The history of road transport is built on two separate but interwoven threads: that of wheeled vehicles and their users and that of the roads they run on. The former, of course, set the pace: the development of vehicles has been one of restless innovation while that of roads of grumbling adaptation. The former clamour for more and better roads in the harsh light of progress : the latter for patience and restraint in the gloom of restricted funds.
Although it would be interesting to trace the history of the wheel and the road from its beginnings this site will take up the story at the point where the Romans, mainly for military reasons, developed their extensive road system and the roadbuilding techniques that underpinned it. Afterwards, for well over a thousand years, road building languished and wheeled traffic was almost entirely replaced by pack animals and walkers. Bridges, fortunately, continued to be built and maintained mainly by the religious orders.
About five hundred years ago, growth in intercity trade in the UK began to shake things up: the volume of goods to be transported outran the capacity of pack animals so waggons and coaches began to ply the roads. Or what passed for them. From then on weather was joined with the terrible roads it engendered as subjects of bitter complaint to which government, hoping really that the problem would just go away, responded with inapplicable laws about maintaining roads and as a last resort, more laws to force people to use less damaging vehicles. All were supremely ignored. In any case, it took another two hundred years ago to figure out how to build durable roads. In France things were different, as they tend to be. They defined a rational core road network, although rather too centred on Paris for all tastes, built solid roads, and put in place systematic maintenance structures.
From the road user point of view this site will only be concerned with self-propelled vehicles, which only became possible as a result of innovation in the use of steam. Steam-powered vehicles first came on the scene in the late 1820's in the UK, but failed, through no fault of their own, to fulfil their promise. The railway provided rapidly growing mobility for goods and people for almost the entire 19th century until the internal combustion engine became sufficiently reliable to challenge it. For better and for worse the marriage between the motorcar and the 20th century has endured the entire hundred years. They have, perhaps, lived beyond their means and we can hope for a more sober and mature relationship from now on.
