The passage describes how the roads, which had been relatively quiet and underused after the introduction of the railway, were suddenly awakened by the rise of cars, motorcycles and lorries. These vehicles, especially with their increased speed and volume, put new demands on the road system, which was not initially designed to handle such traffic. This led to changes in the infrastructure (e.g., tar-spraying to reduce dust and grease) and posed challenges for those using the roads.