I've been lucky enough to find a bound volume of the CTC Gazette for 1904. There's a lot to enjoy over the Christmas period, but, skimming it this morning, I find that it depicts a world that is rapidly changing, compared with the CTC Gazettes of 1901, which I already have.
Firstly, there is some concern that the CTC discounts at hotels, part of the Winged Wheel arrangements, were becoming harder to obtain. So, if you find a cast-iron Winged Wheel on a pub or hotel, it is a fair guess that it is earlier than 1904. The system was clearly in decline by then.
Secondly, the debate about CTC 'Danger' and 'Caution' signs continued. It was nearing its conclusion, as, by the middle of the year, specifications for the first road-signs, to be erected by local authorities, were published. A number of members took the view that there was no need for the CTC signs any longer, as a safety bicycle with front and rear brakes could get down anything, and there was diminishing support for the erection of signs by the Club.
Here are the new road signs - they were erected under the Motor Car Act of 1903, which took effect in January 1904. Some are still around, often combined with sign-posts.
There were still adventurous tours - Iceland, for example, and the Galibier, from the North, some eight years before the Tour de France first crossed it; and there were hints and tips on cycle-camping.
But the big news was the internal combustion engine. There were many articles on motorised cycles, which one contributor felt were much superior on the long, straight roads of France.
And there was a report from the Paris Automobile Show of the year, apparently attended by great crowds. The well-heeled cyclist was obviously interested in a motorised cycle, tricycle or perhaps a car.
A golden era of cycling was drawing to a close.
Mark
2 comments:
Fascinating!
(I bet you can't resist popping into second-hand bookshops on your cycle jaunts in case you unearth similar volumes!).
Mark, a most interesting find, as you say, a time of great change.
In 1905 the CTC secretary (Chief Exec in modern terms) proposed a merger of CTC with the AA to form a "touring club".
In opposition to this a member of South London CTC (forerunner of our SW London DA) called Rose Lamartine Yates stood successfully for election to National Council, becoming the first female member of Council, and the proposal was defeated.
The golden age of traffic-free cycling may have been closing, but the age of cycle campaigning was just beginning.
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