SINCE the Festival Place shopping centre opened, it has evidently attracted more people than was anticipated, and this has led to an increase in traffic in the town.

Basingstoke has seen many problems over the years with motorists, and it hasn’t always been with car drivers – delivery vehicles have also been the cause of chaos, due to the narrow roads which date back to the days of the horse and cart.

Ever since the combustion engine was invented in 1876, the motorist in this country has been tormented by restrictions and various laws.

In its infancy, the motor car had to travel at no more than four miles per hour with a man walking in front with a red flag.

When this law was abolished in 1896, the speed limit was restricted to 20mph until 1930.

This was partly due to the state of the roads which, in winter, were too muddy to travel along, or, in summer, were too dusty for the drivers to see where they were going.

Many of the roads had so many ruts in them that it did not pay to travel too fast for fear of damaging the car.

Another problem was the way that the cars were abused by schoolchildren, who used to run along the side of the vehicles and shout at the driver, or even throw stones at him.

In 1906, the secretary of the Motor Union complained to Hampshire County Council and asked if teachers could explain to the children about the dangers of this practice.

For Fred Watson of lower Wote Street, the arrival of the motor car was a godsend.

Realising the potential of these petrol-driven carriages, he began to sell them from his cycle shop to those who could afford them.

Another motor agent, Walter Webber, opened his business in London Street, and soon both men were enlarging their scope and buildings to cope with the increase in trade – and repairs.

Until the local roads were resurfaced with better material, the cars had to be repaired on a regular basis.

The local council carried out a programme of widening and improving the town’s roads, including Worting Road and Winchester Road in 1920, which helped matters considerably.

Finally, in 1931, the Basingstoke Bypass allowed traffic to avoid the town centre, leaving only local vehicles to enter the town.

The 1930s saw a rise in people wanting to go on holiday to the coast from London, and before the bypass was built, all traffic had to go through the town. Later, one-way streets were introduced.

The Town Development Scheme of the early 1960s altered the town’s roads, with a ring road system, while parking was eased by the construction of the multi-storey car park.

Even so, the motorists were still allowed to park in the streets, with the result that traffic wardens were introduced into the town in 1966 to keep control over the parking restrictions.

With more cars due to be on the roads in future years, the congestion will be enormous.

What the answer will be to ease this problem is anyone’s guess. Maybe we will have to go back to riding that trusty steed – the horse!