Development Of The Motorways In The UK - Essay Example

An Overview of the Factors that Shaped the Development of Motorways & An Analysis of How Peoples Lives Have Been affected by the Motorways in the UK Introduction The first motorway in Britain was the Preston By-Pass (now part of the M6) and it was opened by Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1958 (Button, 1993). At the time the first motorway was commissioned in the United Kingdom, many had very negative perceptions about these road systems (Harrison, 1999). Whereas some people saw it as a road system that was alien to England, others saw it as an exposure of Britain to American luxuries and the replication of German military logistic supply routes. After the Preston By-Pass was commissioned, a series of other motorways were constructed to fit into a maze of road networks that link major parts of Britain by road and aid high speed transportation throughout the country. This paper examines the historical backgrounds of motorways in the United Kingdom. It attempts to attain this end by addressing these objectives: 1. Analysis of the historical backgrounds of roads in general 2. Examination of the historical sequence of the development of motorway networks in the UK. 3. Assessment of the positive and negative impacts of motorways on the society. Background of Roads in General Roads are important components of the development of any nation. The Romans and Chinese Empires relied on roads, which became the bases for motorways almost two millenia after they were started (Needham & Gwei-Djen, 1962). Roads were really vital for each empire in history. In comparative studies, Needham & Gwei-Djen identified that the Aztec empire of Mexico collapsed rapidly because they did not have a network of roads. However, the longevity of the Chinese Empire and the development of European nations is strongly linked to the development of a sophisticated network of roads. In analysing the road network of these two empires the following table came to play: Route Area in Square Miles Road Mileage Road Mileage per 1000 square miles Roman Empire: Tranjanic (before 117 CE) 1963000 48500 24.7 Hadrianic (after 117 CE) 1763000 48500 27.5 Chinese Empire: Hon Han (Around 190 CE) 1532000 22000 14.35 Source: Needham & Gwei-Djen (1962) p29. This shows that roads are important in the building of nations as well as massive networks of continents and/or empires. Homer-Dixon identifies that the Roman Empires roads served three main purposes which ensured that the empire remained intact and functional: 1. It ensured the rapid movement of military troops of the empire. 2. It enabled vital information to be carried across the empire like mail, contracts, administrators reports, tax assessments, government orders and military intelligence. 3. It enabled the trading activities of the empire to go on smoothly because it ensured that goods were moved from different points of the Roman empire with ease. This enabled the exchange of goods and ensured the fair development of different parts of the Roman empire over a sustained period of time. Although the Roman roads are quite archaic, it formed the basis for the development of motorways as we have them today. The roads in the Roman Empire started as primitive unpaved roads however, with the increase of traffic on certain roads, there was the need for the infrastructure to be improved to enable the easy movement of persons and goods (Van Tilburg, 2002). This gave way for the development of the paved road-system which is replicated in the construction of motorways (Van Tilburg, 2002). The paved road-system effectively increased the width of roads, supported the integration of engineering constructions like bridges, dams and tunnels into roads and laid the foundation for the development of infrastructure in the Middle Ages (Van Tilburg, 2002). These roads were used by individuals and animal-drawn carts. When cars became popular in the 1900s, there was the need to modify the old road systems to ensure that they could be moved about from place to place without hindrance. This called for the development of the existing road construction systems and the use of sophisticated techniques and tools in the building of roads. Historic Background of Motorways in the United Kingdom Motor cars became more popular in Britain just before the First World War (Marshall, 2011). Elsewhere in Germany, motor cars had been begun by pioneers like Diesel and other engineers. However, it became popular in Britain in the first decade of the 20th Century. This popularity meant that there was the need for some special attention to be given to this category of vehicles. Because they were quite distinct from pedestrians and animal-drawn carts which had a limited speed. However, with the relatively fast pace of the motor car, (and later, the room for further development of cars to move faster) there was the need for these vehicles to be given some special attention in their mobility. Also, as rare pieces of vehicles, they needed to be treated with some special care due to the risk of damage when they were driven on rough roads. This therefore called for the need for the cars to be given special road-systems that could ensure that the vehicles could move fast, comfortably and with lower risks of defects. There was no road maintenance culture in the UK at that time so the Road Board was set up in 1914 to ensure that roads were put in a good shape to ensure that car users could also have greater mobility (Marshall, 2011). Due to the British War effort overseas, the operations of the Road board went through a setback. They thus focused on naming and surveying the roads to ensure that the foundations could be laid for the comfortable movement of this new class of road users – the motor car drivers. After the First World War, the Road Board was abolished and the Ministry of Transport was formed to gain oversight over the roads and other means of transportation like the railways (Marshall, 2011). This gave the whole idea of moving people from one point to the other in the UK an official representation in government. The Ministry of Transport began by numbering the roads and grading them to ensure that cars could get a separate movement aside people and animal-drawn carts. This went on for a while and more sophisticated roads were created for cars, although most of them were untarred and were not so smooth. The Second World War came and little attention was diverted from the road-system since there was a major constraint on resources in the UK. Also any new road system that was set up at that time was likely to be the target for Nazi airstrikes. After the war, there was an urgent need to rebuild the economy and transportation and the mobility of resources throughout the United Kingdom was a priority. In 1949, the Special Roads Act was passed (The Motorway Archive, 2009). The Act sought to create a road network for motor vehicles only, where pedestrians, cyclists and horses would be exempt. This was to give room for high speed movement of cars and other motor vehicles so that transportation could be expedited in the United Kingdom. Between 1949 and the mid-1950s, many sophisticated cars were manufactured. These cars had high speed limits and could travel at a much faster pace than their predecessors. Thus, the whole idea of a car became extremely distinct from other means of transport. It was thus a must for motor vehicles to be given lanes that were distinct and different from other means of transportation. This led to two landmark events in the UKs history. First of all, the Preston By-Pass was started in 1956 as a motorway that was only unique for motor vehicles. It was completed and commissioned by the Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan in December 1958. The second event was the passing of the High Way Act of 1959. The High Way Act sought to regulate the use of the roads and to create a framework for the replication of motorways and how they are to be used. Quarries were opened up throughout Britain and there were rocks that were extracted for the rapid development of motorways throughout the UK.Within a space of three years, numerous motorways were opened in the UK. Their sequence is as follows (The Motorway Archive, 2009): Code Name Date of Completion Distance M6 Preston By-Pass December 1958 8.5 miles M4 Chiswick Flyover September 1959 59 feet in length and 4 feet wide M1 Cruick & Bennygrove November 1959 67 miles/107 kilometres M6 Lancaster By-Pass April 1960 10.4 miles M63 Stretford Eccles By-Pass October 1960 5.9 miles M50 Ross Spur Motorway November 1960 19.8 miles A20(M) Maidenstone By-Pass West December 1960 3.1 miles M4 Maidenstone By-Pass May, 1961 2.8 miles A1(M) Doncaster By-Pass July, 1961 15 miles A20 (M) Maidstone By-Pass East September 1961 3.4 miles After these pioneering projects were completed, the stage was set for the development of thousands of kilometres of motorways throughout the UK in the 1960s. Harrison identified that motorway mileage in the UK increased by 500% in the 1960s (1999). In the 1970s, most of the transport policies in the UK focused on the increase of roads in the UK and this caused the existing road network of the 1960s to increase twofold (Harrison, 1999). This continued through the Thatcher administration into the 1990s. In 1997, due to a number of environmental concerns and the Labour governments promises, the process of developing roads received a setback. The Labour government introduced the Ten Year Transport Plan. In the plan the government focused on the development of the rail system of the UK. This effectively halted the expansion f the road system. The argument of the government was that there was the need to ease congestion and reduce carbon emissions. Positive Impacts on Society The development of the motorways in the UK came with several advantages and positive impacts on the UK society. First of all, there was a significant rise in the reliance of motor vehicles and this means that there was the fast movement of people and goods within the country (Harrison, 1999). This was very positive for the post-war economy because there was an urgent need for individuals to find innovative and faster ways of doing business and the motor ways provided the solution to this need. General transportation systems were also improved with the coming of the motorways. This is because the average UK commuter had more options. Thus, the railways and other means of transport had to also evolve or disappear. They therefore improved their service offerings and this improved the overall system of movement in the UK. Also, the coming of the motorway helped to ease congestion (Bridle et al, 2004). This is because people had other outlets for transportation, thereby reducing the reliance on the rail system. The new motorway system ensured that businesses grew and trade moved swifter. This is because there were new warehouses in the UK that were opened along the motorways. This gave a strong evidence that the idea of bringing in the motorways enhanced the way business was done and promoted newer systems of carrying vital goods meant for production across the UK. The motorways also provide a relatively safer means of transportation. This is because the absence of the motorways meant pedestrians and horses would have to literally share the same road systems. This was a recipe for accidents and fatal injuries. Negative Impacts on Society The development of the road network for motor vehicles also had a downside. First of all, it increased the noise levels of the country. People living near these motorways had to endure noise which could disturb privacy and the need to have some solitude. The motorway system brought about the idea of motorway madness which saw drives, mainly young people overspeeding on these motorways, creating high risks of fatal accidents (Harrison, 1999). Also, the encouragement of driving increased carbon emissions throughout the UK (Dunion, 2003). This gave way for the destruction of the environment and the promotion of global warming. Conclusions The road network in the UK was fashioned along the lines of the roads created by the Romans. These roads were important in maintaining the livelihood of nations. The coming of motorcars caused the need for separate road systems to ensure that the cars could move at their pace which was faster and also avoid harsh roads that could cause them to depreciate quicker. This led to the introduction of motorways. The motorways began in the late 1950s and increased at a rapid rate in the 1960s and 70s. However, the labour government sought to cut down on the road network. The road network has some positive impact on the UK like building the post-war economy and the easing of congestion. On the downside, it has increased noise levels, increased risk of accidents on the roads and led to environmental degradations. References Bridle Ron, Baldwin Peter & Porter John (2004) The Motorway Achievement Thomas Telford Publishing Burton, Kenneth John (1993) Transport Economics London: Edward Elgar Publishing Dunion Kevin (2003) Troublemakers: The Struggle for Environmental Justice in Scotland Edinburgh University Press Harrison, Brian (1999) The New Oxford History of England (1951 – 1991) Oxford University Press. Homer, Dixon Thomas F. (2006) The Upside Down: Catastrophe, Creativity & The Renewal of Civilization Island Press Marshall Chris (2011) UK Motorways Histories & Timelines Available online at: http://www.cbrd.co.uk/histories/timeline/ Accessed: 28th November, 2011. Needham, Joseph & Gwei-Djen Lu (1962) Science & Civilisation in China: Physics & Physical Technology Vol 4 Cambridge University Press The Motorway Archive (2009) The Oldest Motorway Available online at: http://motorwayarchive.ihtservices.co.uk/en/statistics/index.cfm Accessed 28th November, 2011. Van Tilburg Cornelius (2002) Traffic & Congestion in the Roman Empire London: Routledge Read More