476 History of Inland Transport 



facturer who even tested their capacity on a public road in 

 England was liable to prosecution. 



British inventors, thus effectively prevented by hostile 

 legislation from improving self-propelled road-vehicles, turned 

 their attention, instead, to tricycles and bicycles, while conti- 

 nental inventors, not being hampered by legislative restric- 

 tions in their own country, first converted the tricycle into a 

 motor-vehicle, then applied the motor principle to four- 

 wheeled waggonettes, and finally evolved some useful types 

 of motor- vehicles which, by 1895, were being widely adopted 

 on the Continent and more especially in Paris. 



A few bold pioneers who introduced them here were re- 

 peatedly prosecuted and fined. The general position had, 

 in fact, become even worse since 1865, because not only was 

 a motor-car still regarded in the eye of the law as the equivalent 

 of a traction engine or " locomotive," but, under the High- 

 ways and Locomotives (Amendment) Act, 1878, every county 

 council was authorised to exact up to 10 for a licence which 

 would allow of the use of such traction engine or " locomotive " 

 only within the boundary of the authority in question, a fresh 

 licence being thus required for each county council district 

 through which a vehicle might pass. The only exceptions 

 were locomotives used solely for agricultural purposes. Not- 

 withstanding all these restrictions, there were exclusive of 

 vehicles of the agricultural type about 8000 traction engines 

 in use on our roads in 1895. 



Much vigorous and practical protest led to the passing of 

 the Locomotives on Highways Act of 1896, which became the 

 Magna Charta of automobilism in this country. Making at 

 last a distinction between motor-cars and traction engines, it 

 relieved from the said restrictions any vehicle, propelled by 

 mechanical power, the weight of which (unloaded) did not 

 exceed three tons, or, together with that of a trailer (also un- 

 loaded), four tons. It further sanctioned the driving of such 

 vehicle at a speed of up to fourteen miles an hour, but gave 

 authority to the Local Government Board to reduce the 

 speed if it thought fit an authorisation of which the Board 

 availed itself by fixing the speed limit at twelve miles an hour. 



A great impetus was given to the use of light vehicles, and 

 November 14, 1896, when, under the Act, the motor-car 

 became a legal vehicle in this country, is known in automobile 



