Locomotives on Highways Act 1896
| Act of Parliament | |
| Long title | An Act to amend the Law with respect to the Use of Locomotives on Highways. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 59 & 60 Vict. c. 36 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 14 August 1896 |
| Commencement | 14 November 1896 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Road Traffic Act 1930 |
Status: Repealed | |
The Locomotives on Highways Act 1896 (59 & 60 Vict. c. 36) reclassified motor vehicles weighing less than three tons unladen as light locomotives, thereby freeing them from the restrictions applied by the Locomotive Acts. These had been introduced from 1861 onwards to regulate the heavy steam-powered traction engines which had been the only motorised vehicles on the roads.
The development of light motor vehicles, particularly in France and Germany in the 1880s and early 1890s led to pressure in the UK to lift restrictions which hindered the development of a UK motor industry. Apart from those with financial interests, Sir David Salomons, Mayor of Tunbridge Wells, played a key role advising Government officials how the law should be changed.
A Bill was about to be introduced in the House of Commons when Gladstone's Administration fell in 1895 and the Bill was then introduced and passed by the Conservative Administration of Lord Salisbury. It came into operation on 14 November 1896.