport set up.
1930
County councils accepted responsibility for all roads.
1936
Trunk roads became a financial responsibility of the Ministry of Transport.
1960s
The motorway system was begun.
First new road system since roman times?
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