Road Transport Topics in Parliament
Page 45
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FEW LEVEL-CROSSING ACCIDENTS.
THERE were, Mr. Burgin said, I approximately 4,560 public road level-crossings on the principal railway lines in Great Britain, and some 2,500 bridges, at present scheduled to carry only limited weights, on trunk roads, and classified roads and on unclassified roads used by double-deck bus services. The number of such bridges on other unclassified roads was not avail: able.
The latest provisional figures for 1937 showed that nine persons were killed and 15 injured in accidents on level-crossings in which trains were involved. The number involving only road vehicles was not known, hut in the year ended March 31, 1937, there were 26 such accidents involving personal injury.
SAFETY SUGGESTIONS BY R.A.C.
EVIDENCE was given before the EdLords Committee on Road Accidents, on Tuesday, by Mr. C. W. Evans and Professor R. G. H. Clements, solicitor and consulting engineer
respectively to the Royal Automobile Club.
Education and propaganda, as remedies, the former stated, were supported by the Club. There should be improvements to roads and additional roads. Propaganda should be more sustained. and £100,000 a. year should be spent on it. A grant should be made to encourage the National "Safety First " Association. Motor drivers were already sufficiently restricted and the Courts had ample power.
The Club advocated the registration
of cyclists. They should have additional brakes and rear lamps. For a pedestrian to cross a road against
signals should be an offence. Signal lamps should be lower and should indicate the position of the crossing places. Subways .should consist of inclines instead of stairs.
The chief views outlined. by Professor Clements were that segregation on the various tracks would be an accident-reducing influence, and that futuie regulations should deal separately with the problems of rural and urban conditions. WAGES AND CONDITIONS BILL IMMINENT.
THE Minister of Labour intimated that he hoped to be able to introduce a Bill regulating wages and conditions in the goods road-transport industry. It is due on April 14.
£30,000,000 FOR THE ROADS.
ATTENTION was called • to the Ministry of Transport estimates, including a list of major works authorized or in progress on March 31, 1938, and the Minister was asked whether he proposed to authorize or commence schemes, other than those in the list, in the current financial year.
Mr. Burgin pointed out that the list of works referred to contained only works estimated to cost individually £100,000 or over. In addition a large number of smaller schemes had been authorized or were in progress, as indicated in Appendix I to the Estimate. It was contemplated that new commitments of the Road Fund for improvements, and new construction, amounting to about £30,000,000, would be entered into during 1938.