Lords Urge Quicker Spending on Roads
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rkA RESOLUTION that a much larger road programme was necessary than that proposed for 1961-2 was moved in the House of Lords last week and was later withdrawn. The motion also proposed that there should be consultations with local authorities to draw up the programme and that steps should be taken to acquire the necessary land.
Lord Derwent said he was not asking for additional sums of money to be approved, but the Minister of Transport should be able to spend funds on construction as soon as he received them. Preliminaries to construction took too long.
A serious calculation revealed, said Lord Derwent, that if traffic congestion were eliminated, a 2-per-cent. reduction in the selling price of every item produced could be made.
Lord Mancroft, Minister without Portfolio, replying to the debate, said it was hoped that local authorities would in future be provided with a programme for three or four years ahead. The special planning section recently set up by the Minister was preparing a 20-30-year master plan for the roads.
DIESEL TRAINS HIT BUSES
BECAUSE of a serious reduction of . traffic, particularly at off-peaks, the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners, at Leeds last week, granted applications by the West Riding Automobile Co., Ltd., Wakefield, to adjust timetables and redistribute services. Forty-one services were involved.
Mr. W. R. Hargrave, for the company, said that on certain routes loadings had been seriously affected by Diesel train services. Television was still having its effect and increasing forms of private transport were available.
LONDON PAY CLAIM HEARING
THE London busmen's claim for an increase of 25s. a week in wages will be heard by the Industrial Court. in London on February 24-25.