The Roads Improvement Association, established in 1882, was a British organisation which campaigned for better roads in the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century. Founded by cycling organisations ten years before the first motor cars arrived on the roads, it became predominantly a motoring body before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

History

Cycling origins

The Roads Improvement Association (RIA) was jointly established in October 1886Reid, p.131. by the

Cyclists' Touring Club Cycling UK is a trading name of the Cyclists' Touring Club (CTC), which is a charitable membership organisation supporting cyclists and promoting bicycle use. Cycling UK is registered at Companies House as "Cyclists’ Touring Club", and is c ...

and the

National Cyclists' Union The National Cyclists' Union (NCU) was an association established in the Guildhall Tavern, London, on 16 February 1878 as the Bicycle Union. Its purpose was to defend cyclists and to organise and regulate bicycle racing in Great Britain. It merge ...

, both of which had been founded in 1878. The NCU was originally the Bicycle Union, instigated by

Gerard Francis Cobb Gerard Francis Cobb (Nettlestead, Kent, 15 October 1838 – 31 March 1904) was Junior Bursar of Trinity College, Cambridge. He was active as an Anglican layman, organist and amateur composer. Life He was the fourth son of William Francis Cobb, rec ...

, a

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

music tutor and president of the university's bicycle club, and also later a member of the CTC's national council.Reid, pp.128-129. In July 1878, Cobb led the Bicycle Union's lobbying of the

Local Government Board The Local Government Board (LGB) was a British Government supervisory body overseeing local administration in England and Wales from 1871 to 1919. The LGB was created by the Local Government Board Act 1871 ( 34 & 35 Vict. c. 70) and took over the ...

, one of the official bodies managing British highways, and also actively campaigned for highway improvements in Cambridge. The Bicycle Union was renamed the National Cyclists' Union in 1883, and continued to campaign for highway improvements, successfully pursuing an 1885 legal action, with support from highway engineer

Thomas Codrington Thomas Codrington (1829 in Wroughton, Wiltshire – 1918) was a British engineer and antiquarian of the late Victorian era. With a career background as an Inspector for local government, he published several known works. First was ''Report on t ...

, regarding the road between

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

and

Halesowen Halesowen ( ) is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically an exclave of Shropshire and, from 1844, in Worcestershire, ...

.Reid, pp.129-130. In October 1886, the CTC and NCU pooled resources and formed the Roads Improvement Association.Reid, p.131. As transport expert

Christian Wolmar Christian Tage Forter Wolmar (born 3 August 1949) is a British journalist, author, railway historian and Labour Party campaigner.macadamised roads as they wanted a smooth surface for their country rides. Their organisation, the Roads Improvement Association, even sued, at the end of the 19th century, local authority highway engineers for failing to provide them''.'' The RIA initially focused on production of technical literature distributed to highways boards and surveyors to promote improved highway construction and maintenance methods. By 1890, the RIA had reported on 33 roads, some of which had been improved, but by 1893 the Association was described as "moribund" with no further legal successes and no nationwide movement for better roads. According to T. R. Nicolson: "It took on new life only after the coming of the motor car". This change began at the start of the 20th century. In 1900,

William Rees Jeffreys William Rees Jeffreys (1 December 1871 – 18 August 1954) was a British cyclist and early campaigner for road improvements who became a key figure in the early 20th-century development of the UK highway system. As honorary secretary and late ...

was elected to the council of the Cyclists' Touring Club.Reid, p.32. In 1901, he became the CTC's RIA representative, and later the same year became its honorary secretary.Reid, p.132. Jeffreys believed the RIA should focus more on political lobbying and push for a national highway authority and state funding of highways.Reid, p.132. In 1903, he was the first witness to give evidence to a British government inquiry into highway administration, and provided extensive RIA technical information on road surfaces sourced from cyclists, saying "The bicycle is perhaps the best road inspector there is."Reid, p.33. He told the ''CTC Gazette'': "To no class in the community are good roads so important as to cyclists."

Highways advocacy

As many cyclists also became motorists, the balance of the debate shifted. The RIA's 1901 AGM was held at the offices of the CTC, which also owned the RIA's furniture, and RIA council meetings comprised five representatives from each of the CTC and NCU and two or three from the Automobile Club of Great Britain.Reid, p.33. In 1903 Jeffreys became administrative secretary of the Automobile Club and secretary of the Motor Union of Great Britain and Ireland, which shared offices in London's Albemarle Street with the RIA.. Text reproduced in ''Grace's Guide''. Jeffreys "became an arch motorist and the RIA morphed into a motoring organisation". The RIA's published guidance on road improvements included ''A bibliography of road making and maintenance in Great Britain'', a pamphlet costing 6d, compiled by Sidney and

Beatrice Webb Martha Beatrice Webb, Baroness Passfield, (née Potter; 22 January 1858 – 30 April 1943) was an English sociology, sociologist, economist, feminism, feminist and reformism (historical), social reformer. She was among the founders of the Lo ...

. This described the aims of the RIA: :The Roads Improvement Association is an organisation established to secure for the public better, wider, and more numerous roads and footways. With this object in view it has initiated a movement to secure those legislative and administrative alterations which economic changes, especially the development of new and improved methods of road locomotion, have rendered necessary. In 1909 when the British government's Road Board (a forerunner of today's

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...

) was established, Jeffreys resigned as honorary secretary of the RIA to become the Board's first secretary,Reid, p.134. though he continued to recognise the pioneering role of cyclists. (In his 1949 book, ''The King's Highway'', he noted: "Cyclists were the class first to take a national interest in the conditions of the roads.").Reid, p.135. The Road Board was established to administer Vehicle Excise Duty – money raised by taxation to pay for new road construction and for repair of damage done to existing roads by the growing number of motorists.Reid, p.30. Jeffreys later became chairman of the RIA, which continued to campaign for "new roads, safe roads, beautiful roads", inspiring the 1928 establishment of the Roads Beautifying Association (RBA), a group of horticultural experts who would provide free advice to councils on the planting alongside trunk roads, by-passes and road-widening schemes. The CTC remained part of the RIA until 1933 even though it was recognised that it was mainly interested in provision for motorists.Reid, p.135. In 1946, the RIA gave evidence reported in the Ministry of War Transport's report ''Design and Layout of Roads in Built-up Areas''.

Other roads improvement associations

In the US, the

League of American Wheelmen League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

formed a National Committee for Road Improvement in 1888, which became the nucleus of the US 'Good Roads' movement.Reid, p.150. In 1891, the League created the Roads Improvement Bureau, which published pamphlets and articles in magazines and newspapers.Reid, p.153. As in the UK, US cycling organisations formed a coalition with other bodies to promote the benefits of better roads, and an American Association for Highway Improvement was founded at a Good Roads convention in

St Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

in 1901.Reid, p.159. Modelled on the British organisation, the Irish Roads Improvement Association was established in April 1897 by, among others, Richard J. Mecredy.Reid, p.210.

References

Works cited

*{{cite book , last1=Reid , first1=Carlton , title=Roads Were Not Built For Cars , date=2014 , publisher=Red Kite Prayer/Front Page Creations , location=Newcastle , isbn=9780993005701

External links

How two cycling organisations (and a Minister for War) created better roads for all
1886 establishments in England Transport advocacy groups of the United Kingdom Cycling organisations in the United Kingdom Motoring advocacy groups