In 1904, under the authority of the Motor Car Act (1903), the British Local Government Board was charged with the design and implementat6i0on of state-legislated road signs, warning motorists of hazards such as corners and road junctions. The significance of this was that, for the first time, it shifted responsibility for such signage from private interest groups to the state itself. The implications of this were far-reaching in terms of the politics of road use and particularly to cyclists.