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During the long 18th century, the British Isles were experiencing rapid urbanisation. Demographic and commercial growth placed mounting pressure on the traffic infrastructure of towns, many of whose streets were medieval in origin. Part of this pressure was generated by the increase in leisure traffic from visitors attending the new recreational facilities – such as assemblies, concerts, theatres, promenades and luxury shops – that had emerged as part of the cultural renaissance underway in a wide range of towns. This paper explores the rise of urban leisure traffic, the challenges that this posed, and the strategies towns adopted to cope with these difficulties. Though getting about town for the fashionable visitor could be a troublesome and dangerous business, with the risk of experiencing traffic jams and robbery, the introduction of street improvements, the remodelling of leisure facilities to make access easier, and enhanced urban policing, mitigated many of the problems and demonstrated the capacity of the urban system to respond successfully to the complications arising from its accelerating expansion.