The Road Gang (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780648512967)

Once, there wafted the stink of the horse and its exhaust to avoid stepping on when crossing the street. Then came the noisy motor vehicle and its pervasive carbon monoxide and tyre particulates to poison the lung and pollute the environment.

This third and final volume of New Zealand's transport history describes how some of the first coach and bicycle builders and importers hesitantly transitioned to the new motor vehicle first viewed as a novelty that wouldn't last.

But the motor vehicle did last -- encouraged by a Road Gang of assemblers, importers and dealers, parts and tyre manufacturers, oil explorers, and road builders who sought to make their fortunes as they eagerly met the needs of a motoring public conditioned by market forces and transport necessity to buy their goods and services.

These are their stories, as well as those of the supreme leaders of the 'Road Gang' -- New Zealand's Governments and Local Bodies -- all too ready to profit from the motor vehicle gravy train while also mandating transport-related decisions that favoured the motor vehicle as the prime mover.

Unlike my previous volumes, Waka Paddle to Gas Pedal and Gas Pedal to Back-Pedal, this third volume of transport history necessarily encompasses the history of the whole of New Zealand and not just the city of Auckland.

This third volume does not pretend to include a complete list of individuals and entities that have comprised New Zealand's Road Gang over the years. It is simply a selection of the more prominent and interesting of the many, who, from the late 1890s, sought to make a (mostly legitimate) living from New Zealand's motor vehicle and road transport industry.

As with most occupations, the prime motivation of Road Gang members was simply to profit from their activities in order to feed their families and satisfy personal and professional ambition. At the same time, their endeavours met the needs of a motoring public conditioned by market forces and transport necessity to acquire their goods and services.

Here are some of their stories...