Mapping the Roads

Book excerpt: The story of Britain's road development graphically and beautifully illustrated on our maps is also the story of its political, economic, and social history. And the car, more than any other single factor, has shaped our landscape and changed our maps. Busy, bustling, often creaking at the seams, most of us have a love-hate relationship with our roads. Like it or not, our modern lifestyles depend on them not only for getting from A to B, but for the distribution of almost everything we buy. Yet once upon a time, the building of roads was seen as a glorious and heroic enterprise. Britain's motorways "the cathedrals of the modern world" are the ultimate expression of our modern age. From the old ways to the motorways, "Mapping the Roads" charts the ambitions and hopes of the nation through our maps."