Traffic Segregation After the War
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POST-WAR road plans, which will have traffic segregation as a basic feature, were foreshadowed by Mr. P. J. Noel-Baker, Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the M.0.1,V.T,, in a speech at Leeds, last week, before the West Riding Federation of Accident Preven tion Councils. It was grotesque, he said, that 10--ton lorries, public-service vehicles carrying 60 • people at SO m.p.h., and private cars, should mix with pedestrian's, cyclists and horsedrawn carts and vans. But segregation of traffic must mean a big programme of road construction, and improvement that would take many years to carry out.
Some people argued that it would be luxury speneling without any adequate return. No view could be more foolish or shortsighted. For instance, he had asked an expert to work out figures showing -the cost of traffic congestion
in the heart of London, taking as the unit of calculation the r` A '. ring of Professor Abererombie's plan for London, from .Euston Road to the " Elephant .and Castle." The expert estimated, on peace-time standards, that there would he an improvement of 60 per cent, in the running time of every different type of vehicle on the road: and .1re calculated that, on basic running costs, there Would be a saving of £2,500,000 at least, and possibly even twice that amount.
The Ministry, said Mr. Noel-Baker, was resolutely determined that the grave social evil of death and mutilation on the roads should be dealt with. An intensive study of the report prepared by the Alness Committee of the House of Lords would be completed, and the results of that study would be drawn up in a programme of practical proposals.