Customer filling up a car at a petrol station on the newly constructed M1 motorway
The M1 was the first British motorway to be completed and it greatly reduced the amount of time it took to travel across the country. Car ownership was significantly lower in 1961 than it is in the 21st century. However, as the 1960s progressed and people's disposable income increased, more people were able to afford cars and so car ownership increased.