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The Turnpike Trusts, originally set up in 1706 and extended in 1735, led to serious outbreaks of rioting in 1735 and again in 1750, in which toll-gates and houses were destroyed - largely because the population objected to paying tolls for travel on roads which had previously been free. Nevertheless, the Turnpike Trusts were a success, and the money raised was used in part to finance the building of new and better roads. The designs of coaches and wagons were also improved by the new steel spring, and although accidents on corners were frequent, speeds increased. Between 1750 and 1800, the average time for a journey from London to Edinburgh was reduced from twelve to four days.Due to the high cost of horse-drawn road transport, the numerous slow-flowing rivers of England had been the main transport for heavy goods. To increase the capacity of the water system, new canals were designed and built, such as the Bridgewater Canal (1759-61); the Grand Trunk Canal (1766-77); and the Grand Junction Canal between London and Birmingham (1805).
Throughout the nineteenth century, the British canal network was expanded until the building of the Manchester Ship Canal (1894).
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