Eric Charles Claxton (1909-1993), O.B.E., B.Sc., C.Eng., F.I.C.E., initially worked as a bridge engineer for Surrey County Council, which exonerated him from military service during the 1939-1945 war. However, he played a leading role with the emergency services and founded the Casualties Union. Later he joined the staff of the Stevenage Development Corporation for more than 25 years, becoming Chief Engineer. He was much involved with the creation of the new town of Stevenage in the 1950s and 1960s, and his ideas on road safety and the segregation of the cyclist and pedestrian from the traffic aroused great interest overseas; hence he was a frequent speaker at conferences and meetings both here and abroad. After his retirement in 1972, he still continued to devote much of his time to the special needs of cyclists and pedestrians as viable elements in efficient mobile traffic systems until well into the 1980s.
From the guide to the Papers of Eric C. Claxton, 1943-1993, (Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick Library)
