Roads have become the principal way that we get around our country. At one time it was the Train but after the invention, and increasing cheapness, of the Motorcar it was the road system that began to take over. Most of our roads are based on existing Farm tracks and lanes or even Roman Roads. Once the traffic increased the need for bigger A roads, either one or two lanes and then three lane Motorways, started to rise.
The road system has to take in both the use of the commercial and the domestic traffic. For example a Same Day Courier Gloucester based company will easily use both Motorway, A and B roads to make sure that a parcel is delivered on time.
As the use of cars increases, and it shows no sign of stopping, the development of roads is becoming a major focus. Unfortunately, the use of the car and the building of more and bigger roads is an environmental issue that also has to be addressed. The question becomes how will we find the space to build the roads to get to the places we want to go? This means that we need to have a careful look at the planning and development of existing roads before we start to embark on making more.
How Britain’s motorway network took shape
The idea of a network of high-speed roads was discussed by governments from the 1920s and 1930s, but it met strong opposition. The railways were still the main form of mass transport, and few people owned cars. It was the growth of lorries, vans and road haulage that made the case for better roads.
The Special Roads Act of 1949 made motorway building possible. The first stretch to open was the Preston bypass in 1958, which became part of the M6. The opening of the M1 the following year, linking London towards Birmingham, marked the real start of motorway growth.
As many local and regional railway lines were closed in the 1960s, more traffic moved onto the roads, and that decade saw work on the M4, M6 and M62. Together with the M1, these routes formed the spine of the national network, and most of today’s major motorways lead off them.