Transcript of letter from H W Crapp, 1914

Letter from Cyclist's Touring Club member Herbert W Crapp, 35 Westmont Road, Eltham, to the CTC's Secretary, dated 15 August 1914:

Dear Sir

I am in receipt of yours of the 14th enclosing Road Surface Map of London. I will do what I can, but fear it will not be much in present circumstances.

If the Club is not already committed to a revision on the old lines, I would suggest a reconsideration. It appears to me that the precise substance of a road surface is now a matter of indifference to the cyclist. What he wants to know is one, is it smooth? two, is it dustless? and three, is there a tramway track? He would also like to know the character of the traffic, but I don't see how this could be shown on a map. Broadly, one may say that asphalt, the various kinds of tarred roads, and recently laid wood, fulfil the first two conditions. Stone cobbles or setts and old wood are likely to be bumpy, but fairly dustless. Untarred macadam is likely to be both dusty and bumpy.

As I pointed out when the present map was prepared, to describe a road as macadam was of very little value to anybody. It is of infinitely less value in these days of tarmac etcetera. For example, as you are probably aware, the road from here to Sidcup is laid with100 yard experimental stretches of different kinds, and for the most part the surface resembles asphalt, yet, under the old scheme, it would have to be describes as macadam. I would, therefore, suggest for consideration a classification somewhat as follows:

  1. 1. Smooth and dustless — red
  2. 2. Bumpy but dustless — yellow
  3. 3. Bumpy and dusty — blue.

Tramways could be marked as at present.

If this be too great a revolution, at least some effort should be made to indicate the modern type of dustless, tarred macadam in its various forms.

Yours faithfully
(Signed) Herbert W Crapp

 

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