Highways Act 1773

Highways Act 1773
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long titleAn Act to explain, amend, and reduce into One Act of Parliament, the Statutes now in being for the Amendment and Preservation of the Publick Highways within that Part of Great Britain called England; and for other Purposes.
Citation13 Geo. 3. c. 78
Territorial extent England and Wales
Dates
Royal assent1 July 1773
Commencement21 September 1773 and 11 October 1773[a]
Repealed1 January 1960
Other legislation
Repeals/revokesHighways (No. 2) Act 1766
Repealed byHighways Act 1959
Relates to
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Highways Act 1773 (13 Geo. 3. c. 78), also known as the General Highways Act 1773,[1] was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain that consolidated all acts relating to highways in England and Wales.

Background

The first legislated control in England was introduced under the Highways Act 1555 (2 & 3 Ph. & M. c. 8), which was amended and extended by the Highways Act 1562 (5 Eliz. 1. c. 13).[2]

In 1663, the Road Repair (Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Huntingdonshire) Act 1663 (15 Cha. 2. c. 1) was passed to authorise the charging of rates for a section of the Great North Road in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire, becoming the first turnpike act. From the late 17th-century, Parliament increasingly took responsibility for repairing and maintaining roads from local authorities.[3]

From 1700 to 1750, 143 new turnpike acts were passed, followed by a period of "turnpike mania", during which 375 new trusts were created between 1751 and 1772.[4]

In response to the increased development and congestion of roads in England, the Highways Act 1766 (6 Geo. 3. c. 43), Highways (No. 2) Act 1766 (7 Geo. 3. c. 42), the Highways Act 1768 (8 Geo. 3. c. 5) and the Turnpike Roads Act 1766 (7 Geo. 3. c. 40) were passed to improve their regulation.[1]

Provisions

The act provided that horse riders, farmers, coachmen and lawless highwaymen must remain on the left side of the road.[1][5]

Section 83 of the act repealed the Highways (No. 2) Act 1766 (7 Geo. 3. c. 42), effective on 11 October 1773, except for acts repealed not revived by the Highways Act 1768 (8 Geo. 3. c. 5).[5]

Legacy

The Turnpike Roads Act 1773 (13 Geo. 3. c. 84) was passed at the same time as the act, which consolidated all acts relating to turnpike trusts in England and Wales.

The Select Committee on Temporary Laws described this act as a Consolidation Act.[6]

The act was wholly repealed by the Highways Act 1959 (7 & 8 Eliz. 2. c. 25).

Notes

  1. ^ Section 82.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Why Do the British Drive on the Left? (A History Review)". TheCollector. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Timeline of British Turnpike Trusts". University of Portsmouth, Department of Geography. Retrieved 18 November 2007.
  3. ^ "Turnpikes and tolls". UK Parliament. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  4. ^ Albert, William (1972). The turnpike road system in England, 1663-1840. -. Internet Archive. Cambridge, [Eng.]: University Press. pp. 125–126. ISBN 978-0-521-08221-1.
  5. ^ a b Britain, Great (1773). The Statutes at Large: From the Magna Charta, to the End of the Eleventh Parliament of Great Britain, Anno 1761 [continued to 1807]. Vol. 130. J. Bentham. pp. 183–247.
  6. ^ Commons, Great Britain Parliament House of (1803). Reports from Committees of the House of Commons which Have Been Printed by Order of the House: And are Not Inserted in the Journals [1715-1801. Vol. 14. pp. 34–118.