Locomotive Act
The Locomotive Act was act (actually series of acts) of British parliament to organize road traffic for self-propelled machines in Britan during second half of 19th century. It is also known under name Red Flag Act.
- The Locomotive Act 1861: limited the weight of steam engines to 12 tonnes and imposed a speed limit of 10 mph.
- The Locomotive Act 1865: set a speed limit of 4 mph in the country and 2 mph in towns.
- The Locomotive Act 1865: provided for the then famous "man with a red flag". Walking 60 yards ahead of each vehicle, a man with a red flag or lantern enforced a walking pace, and warned horse riders and horse drawn traffic of the approach of a self propelled machine.
- The Locomotive Amendment Act 1878: the red flag was made optional under local regulations, the distance of the warning was reduced to 20 yards.
Intended to protect interest of railroads, an unintended consequence of these Acts was slowdown of technological progress and dimished opportunities for industry in Britain.