{{Short description|Act of the Parliament of Great Britain}} {{Use British English|date=November 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}} {{Infobox UK legislation | short_title = Highways Act 1773 | type = Act | parliament = Parliament of Great Britain | long_title = An Act to explain, amend, and reduce into One Act of Parliament, the Statutes now in being for the Amendment and Preservation of the Publick Highways within that Part of Great Britain called England; and for other Purposes. | year = 1773 | citation = [[13 Geo. 3]]. c. 78 | territorial_extent = [[England and Wales]]{{efn|Preamble.}} | royal_assent = 1 July 1773 | commencement = 21 September 1773 and 11 October 1773{{efn|Section 82.}} | repeal_date = 1 January 1960 | replaces = [[Highways (No. 2) Act 1766]] | amendments = {{ubli|[[Highways Act 1794]]|[[Highways (England) Act 1814]]|[[Highway Act 1835]]}} | repealing_legislation = [[Highways Act 1959]] | related_legislation = {{ubli|[[Highways Act 1766]]|[[Turnpike Roads Act 1766]]|[[Highways (No. 2) Act 1766]]|[[Highways Act 1768]]|[[Turnpike Roads Act 1773]]}} | status = Repealed | original_text = https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qb8uAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA183 | use_new_UK-LEG = false }}
The '''Highways Act 1773''' ([[13 Geo. 3]]. c. 78), also known as the '''General Highways Act 1773''',<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2023-08-13 |title=Why Do the British Drive on the Left? (A History Review) |url=https://www.thecollector.com/why-do-the-british-drive-on-the-left-a-history-review/ |access-date=2024-11-24 |website=TheCollector |language=en}}</ref> was an [[Act of Parliament (United Kingdom)|act]] of the [[Parliament of Great Britain]] that consolidated all acts relating to [[highways in England and Wales]].
== Background == The first legislated control in [[England]] was introduced under the [[Highways Act 1555]] ([[2 & 3 Ph. & M.]] c. 8), which was amended and extended by the [[Highways Act 1562]] ([[5 Eliz. 1]]. c. 13).<ref name="turnpiketime">{{cite web |title=Timeline of British Turnpike Trusts |url=http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/hantsmap/hantsmap/turnpike.htm |access-date=18 November 2007 |publisher=University of Portsmouth, Department of Geography |archive-date=20 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820132735/http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/hantsmap/hantsmap/turnpike.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 1663, the [[Road Repair (Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Huntingdonshire) Act 1663]] ([[15 Cha. 2]]. c. 1) was passed to authorise the charging of rates for a section of the [[Great North Road (United Kingdom)|Great North Road]] in [[Hertfordshire]], [[Bedfordshire]] and [[Huntingdonshire]], becoming the first [[turnpike act]]. From the late [[17th-century]], Parliament increasingly took responsibility for repairing and maintaining roads from local authorities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Turnpikes and tolls |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/transportcomms/roadsrail/overview/turnpikestolls/ |access-date=24 November 2024 |website=UK Parliament}}</ref>
From 1700 to 1750, 143 new turnpike acts were passed, followed by a period of "turnpike mania", during which 375 new trusts were created between 1751 and 1772.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Albert |first=William |url=https://archive.org/details/turnpikeroadsyst0000albe |title=The turnpike road system in England, 1663-1840. - |date=1972 |publisher=Cambridge, [Eng.]: University Press |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-521-08221-1 |pages=125–126}}</ref>
In response to the increased development and congestion of roads in England, the [[Highways Act 1766]] ([[6 Geo. 3]]. c. 43), [[Highways (No. 2) Act 1766]] ([[7 Geo. 3]]. c. 42), the [[Highways Act 1768]] ([[8 Geo. 3]]. c. 5) and the [[Turnpike Roads Act 1766]] ([[7 Geo. 3]]. c. 40) were passed to improve their regulation.<ref name=":1" />
== Provisions == The act provided that horse riders, farmers, coachmen and lawless highwaymen must remain on the left side of the road.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Britain |first=Great |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qb8uAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA183 |title=The Statutes at Large: From the Magna Charta, to the End of the Eleventh Parliament of Great Britain, Anno 1761 [continued to 1807] |date=1773 |publisher=J. Bentham |volume=130 |pages=183–247 |language=en}}</ref>
Section 83 of the act repealed the [[Highways (No. 2) Act 1766]] ([[7 Geo. 3]]. c. 42), effective on 11 October 1773, except for acts repealed not revived by the [[Highways Act 1768]] ([[8 Geo. 3]]. c. 5).<ref name=":2" />
== Subsequent developments == The [[Turnpike Roads Act 1773]] ([[13 Geo. 3]]. c. 84) was passed at the same time as the act, which consolidated all acts relating to [[Turnpike trust|turnpike trusts]] in [[England and Wales]].
The [[Select Committee on Temporary Laws]] described this act as a [[Consolidation Act]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Commons |first=Great Britain Parliament House of |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xpFIAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA34 |title=Reports from Committees of the House of Commons which Have Been Printed by Order of the House: And are Not Inserted in the Journals [1715-1801 |date=1803 |volume=14 |pages=34–118 |language=en}}</ref>
The whole act was repealed by section 312(2) of, and the twenty-fifth schedule to, the [[Highways Act 1959]] ([[7 & 8 Eliz. 2]]. c. 25), which came into force on 1 January 1960.<ref>{{Cite legislation UK|act=Highways Act 1959|type=act|year=Eliz2/7-8|chapter=25}}</ref>
== Notes == {{Notelist}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{GB legislation}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Great Britain Acts of Parliament 1773]] [[Category:Repealed Great Britain Acts of Parliament]] [[Category:United Kingdom planning law]] [[Category:Roads in England]] [[Category:1773 in transport]] [[Category:Transport legislation in Great Britain]] [[Category:History of transport in England]] [[Category:Consolidation Acts of the Parliament of Great Britain]]