The Road

by Hilaire Belloc

THE CONTENTS

§ I THE ROAD IN GENERAL
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CHAPTER I	The Origin of Roads
How Did the Road Come into Existence: The Experimentalor the Scientific Method: The Haphazard Road: The Casefor Design in Road Construction		[3]
CHAPTER II	The Crossing of Marsh and Water
Physical Factors Modifying the Formula of the Road: Marshas the Chief Obstacle to Travel: The Political Results ofMarshes: The Crossing of Water Courses: The Origin of theBridge: The Effect of Bridges upon Roads: The Creation ofa Nodal Point: The Function of the Nodal Point in History		[13]
CHAPTER III	Passability
The Choice of Soils: Following the Gravel or the Chalk:Conditions in the South and East: The Obstacle of Gradient:The Early Vogue of Steep Gradients: “The Other Side of theHill”: The Modern Importance of Gradient: Passes or Gapsin Hill Country		[33]
CHAPTER IV	The Obstacle of Vegetation
The Special Expenditure due to Forest: Roads which SkirtWoodlands: Roads which have been Deflected by Forest:Proximity of Material as a Final Main Cause Modifying theTrajectory of a Road: Cost of Transporting Material and itsEffects in Ancient and Modern Times		[47]
CHAPTER V	Political Influences
The Factor of Cost Resulting in the “Strangling of Communication”:Congestion which leads to decay: A Great ModernProblem: The Compulsory Acquisition of Land: Old RoadsServing New Objects		[56]
CHAPTER VI	The Reaction of the Road
The Physical Effects of Roads: The Way in Which the RoadCompels Communication to follow it: The Formation of UrbanCentres and the Urban Habit: The Spread of Ideas by Meansof Roads: History Deflected by the Deflection of the Road: TheExample of Shrewsbury and Chester: Towns which areMaintained by Roads: The Road in Military History: Resultsof the Decay of Roads: The Road as a Boundary		[63]
§ II THE ENGLISH ROAD
CHAPTER VII	The Road in History
Through the Dim Ages: The Characteristics of the EnglishRoad: Absence of Plan: A Local instead of a National SystemLeading to the Present Crisis		[81]
CHAPTER VIII	The “Blindness” of English Roads
The Two Causes Governing the Development of English Roads—Waterwaysand Domestic Peace: The Relation of the EnglishRoad to Military Strategy		[92]
CHAPTER IX	Five Stages
The “Potential” in Political Geography Examples: ThePrimitive Trackways: The Roman Road System: The EarlierMediaeval Period: The Later Mediaeval Period: The TurnpikeEra		[107]
CHAPTER X	The Trackways
The Three Divisions of the British Pre-Roman Road System—theSystem of which Salisbury Plain was the “Hub”: TheSystem Connected with London: Cross-Country Communications—TheThree Factors which Have Determined Travel in Britain		[116]
CHAPTER XI	The Making of the Roman Road
The Great Initiative: The Mark of the Roman MilitaryEngineer: The Theory and Practice of the Straight Line:Modifications of the Straight Line: How it was Carried Out:The Method of Odds and Evens		[133]
CHAPTER XII	The Dark Ages
The Decline of the Roman Road: The Period at its Occurrence:Gaps: Roman Roads which Fell into Disuse: The Relationshipof the Modern to the Roman System: Watling Street: StaneStreet: The Short Cut Between Penkridge and Chester: PeddarsWay: The Coming of the New Civilization in the TwelfthCentury		[147]
CHAPTER XIII	Wheeled Traffic and the Modern Road
The Transition from the Horse to the Vehicle: The DistinctiveMark of the Later Seventeenth Century: The Turnpike System:The Underlying Idea of the Turnpike: Its Decline and theFirst Emergence of the General National System in 1810:Thomas Telford and His Work: The Movement Connectedwith the Name of Macadam: The Coming of the Locomotiveand its Results on Canals and Roads		[179]
CHAPTER XIV	The Future
A New Vehicle Compelling us to Make New Roads: ArterialRoads for the New Traffic: The Five Necessities of these Roads:Ways and Means: A National Fund: Taxation according toFuel Used: The Question of the Land Contiguous to the NewRoads		[194]