Transport Writer Consultant David Lowe

The Roads & Road Transport History Association, founded in 1992, promotes, encourages and co-ordinates the study of the history of roads, road passenger transport and the carriage of goods. In 2005, the Association became a Company Limited by Guarantee.

Interests and activities cover the whole range of transport history from the earliest times to the current age ... packhorses, carters, street furniture, economics, social trends, the effects of gender upon transport, personalities in road transport, avenues of research, regulation by governments or local authorities, manufacturers and bodybuilders, cycling, sources of transport history, the preservation of artefacts, photographic material, the exploration of archives, the need to promote transport and logistics as a career, a general, boundless interest in transport, and even quite simple nostalgia.

This breadth of interests contributes to valuable cross-fertilisation. We aim to encourage those interested in a particular aspect of transport, to understand their chosen subject in the context of developments in other areas and at other periods.

The Association publishes a Newsletter four times a year which is sent to all Corporate and Individual members. Two Business Meetings a year are held at Coventry. These are followed by talks by individual members, or by corporate member representatives. An annual Conference is held, bringing together a range of speakers on a selected historical theme. This 2006 Conference is to be held on Saturday 28 October at the Quality Inn, Reading - further details and booking form will be available soon.

In May 2006, the Association published '75 Years of Traffic Commissioners - a lawyer's personal view' by Geoffrey Jones [edited by David Lowe], which fills a major gap in the history of regulation of the road transport industry. Copies can be purchased from the Association's Secretary price £9.50 (see below).