A brief history on The Road A typical stagecoach in those days would take about 12 days from London to Scotland, which was later much reduced by using relays of horses. By 1770 light post-chaise vehicles could do the journey in five days, which was shortened again in 1884 when mail coaches were used. Eventually, with the production of the car road surfaces were made a lot smoother by coating the surface with McAdam-type granite roads, known as tarmac. The introduction of the pneumatic tyre, which had been patented years before, made the greatest impact as far as comfort and speed was concerned. Road travel now encroached on rail travel as it was just as comfortable but gave the user the added advantage of flexibility and going where you want when you want. Into the 20th century, goods as well as passengers were increasingly moved by road and by this time roads were getting wider and planning was made increasingly important, i.e. bypasses were built around towns to ease traffic congestion and also for safety reasons. BY the 1950s the motorway was introduced. Road transport now represents the major mode of transport for overland passengers and goods.

Next | Previous | Main

_______________________________________________________________

mortgage payment protection life assurance mortgage insurance