What of London's Passenger Traffic?
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-A/[ANY are the opinions put forward as to the J-V-I-future of the London Passenger Transport Bill. The Prime Minister has intimated the intention of the Government to carry it forward, apparently for the reason that so much thought and money have been expended upon it, but there are prospects of considerable forces being arrayed against it.
In our opinion, which we expressed directly the Bill was mooted, it is definitely an unwise and dangerous experiment, constituting a precedent which may be followed in other parts of the country and may not even be confined to road transport. It seeks to establish a monopoly which, from its very size, may prove a weakness, as being particularly vulnerable to the effects of strikes and demands for wage increases, whilst, apparently, there is to be no definite restriction on fares. It is to be governed by a board of super men—a type always difficult to find and still more difficult to replace. The officials will be, to all intents and purposes, civil servants, and' that devotion to duty, which is such a marked characteristic of the employees in many trading concerns, is likely to be lost.
The whole scheme is a long step towards nationalization, and who can suggest that this policy has proved to be a success elsewhere?
As regards traffic congestion, the authorities need be concerned only with that on the surface. Already bus traffic is restricted on 600 of the main thoroughfares, whilst additional vehicles cannot be put on and services cannot • be instituted without permission from the authorities, so that there is no danger of the streets of the Metropolis being flooded by more and more buses.