The Locomotive Acts (or Red Flag Acts) were a series of Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom regulating the use of mechanically propelled vehicles on British public highways during the latter part of the 19th century.
The first three, the Locomotives 1861, the Locomotives Act 1865 and Highways and Locomotives (Amendment) Act 1878, contained restrictive measures on the manning and speed of operation of road vehicles; they also formalised many important road concepts such as vehicle registration, registration plates, speed limits, maximum vehicle weight over structures such as bridges, and the organisation of highway authorities.
The most strict restrictions and speed limits were imposed by the 1865 act (the "Red Flag Act"), which required all road locomotives, which included automobiles, to travel at a maximum of 4 mph (6.4 km/h) in the country and 2 mph (3.2 km/h) in the city, as well as requiring a man carrying a red flag to walk in front of road vehicles hauling multiple wagons.
The 1896 Act removed some restrictions of the 1865 act and raised the speed to 14 mph (23 km/h).
The Locomotives on Highways Act 1896 provided legislation that allowed the automotive industry in the United Kingdom to develop soon after the development of the first practical automobile (see History of the automobile). The last "locomotive act" was the Locomotives Act 1898.
The Highway Act 1835 and subsequent acts (Public Health Act 1875, Local Government Act 1888 and Local Government Act 1894) attempted to find satisfactory methods of maintaining roads since the UK turnpike trust system had failed following the UK railway boom.[ citation needed ]
New steam powered road locomotives, some up to 9 feet (2.7 m) wide and 14 tons, were alleged to damage the highway while they were being propelled at "high speeds" of up to 10 miles per hour (16 km/h). [1] There is evidence that the steam carriages' brakes and their wide tyres caused less damage to the roads than horse-drawn carriages because of the absence of horses' hooves striking the road and wheels which did not lock and drag. [2]
It has been claimed that the restrictions in the earlier act were advocated by those with interests in the UK railway industry and horse-drawn carriages. [3] [ disputed ]
In addition to any concerns about the state of the roads, by the 1860s, there was concern that the widespread use of traction engines, such as road locomotives and agricultural engines, would endanger the safety of the public. It was feared that engines and their trailers might cause fatal accidents, scare horses, block narrow lanes, and disturb the locals by operating at night. Although all of these fears were justified and were soon realized, there was a gradual acceptance of the machines as they became more common in commerce.[ citation needed ]
Similar 'Red Flag' legislation was enacted in some states in the United States. [4]
The emerging UK automotive industry advocated very effectively for the 1896 Act during the preceding year. Coventry manufacturer Harry J. Lawson, who had purchased the British Daimler engine patents in 1895 and later was to form The Daimler Motor Company, was very influential. [5] [ failed verification ] Economic historian Kenneth Richardson has suggested that the 1896 Act may have been written by Sir David Salomons, the founder of the Self-Propelled Traffic Association, on his assumption that no government department personnel would have had the necessary experience to do so themselves. [6]
Locomotive Act 1861 [7] | |
---|---|
Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act for regulating the use of locomotives on turnpike and other roads, and the tolls to be levied on such locomotives and on the waggons and carriages drawn or propelled by the same. |
Citation | 24 & 25 Vict. c. 70 |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 1 August 1861 |
Status: Amended | |
Text of statute as originally enacted | |
Text of the Locomotive Act 1861 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. |
The Locomotives on Highways Act 1861 recognised that the use of "powered locomotives" on turnpikes and other roads would become commonplace, and that many existing laws (e.g. Turnpike, Highway acts) did not contain any provision for regulation or tolling of such vehicles. [8] The act contained sections on:
The act also set out the values of fines for breach of the regulations.
Locomotives Act 1865 [9] | |
---|---|
Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act for further regulating the use of Locomotives on Turnpike and other roads for Agricultural and other purposes. |
Citation | 28 & 29 Vict. c. 83 |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 5 July 1865 |
Commencement | 1 September 1865 |
Expired | 1 September 1867 |
Other legislation | |
Repealed by | Road Traffic Act 1930 |
Status: Repealed | |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
The Locomotive Act 1865: [10]
... one of such Persons, while any Locomotive is in Motion, shall precede such Locomotive on Foot by not less than Sixty Yards, and shall carry a Red Flag constantly displayed, and shall warn the Riders and Drivers of Horses of the Approach of such Locomotives, and shall signal the Driver thereof when it shall be necessary to stop, and shall assist Horses, and Carriages drawn by Horses, passing the same.
... the Whistle of such Locomotive shall not be sounded for any Purpose whatever; nor shall the Cylinder Taps be opened within Sight of any Person riding, driving, leading, or in charge of a Horse upon the Road ...
... any Person in charge of any such Locomotive shall provide Two efficient Lights to be affixed conspicuously, One at each Side on the Front of the same, between the Hours of One Hour after Sunset and One Hour before Sunrise.
... it shall not be lawful to drive any such Locomotive along any Turnpike Road or public Highway at a greater Speed than Four Miles an Hour, or through any City, Town, or Village at a greater Speed than Two Miles an Hour; and any Person acting contrary thereto shall for every such Offence, on summary Conviction thereof, forfeit any Sum not exceeding Ten Pounds.
Highways and Locomotives (Amendment) Act 1878 [11] | |
---|---|
Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act to amend the Law relating to Highways in England and the Acts relating to Locomotives on Roads; and for other purposes. |
Citation | 41 & 42 Vict. c. 77 |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 16 August 1878 |
Repealed | 5 November 1993 |
Other legislation | |
Repealed by | Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1993 |
Status: Repealed | |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
The Highways and Locomotives (Amendment) Act 1878 contained sections on:
The act also repealed and replaced with amendments part of the 1861 and 1865 Locomotive Acts; these included:
The Locomotives on Highways Act 1896 introduced a 12 mph speed limit (8 to 16 mph at the local authority's discretion). [12] Speed limits were later increased by the Motor Car Act 1903.
Locomotives Act 1898 | |
---|---|
Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act to amend the Law with respect to the use of Locomotives on Highways, and with respect to extraordinary Traffic. |
Citation | 61 & 62 Vict. c. 29 |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 2 August 1898 |
Repealed | 5 November 1993 |
Other legislation | |
Repealed by | Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1993 |
Status: Repealed | |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
The 1898 Act required road users to affix signs displaying the weight of wagons; limited length of hauled road trains to three wagons without permission, and gave powers to road authorities to operate weighing machines for the weighing of road vehicles, as well as allowing fines for the contravention of the regulations, and allowed for compensation relating to delay caused by the weighing process. (Sections 2, 3 and 4 respectively)
The act also contained sections on:
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom implemented to comply with European Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds. In short, the act gives protection to native species, controls the release of non-native species, enhances the protection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and builds upon the rights of way rules in the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The Act is split into 4 parts covering 74 sections; it also includes 17 schedules.
The Light Railways Act 1896 was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
In the United States, speed limits are set by each state or territory. States have also allowed counties and municipalities to enact typically lower limits. Highway speed limits can range from an urban low of 25 mph (40 km/h) to a rural high of 85 mph (137 km/h). Speed limits are typically posted in increments of five miles per hour (8 km/h). Some states have lower limits for trucks, some also have night and/or minimum speed limits.
The Highway Act 1835 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was one of the Highway Acts 1835 to 1885.
The Motor Car Act 1903 was an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament that received royal assent on 14 August 1903, which introduced motor vehicle registration, driver licensing and increased the speed limit.
The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, which provided powers to regulate or restrict traffic on UK roads, in the interest of safety. It superseded some earlier legislation, including the majority of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1967. The Act is split into 10 parts covering 147 sections, it also includes 14 schedules.
Thomas Rickett from Buckingham, England, made a steam-powered car in 1860. Several examples were made and it was also advertised.
The National Maximum Speed Limit (NMSL) was a provision of the federal government of the United States 1974 Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act that effectively prohibited speed limits higher than 55 miles per hour (89 km/h). The limit was increased to 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) in 1987. It was drafted in response to oil price spikes and supply disruptions during the 1973 oil crisis. Even after fuel costs began to decrease over time the law would remain in place until 1995 as proponents claimed it reduced traffic fatalities.
The Road Traffic Act 1930 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom introduced by the Minister of Transport Herbert Morrison.
The A140 is an 'A-class' road in Norfolk and Suffolk, East Anglia, England partly following the route of the Roman Pye Road. It runs from the A14 near Needham Market to the A149 south of Cromer. It is of primary status for the entirety of its route. It is approximately 56 miles (90 km) in length.
A steam bus is a bus powered by a steam engine. Early steam-powered vehicles designed for carrying passengers were more usually known as steam carriages, although this term was sometimes used to describe other early experimental vehicles too.
Red flag laws were laws in the United Kingdom and the United States enacted in the late 19th century, requiring drivers of early automobiles to take certain safety precautions, including waving a red flag in front of the vehicle as a warning.
The Locomotives on Highways Act 1896 removed the strict rules and UK speed limits that were included in the earlier Locomotive Acts which had greatly restricted the adoption of motorised vehicles in the United Kingdom. It came into operation on 14 November 1896.
The Road Traffic Act 1934 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom introduced by the Minister of Transport, Leslie Hore-Belisha. The Act was made in a year in which there had been a record numbers of road casualties.
Road speed limits in the United Kingdom are used to define the maximum legal speed for vehicles using public roads in the UK.
Speed limits in the Philippines are specified in Republic Act No. 4136, or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code of the Philippines, which took effect on its approval on June 20, 1964. The act covers a number of areas other areas than speed limits, and was amended regarding some of those areas by Republic Act No. 10930, which was approved on August 2, 2017.
A slow moving vehicle is a vehicle or caravan of vehicles operated on a street or highway at speeds slower than that of other motorized traffic.
The Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 is a UK Act of Parliament to consolidate the enactments relating to petroleum and petroleum-spirit. It specified and updated the conditions for the granting of licenses for keeping petroleum spirit; the labelling of containers for petroleum spirit; its transport; and regulations for certain uses.
Speed limits in the United States vary depending on jurisdiction. Rural freeway speed limits of 70 to 80 mph are common in the Western United States, while such highways are typically posted at 65 or 70 mph in the Eastern United States. States may also set separate speed limits for trucks and night travel along with minimum speed limits. The highest speed limit in the country is 85 mph (137 km/h), which is posted on a single stretch of tollway in exurban areas outside Austin, Texas. The lowest maximum speed limit in the country is 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) in American Samoa.
Walter Charles Bersey was a British electrical engineer who developed electric-driven vehicles in the late 19th-century. He developed a new form of dry battery that enabled him to build, in 1888, an electric bus that he ran successfully for at least 3,000 miles (4,800 km). In March 1894 he built an electric parcel van that was used in central London and later developed electric private cars. Bersey also developed an electric cab design, 75 of which were built and used by the London Electrical Cab Company to run a service between 1897 and 1899. They were not financially successful owing to noise and vibration leading to excessive damage to tyres and batteries. In his later career Bersey developed designs for internal combustion engine cars and during the First World War served with the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force.
Meanwhile British Motor Syndicate began a public relations campaign to lobby for the repeal of the "Highways and Locomotive Act", still the main obstacle to the introduction of the car in Britain... Furthermore, on November 2, 1895, the syndicate published the first issue of the magazine "The Autocar" – today the world's oldest car magazine ... The show was a great success and in political terms, too, things were now running according to plan. Even before the show opened the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, expressed a desire to view and ride in an automobile. Simms and Ellis were happy to oblige with a ride in a belt-driven Daimler. Prince Edward returned from his test drive full of enthusiasm, and even though he expressed the view that as an animal lover he hoped the car would not render the horse completely redundant, he agreed to become patron of Britain's first motor show.