The Czechoslovak Road Fund — a major lever for the modernisation of transport infrastructure in Czechoslovakia during the interwar period ; Le Fonds routier tchécoslovaque – un levier majeur de la modernisation d'infrastructures de transport en Tchécoslovaquie de l'entre-deux-guerres

Abstract

The creation in 1927 of the State Road Fund (Státní silniční fond) was a response to the chronic lack of financial resources for road construction in Czechoslovakia (ČSR) in the inter-war period. This was the result of a successful struggle since the creation of the ČSR by road users, supported by public works professionals and, in a rare "cordial understanding", by many officials responsible for road planning and management. One could even go further in the analysis and say that the creation of the Road Fund marks an important turning point in Czechoslovak road policy and, beyond that, in transport policy. Indeed, there was clearly a "before" and a "after". Its importance for the financing of road construction in Czechoslovakia and, more broadly, for understanding the place occupied by road transport in the state transport policy, was such that a thorough analysis of its tenants and outcomes was simply essential for understanding the evolution of Czechoslovak transport policy during the interwar period. In this respect, the ČSR, like all the industrialised countries, was confronted with the extremely rapid emergence of road transport supported by the forces of the liberal economy and technological progress, resulting in a fundamental challenge to the traditional transport policies of the various States. While the motor vehicle was already becoming a symbol of individual freedom, the road remained in the understanding of everyone. On this basis, the public authorities were obliged to invent a new procedure for financing and managing road infrastructure tailored to meet the unprecedented needs in this area. ; International audience ; The creation in 1927 of the State Road Fund (Státní silniční fond) was a response to the chronic lack of financial resources for road construction in Czechoslovakia (ČSR) in the inter-war period. This was the result of a successful struggle since the creation of the ČSR by road users, supported by public works professionals and, in a rare "cordial understanding", by many officials ...