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ROAD TRANSPORT MATTERS IN PARLIAMENT

17th May 1927, Page 43
17th May 1927
Page 43
Page 44
Page 43, 17th May 1927 — ROAD TRANSPORT MATTERS IN PARLIAMENT
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

The Swan Song of the Minister of Transport. Pabsenger Traffic in London. The Mersey Tunnel Entrances. Smoke and Sparks from Steam Wagons. By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent.

• THE Minister of Transport on Tuesday last gave

1 what will most likely prove to have been the last yearly review of the estimates of his doomed department. Some oratorical tears were shed and an allusion was made to Colonel Ashley's "swan song," but the Minister passed over the unpleasant topic with a smile. He received quite generous acknowledgment of the good work of his department, although criticisms were not wanting, Mr. Morrison with candour accusing the department of a lack of policy.

Colonel Ashley in his speech imparted a little information regarding the reception of the draft Road Traffic Bill, but declined to commit himself as to the date when the Bill will be introduced. He had sent copies of the draft proposals to 41 associations and companies and other people interested in transport for their observations. He had had 13 replies, all of which gave general support to the general principles of the Bill and only made minor criticisms. He pointed out that, as the vehicle-lighting clauses had passed second reading without a division in a private member's Bill, he thought he could say that the general principles had received, 80 far, general acceptance.

He dealt with the delay over the Waterloo and Charing Cross Bridges scheme, explaining that there was no real difference between the Government and the London County Council. The difficulty is to define the "net capital cost" of the Charing Cross double-decked bridge, to which the Government are to contribute 75 per cent., and a decision is expected within the next week or so. The experts will then be free to investigate the details and practicability of the scheme.

• References to the unanimous resolutions of the recent conference on accidents showed that those recommendations are being followed up by official requests to local authorities to adopt them. The qbite definite statement was made that the roundabout system was a success and had come to stay. It had speeded up traffic very considerably.

Co-ordination of London Passenger Traffic.

THE Minister's speech was a somewhat mixed dish. Road repairs in London was the next item, the information being given that major repairs in Central • London would, FO far as possible, be undertaken outside the months of June and July. The Hyde Park repairs

• were to be finished on the 16th inst.

Requests were made to the Minister for particulars of the negotiations going on among transport interests regarding the recommendations of the Advisory Committee as to co-ordination of traffic in London, but Colonel Ashley said the investigations and negotiations were confidential. He understood that a scheme was coming at once into the hands of tile Advisory Committee, who would give the report prompt consideration, and afterwards he would have to give it his own con sideration. Incidentally, he expressed the personal opinion that they would be driven to a common management and common fund of all the transport agencies in London.

Colonel Ashley claimed some credit for the grants given for maintenance and improvement of rural unclassified roads and then switched on to trunk roads, indicating that this prograthme of reconstruction was about half-way through. He mentioned the London to Holyhead and the Bristol to Plymouth roads, now under reconstruction, and said the Blair to Inverness road would be finiehed in August or September, whilst work was to be started soon on the West Highland road. The Lairg to Lochinver road, farther north, was held up until the east and west Scottish roads would join up at Inverness.

The new Berwick-on-Tweed Bridge is to be opened in November or December, and the steel structure 'between Newcastle and Gateshead will he finished shortly afterwards.

Advisory Committee's View of Co-ordination.

SIR HENRY JACKSON contributed some observations as a member of the London Traffic Advisory Committee. He mentioned that co-ordination must be adapted sooner or later. If they allowed the unrestrained competition between bus, tube and tram, the bus must kill the tube and later the tram. The committee believed that in London all three kinds of transit were necessary. Co-ordination did not mean that all transport facilities must be in one ownership. It did mean that somewhere there must be some power or authority to ensure that all the systems should be knit into one common system. It was quite clear that in any system of co-ordination there must be some kind of control, which must not be interested in any one of the transport organizations, but must look at the problem from a single point of view. The control body might ultimately be some sort of statutory body.

The transport authorities must be self-supporting and the needs of each must be met from some common fund. In any system of co-ordination investors of money in any transport organization should be able to look for a reasonable return on their capital. There should be that guarantee and security which one associated with Government stock, otherwise they would not get a flow of capital into transport organizations. This lie described as the vague and sketchy way in which the work of co-ordination seemed to appear to some of them. He felt that the urgency of the problem would lead to a solution, and he hoped the committee would be able to report very soon to the Minister some agreed scheme for his scrutiny. When they settled London traffic on some such lines he hoped it would be a pattern for the rest of the country.

DURING the discussion Colonel Moore-l3rabazon said he could not believe that the Ministry of Transport, qua Ministry, could evea. be killed even by an autocratic Chancellor of the Exchequer. When he himself left the Ministry he had no thought that there was any idea of the Ministry being abolished. If he had thought that that was going to happen he would have stood side by side with Colonel Ashley to fight the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the end. He regretted that the question of the taxation of motor ears could not be raised. He feared that what would happen some day would be that about four o'clock in the morning in Committee on the Finance Bill somebody would move a resolution to alter the present method of taxing motorcars and, as everybody would be tired, the debate would lack interest and collapse. The question needed very serious consideration and he would like to see a first-class debate on a system of taxation which brought in about£25,000,000 a year. He urged the importance of' research into road construction and the damage done by individual vehicles.

He felt that action Must soon be taken tiy the Government to impose definite restrictions as to the form of our vehicles, so that the roads might be saved. As an example, he mentioned a type of vehicle he had seen which had 14-in, wheels that could get into any inequality in the roads and increase the pot-holes, yet those vehicles had not been rulqg off the roads. Slowly they would build up a goodwitr and it would be very difficult to take action later. This type, he thought, ought to be wiped straight off the roads in the beginning.

Petrol Stations an Eyesore.

THE subject of ugly petrol stations ,springing up all over the country, Colonel Ashley intimated, was engaging his attention. That morning he had had a conference with representatives of the great oil companies, and they agreed. as to the ugliness.He felt that anything that could be done. to diminish the eyesore would have the approval of everybody. The great oil companies very properly expressed their desire to do all they could to help, but their power was limited, and he was asking the representative motor trade association to meet him and collaborate with him in seeing what could be done to diminish the eyesore.

Various Transport Topics.

T"general debate which followed ranged over a wide variety of subjects. Emphasis was laid upon the inadequacy of traffic facilities in different parts of London. Captain Wallace remarked that the independent buses were the sole salvation at present in North London, and if the common pool and management were started they might disappear. He hoped they would not be driven from the streets until adequate facilities for travel were provided.

The delay in promoting the Victoria Dock Road scheme was discussed by several members, and Colonel Ashley said that after he had come to close grips with the Waterloo and Charing Cross scheme he proposed to approach the London County Council and the local" authorities interested in the dock area with the Government's offer to provide 75 per cent, of the cost if they provided the remainder.

Colonel Howard-Bury criticised the neglect of bicycle and horse tracks and footpaths on many of the main roads, and advocated the acquisition of sufficient land under road schemes to make this provision. He also urged the growing of fruit trees alongside the roads, and complained of the continuance of blind corners in spite of the Roads Improvement Act. On this point he was informed that action lay with the local authorities and not with the department.

The institution of standardized signals for drivers was another suggestion. Much was heard about the effects of the raid on the Road Fund and the desire , for greater •assistance to highway authorities in respect of roads, the freeing of tolls and the abolition of levelcrossings. Hull's unenviable possession of many levelcrossings was again raised, but the Minister pointed out that their abolition would cost about n,000,000. He was prepared to see whether anything could be arranged with the local authority.

Boiler Efficiency.

rrilIE Minister of Transport having been asked 1. whether road vehicles propelled by steam were subject to the usual tests as to their boiler efficiency, said he was not aware of any official tests of the boilers of such vehicles.

A further question Was asked about the testing of boilers on steam-propelled vehicles, Mr. Sandernan urging that as the boilers had to be filled up with all sorts of water which was bound to form scales in the water tubes they should be subject to tests. Colonel Ashley said it appeared to him that the question of the scaling up of the boilers of those vehicles was primarily a matter for the owners of the vehicles, and he did not propose to ask for powers to enforce such tests. He added that only two accidents had occurred in the last three years ; most of the vehicles Were insured and the insurance companies saw to-the matter.

• Supervision of Petrol Pumps.

THE President of the Board of Trade stated last week that the regulations under the Weights and Measures Act of last year had been drafted and local authorities and others interested were being consulted upon them. Fifty-eight patterns of petrol-measuring instruments had been sanctioned by the Board of Trade as suitable for use in trade. A request that he should see that ugly pumps were not erected met with the reply that the Minister's functions were utilitarian and not resthetic.

Roadside Trees and Skidding.

DETAILING the steps that had been taken to plant trees alongside new roads, the Minister of Transport was reminded by Colonel James that, in "a good man Y cases, deciduous trees were being planted which, after attaining maturity, would shed their leaves and make the roads extremely "sIdddy." Colonel Ashley said that all such matters were being considered, but he did not think he was in agreement with Colonel James. The latter with some astonishment remarked : "Not even as regards the chestnut tree?" Many drivers will no doubt back up Colonel James's opinion with their own recollections of mushy leaves and nut shells lying on the road in the autumn months.

Traffic Between Glasgow and Balloch.

ATTENTION having been called to the great volume of motor omnibus and other motor traffic during summer months on the Glasgow-Balloch road, Colonel Thom asked whether it was proposed to regulate this traffic by a system of licensing and control so as to ensure the public safety. Colonel Ashley pointed out that, so far as motor omnibus traffic was concerned, Part IV of the draft Road Traffic Bill provided for a system of licensing and control of these vehicles throughout the country.

Location of Mersey Tunnel Entrance.

THERE is a movement in Liverpool in favour of changing the position in the Whitechapel area of the entrance and approaches to the Mersey Tunnel. The Minister of Transport stated that he had received representations in favour of a modification. The Mersey Tunnel Joint Committee, after careful consideration, had, however, resolved to adhere to the plan fixed by the Mersey Tunnel Act, 1925, and he had no reason to question the wisdom of that decision. Mr. Hayes suggested that some inquiry should be made locally as to the strength of public opinion which was against the original decision in this matter, but Colonel Ashley said he must leave that to the decision of the Tunnel Joint Committee.

Smoke and Sparks from Road Vehicles.

R. W. BAKER interrogated the Home Secretary .1 regarding the date of the instructions issued to the police on the subject of the emission of smoke, steam and sparks from steam-propelled road vehicles, and the number of drivers and owners who had been warned or against whom further action had been taken. Sir William Joynson-Hicks stated that the memorandum he had promised to issue was sent to all chief officers of police on March 10th last, and he had no information as to action that might have been taken throughout the country since that date. Mr. Baker alleged that no improvement had taken place and suggested that inquiry should be made, but the Home Secretary pointed out that only six weeks had elapsed, and a little time should be given to see the effect of the circular.

Fatal Accidents in London.

OFFICIAL figures give the number of deaths caused by motor vehicles, excluding, motorcycles, in the Streets of the Metropolitan Police District and the City of London during the year ended March 31st last as 783 and 10 respectively:


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