From Trackways to Motorways

On the 5th of December the Forum met for its last meeting of 2018 in the St James Church Centre.

The guest speaker was Tony Morris whose talk was titled From Trackways to Motorways (via a few potholes).

Tony traced the history of the highways and byways of England from prehistoric times to the present day.  After the early animal tracks and ridgeways the Roman invaders then established a network of 600 miles of quality roads which were seriously neglected in medieval times.

In 1663 Turnpike Trusts were established which resulted in new roads being built, although the resulting tolls were unpopular and the roads were not well maintained.  In the early 1900s a new system of roads was started to accommodate the motor car.

Between 1945 and 1958 the number of motor vehicles increased from 2.5 million to 8 million resulting in the modern motorway system being established which now extends to 2,000 miles.

Tony then turned to the controversial subject of potholes and how they should be repaired.  Finally, he dealt with another controversy – speed limits and their enforcement.

Duncan Verity proposed a vote of thanks for an interesting talk.

The Forum’s Christmas lunch is arranged for the 12th of December at the Bridge Inn Walshford when entertainment will be provided by the Daytones vocal group.

Meetings will be resumed on the 9th of January.