Theme 4 c 3 - The impact of car ownership and other travel developments, 1918-79

Question 1

How has horse-drawn carriage ownership developed over time?

Answer 1

1923 - 20,000

1937 - 12,000

Question 2

By 1934 how many cars were on British roads?

Answer 2

2.5 million

Question 3

Give an example of an expensive car in the 1920s

Answer 3

The Rover 10/25 cost £250 in 1929 (£11,000 today)

Question 4

Give two examples of affordable family cars in the 1920s

Answer 4

1. Austin Seven cost £125
2. Morris Minor SV was the first £100 car

Question 5

Give two examples of roads built to combat the problem of an increased car ownership

Answer 5

1. Mersey Tunnel opened 1934
2. Great North Road finished 1939

Question 6

Year - Road Traffic Act

Answer 6

1930

Question 7

What did the road traffic act do?

Answer 7

Removed speed limits from all but the most dangerous stretches of road, the original 20 mile per hour speed limit was almost unenforceable.

Question 8

What good did the Road Traffic Act do?

Answer 8

• compulsory third party insurance
• The Highway Code
• Powers for local authorities to control traffic with traffic lights, roundabouts and one-way streets.

Question 9

Between 1926 and 1930 how many car crashes were there?

How did these figures change in 1934?

Answer 9

124,000 resulting in 4,800 deaths

231,603 crashes resulting in 7,343 deaths

Question 10

How many deaths were there between 1926-30 as a result of a car crash?

Answer 10

4,800 deaths

Question 11

Year - 2nd Road Traffic Act

Answer 11

1934

Question 12

What did the 2nd Road Traffic Act do?

Answer 12

Reduced the speed limit to 30 miles per hour in built-up areas and introduced pedestrian crossings.

Also meant that all drivers had to take a test before they were given a licence to drive.

Question 13

How was car production affected by WW2?

Answer 13

Interrupted as the production lines were used to build fighter aircraft.

also placed restrictions on the amount of petrol motorists could use and rationing of petrol continued until 1950.

Question 14

What happened to James Callaghan’s (PM) car?

Answer 14

Requested 2 new ministrial cars from Rover but they had to be returned with 34 faults including faulty windows.

Question 15

Year - Mini cars opened

Answer 15

1959

Question 16

How many The Mini’s were sold?

Answer 16

1.2 million.

They actually made a loss on every vehicle sold.

Question 17

How many cars were registered in London by the end of the 1960s?

Answer 17

2.2 million

Question 18

By 1972 how many drivers were on British roads?

Answer 18

13 million

Question 19

What proportion of cars were imported in 1975 compared to 1979?

Answer 19

1975 - 1/3 of all cars

1979 - 1/2 of all cars

Compared to under 1% at the end of the 1940s.

Question 20

Name three popular cars in Britain in the 1970s

Answer 20

• Volkswagen Beetles
• Golfs
• Datsun Sunny (Little Japanese car)

Question 21

In the 1950s middle-class families often owned 2 cars. This meant that the men could commute to work. As a result, some new towns were made on the fringes of cities which were more exclusive to middle-class families.

Give an example of one of these towns.

Answer 21

Tewin Wood in Hertfordshire

Question 22

In 1952 what proportion of travelling was going on holidays?

Answer 22

42% at 92 billion kilometres.

Question 23

How did the amount of car travel change between 1952-69?

Answer 23

58 billion to 286 billion kilometres.

Question 24

Year - Preston bypass road opened

Answer 24

1958

Question 25

What was the significance of the Preston Bypass road?

Answer 25

Opened 1958 - it was the first eight-mile stretch of motorway.

Followed by the M1 opening between London and Birmingham a year later.

Question 26

Year - M1 (London to Birmingham) opened

Answer 26

1959

Question 27

Dr Richard Beeching the Head of the British Transport Commission started to prioritise road network.

Give stats of why this was done.

Answer 27

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• Passenger kilometres - 1955 - 994 million 1965 - 866 million
• A rise in operating costs so profits weren’t possible 1962 - £104 million lose

Question 28

Year - The reshaping of the British Railways

Answer 28

1963

Question 29

What was in the reshaping of the British Railways initiative?

Answer 29

• Reduction of rail system - removing 5,000 miles of railway
• Known as the Beeching axe.

Question 30

By 1982 what had passenger kilometres dropped to?

Answer 30

1982 - 31 billion

Question 31

How can it be argued that the railway cuts would have come without the Beeching Axe?

Answer 31

• In the 1950s there were 3,000 miles already cut.
• Between 1948-61 the railway staff fell by 26%.
• Lines like that of Thetford to Swaffham in Norfolk recouped only 10% of operating costs.

Question 32

What was the initiative that made it common to take a car abroad?

Answer 32

1960s - Roll-on roll-off before they had to use cranes and it was very expensive.

Question 33

Year - First international air service

What did this service include?

Answer 33

August 1919

One passenger from Hounslow near London to Le Bourget near Paris for a fare of £21. By Air Transport and Travel.

Question 34

Year - Imperial Airways

Answer 34

1924 - merged the 4 major British companies.

Question 35

Year - It became possible to fly from Britain to Australia.

Answer 35

1932 - had to stop by British colonies as refuelling stations.

Question 36

Explain (Using stats) what happened to the popularity of air travel between 1937-70

Answer 36

1937 - 250,000 passengers

1955 (Direct to USA was possible) - 1 million passengers.

1970 - 14 million

Question 37

Year - Laker Airlines opened

Answer 37

June 1966

Question 38

What was Laker Airlines?

Answer 38

Operational in June 1966

Charter-only flights but booked in advance by holiday companies as part of a joint holiday resort and transport package for their customers.