100 years ago: London’s ‘street of silence’

1. At a Glance

• What it is: The Hindu's "100 Years Ago" column reprinted a 1926 report from London. The City Corporation was resurfacing a street in the Blackfriars neighbourhood with terra cotta blocks covered in rubber [1].
• The claim: It was described as the first "rubber street" in the world, said to be soundless, dustless, non-skidding and more durable [1].
• Why it matters for UPSC: The archival story leads into a live topic: using rubber, including waste tyres, in road surfaces. In India this is done through Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen (CRMB), covered by the Indian Roads Congress guideline IRC:SP:53 [2].
• Linked themes: Noise pollution (the "street of silence" idea), road safety (non-skid surface), durability of roads and reuse of waste tyres in a circular economy [1][2][3].

2. Why in the News

• The item ran in The Hindu's "100 Years Ago" column, Chennai print edition, 8 October 2026, Page 13, under the dateline "London, October 7" [1].
• Static/historical topic. The only hook is the centenary reprint. There is no new policy trigger in 2024–26 specific to the London experiment.

3. Background & Evolution

• 1926 (reprinted from 100 years earlier): The City Corporation in London tries rubber-covered terra cotta blocks in Blackfriars and calls it the world's first "rubber street" [1].
• Main idea then: Cut the noise, dust and skidding of horse-and-motor-era streets [1].
• 1960s: Crumb rubber starts being used in asphalt because of its elastic properties [4].
• Mid-1970s onward: Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and Crumb Rubber (CR) come into use in asphalt paving [4].
• The shift: Early experiments laid rubber as a surface covering. The modern method mixes ground rubber from scrap tyres into the bitumen binder [1][4].
• India: The IRC published IRC:SP:53, "Guidelines on Use of Modified Bitumen in Road Construction". CRMB is used in the wearing coat of flexible pavements [2].

4. Core Static Facts

Item	Fact
Location of 1926 experiment	Blackfriars neighbourhood, London [1]
Agency	City Corporation (London) [1]
Material	Terra cotta blocks with a rubber covering [1]
Claimed attributes	Soundless, dustless, non-skidding, more durable [1]
Claimed status	"First rubber street in the world" (a contemporary claim, not verified) [1]
Modern equivalent in India	Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen (CRMB) [2]
Governing guideline (India)	IRC:SP:53, "Guidelines on Use of Modified Bitumen in Road Construction" [2]
Where CRMB is used	Wearing coat (top layer) of flexible pavement [2]
Performance gains of CRMB	Better resistance to ageing and fatigue, stability at high temperatures, resistance to cracking at low temperatures, and better water resistance [2]
Cost barrier	About 6.8% costlier than plain bitumen, which makes contractors reluctant [3]
How waste tyres are recycled	Shredded and ground into crumb rubber, then used in flooring, athletic tracks and rubber-modified bitumen [3]

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Historical

• The 1926 experiment shows that cities were already worried about urban noise and dust in the early motor age [1].
• The design (rubber laid over terra cotta) is a forerunner of today's practice of modifying the binder with rubber [1][4].

Environmental

• Using scrap tyres in roads turns a hard-to-dispose waste stream into a resource. The Indian government has acknowledged the tyre-disposal problem [2].
• Mechanical recycling of tyres into crumb rubber supports a circular economy [3].
• The "soundless" claim links to traffic noise reduction, an urban environmental-health issue [1].

Economic

• CRMB costs about 6.8% more at the start, but researchers expect long-term savings because roads last longer [3].
• Contractors focus on lowest upfront cost, which discourages lifecycle-cost thinking in procurement [3].

Scientific / Technological

• Rubber gives the binder elasticity. This improves resistance to fatigue and rutting and reduces low-temperature cracking [2][4].
• Crumb rubber combined with RAP is an active area of pavement research [4].

Administrative / Governance

• Standards exist (IRC:SP:53), but uptake depends on tender specifications and contractor incentives [2][3].

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• 8 Oct 2026: The Hindu reprinted the 1926 "street of silence" report in its "100 Years Ago" column [1].
• 2025: Nature Scientific Reports published research on asphalt pavements modified with reclaimed asphalt and crumb rubber [4].
• The searches allowed for this note found no India-specific policy change on CRMB in this period.

7. Prelims Hooks

• The world's "first rubber street" was claimed in London's Blackfriars neighbourhood [1].
• The body behind the experiment was the City Corporation, not a national ministry [1].
• The base material was terra cotta blocks with a rubber covering [1].
• Four claimed properties: soundless, dustless, non-skidding, more durable [1].
• CRMB stands for Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen [2].
• IRC:SP:53 covers the use of modified bitumen in road construction [2].
• CRMB is used in the wearing coat of flexible (bituminous) pavements, not in rigid (concrete) pavements [2].
• CRMB improves ageing resistance, fatigue resistance, high-temperature stability and low-temperature crack resistance [2].
• Crumb rubber is made by shredding and grinding waste tyres [3].
• CRMB costs about 6.8% more than plain bitumen [3].
• Crumb rubber has been used in asphalt since the 1960s, and RAP plus CR since the mid-1970s [4].

8. Why Old Tyres End Up in Pyrolysis Units, Not on Roads

• India already has a law that makes tyre makers responsible for old tyres
• In July 2022, MoEF&CC notified Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for waste tyres. EPR means the company that makes or imports a tyre is responsible for it until the end of its life [7].

• This was done by amending the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016 [7].

• But a company can meet its duty just by buying paper credits

• A tyre producer does not have to collect its own tyres. It can buy credits from any registered recycler [5].
• The rules do not prefer one recycling route over another. So nothing pushes tyres towards crumb rubber for roads (CRMB) rather than cheaper routes [5].

• Experts call this "paper compliance": the law is met on paper, but nobody checks where the tyre really went [5].

• Pyrolysis is the easy way out, and much of it happens illegally

• Pyrolysis means heating tyres without oxygen to get oil and char. Illegal pyrolysis units work with no oversight and harm the environment [6].

• India has banned waste tyre imports for pyrolysis since 2019. But imports are still allowed for making crumb rubber and reclaimed rubber [5][8].

• One customs code for every form of tyre waste makes cheating easy

• Whole, shredded and crumbed tyres all share the same HSN code (the number used to classify goods at customs) [5].
• So no one can check whether an imported tyre was really crumbed. Some crumb rubber operators allegedly send whole imported tyres to unauthorised pyrolysis units [5].

• The CPCB issued a Standard Operating Procedure in 2024. The Centre for Science and Environment called it "more cosmetic in nature than substantive" [5].

• Why this matters for CRMB: a road contractor already finds CRMB about 6.8% costlier [3]. If tyres can be legally burnt for oil at lower cost, crumb rubber for roads loses on both sides: it has few buyers and little supply.

9. How Quiet Is a 'Silent' Rubber Road, Really?

• The 1926 claim of a "soundless" street was too strong
• Rubber does cut road noise. It soaks up the vibration where the tyre meets the road [9].

• But modern measurements show a modest drop, not silence.

• What the numbers say

• Gap-graded rubberised asphalt is about 2–3 dB quieter than normal asphalt at speeds of 40–80 km/h [9].
• dB (decibel) is the unit of loudness. A cut of 3 dB is noticeable, but the road is still far from silent.

• Rubber also helps the road surface resist cracking in cold weather and rutting (deep tyre grooves) in hot weather [9].

• What this means for answer-writing

• Use quieter road surfaces as one tool against traffic noise. Do not present them as a full solution.
• Most traffic noise comes from engines and horns as well, and a road surface cannot fix those.

10. The Other Rubber-on-Road Problem: Tyre Dust

• Tyres pollute while they are still in use, not only after they are thrown away
• As tyres wear down on the road, they shed tiny particles. These are a source of microplastics (plastic bits smaller than 5 mm that get into air, soil and water) [10].

• The OECD held a 2023 workshop on microplastics from tyre wear because this is now a recognised pollution source [10].

• Safety and pollution pull in opposite directions

• Tyres are designed to balance grip (safety) against wear and noise. The OECD notes these goals often work against each other [10].

• A tyre that grips harder may also shed more dust. So "non-skidding" and "dustless", two of the 1926 claims, can conflict [1][10].

• Why this matters: a full answer on rubber and roads should cover both ends of the tyre's life. Reusing old tyres in roads is good, but it does not deal with the dust tyres shed while they are in use.

11. Who Must Fix What, and How

• MoEF&CC and CPCB should reward tyres sent for higher-value reuse
• Right now one EPR credit counts the same whatever happens to the tyre, so the cheapest route wins [5].

• Credits could carry more weight when tyres become crumb rubber for roads than when they are burnt for oil. That would create steady supply for CRMB.

• The Commerce Ministry and customs should split the HSN code

• NITI Aayog has proposed separate HSN codes for waste tyre products. It has also proposed national standards for tyre pyrolysis oil and recovered carbon black, GST rationalisation, and tighter rules for pyrolysis units [6].

• Separate codes would let customs check whether an import was really meant for crumbing [5][6].

• MoRTH and state PWDs should write CRMB into tenders

• IRC:SP:53 already sets the technical standard [2]. The gap is that tenders still go to the lowest upfront bid [3].

• If highway tenders name CRMB for the wearing coat on chosen stretches, contractors cannot leave it out to cut their price.

• Urban bodies should test rubberised surfaces where noise hurts most

• Rubber roads lower noise by only 2–3 dB [9]. So use them where that gain counts, such as near hospitals and schools, not as a city-wide promise of silence.

12. Anchors for Answers

• Data: Rubberised asphalt is about 2–3 dB quieter than normal asphalt at 40–80 km/h [9]
• Data: CRMB costs about 6.8% more than plain bitumen upfront [3]
• Report/Committee: NITI Aayog proposals on waste tyre management (2025): standards for tyre pyrolysis oil and recovered carbon black, separate HSN codes, tighter rules for pyrolysis units [6]
• Report/Committee: CPCB Standard Operating Procedure for pyrolysis units, 2024 (called "cosmetic" by CSE) [5]
• Law/Case: EPR for Waste Tyre, notified July 2022 under the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016 [7]; waste tyre imports for pyrolysis banned since 2019 [5][8]
• Comparison: OECD 2023 workshop on microplastics from tyre wear, which shows that tyres pollute during use as well as after disposal [10]

13. Mains Relevance

• GS-III: Infrastructure (roads); Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation (waste management, noise); Science and technology in everyday life.
• GS-I: Urbanisation, its problems and remedies (urban noise and liveability, from a historical angle).

Possible question stems:

1. Waste tyres are both an environmental liability and an infrastructure resource. Examine the potential and constraints of using crumb rubber modified bitumen in India's road sector.
2. Lifecycle costing rather than lowest-bid procurement is key to sustainable infrastructure. Discuss with reference to modified bitumen technologies.
3. Urban noise pollution has received far less policy attention than air pollution. Discuss, and suggest engineering and regulatory remedies.

14. Related Topics to Study Next

• Plastic-waste roads: another way of reusing waste in bituminous roads; often confused with CRMB.
• Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB): a sister category under the same modified-bitumen guidelines.
• Waste tyre management / Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): the disposal problem that drives CRMB.
• Noise pollution regulation: the "street of silence" link to urban noise standards.
• Indian Roads Congress (IRC): the standards body behind IRC codes.
• Natural rubber economy in India: the supply side of rubber as a commodity.
• Circular economy and the 3Rs: the policy framework for reusing materials in infrastructure.

15. NCERT Concepts to Revise

• Noise pollution (Geography): The 'street of silence' idea is about cutting traffic noise, an urban environmental-health issue.
• Circular economy (Economy): Turning scrap tyres into crumb rubber for roads keeps materials in use instead of being dumped.
• Extended producer responsibility (Economy): Makes tyre producers responsible for end-of-life disposal, the waste problem that drives rubber-modified roads.
• Sustainable infrastructure (Economy): Rubber-modified roads using waste tyres are an example of eco-friendly, longer-lasting infrastructure.
• Recycling (Economy): Shredding and grinding old tyres into crumb rubber is recycling waste into a road input.
• Procurement (Economy): Lowest-bid buying by contractors discourages costlier but more durable rubber-modified bitumen.

16. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Surface covering vs binder modification: The 1926 London street laid rubber over terra cotta blocks. CRMB mixes crumb rubber into the bitumen. They are different technologies [1][2].
• Flexible vs rigid pavement: CRMB is for the wearing coat of flexible pavements, not concrete roads [2].
• CRMB vs plastic roads vs PMB: Do not mix up the modifiers. Crumb rubber comes from waste tyres [2][3].
• "First rubber street in the world" was a 1926 newspaper claim. Do not treat it as an established fact [1].
• Cost: CRMB costs more upfront (about 6.8%). Its benefit is lifecycle durability, not a cheaper initial build [3].