Snakes and Ladders
Page 45
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WHETHER because of the work of pressure groups, or because the subject is interesting in itself, road development has for some time past had a high and ,consistent share of space in the Press and time on the air. It has established itself as something the public want
to know about. The Institute of Civil Engineers, generally known as the Civils, were therefore almost assured of a good audience when they chose the highway needs of Great Britain as the theme of their conference last week.
One point the Civils have helped to establish beyond doubt is that the struggle for better roads is not ended— is, in fact, little more than eased—by the evidence of an improved attitude of mind in the Government, and in a Minister of Transport who is now a member of the Cabinet. The authors of the 10 conference papers do not always agree among themselves. They are unanimous in realizing that the road problem is growing all the time, and that the solution for 1957 may not meet the situation 20 years hence. .
Even if, by some miracle of politics or economics, enough money was made available for a prograrnme beyond
the dreams of the Roads Campaign Council, the need would remain to keep the programme flexible, so that it could adapt itself to meet changing circumstances. This is a conclusion that seems to follow naturally from a survey of the papers at the Civils' conference, although perhaps not every speaker would agree with it. Mr. James Drake, Lancashire County Surveyor, for example, stated somewhat sternly that, once a plan has been approved, its provisions "should not be departed from except under exceptional circumstances."
Like most other civil-engineering projects, a road is an experiment with time. It is designed for use many years, perhaps centuries, after its completion. An accurate calculation of the likely trend in traffic is, therefore, important, but the most painstaking estimate can become ludicrous as the result of an unexpected development. Cheap 'air transport—or a really spectacular improvement on the railways . —could drain traffic off the roads, and leave them all but deserted. ,
Unknown Quantities
The likelihood is small. All the indications are that the number of vehicles on the roads will increase for as far ahead as one cares to consider. The large number of unknown quantities still inakes.an accurate forecast difficult. One speaker, Mr. Rowland Nicholas, Manchester City Surveyor, admitted that an estimate he had made in 1946 of the number of vehicles on the road in 1970 had already been exceeded in 1955. .
Mr. Drake was thinking in particular, of his road plan for Lancashire, which was still the basis for Lancashire's i Gads, although its implementation had been delayed for seven or eight years. That the plan remains up to date is a tribute to the care and skill with which it was formulated. A noticeable change in the pattern of Lancashire's traffic would mean a modification in the plan, and this would Lakeplace even if work had begun.
Some attention might well be concentrated on the period before work begins. Lack of money may explain why Mr. Drake's scheme is collecting dust in a pigeonhole. Many °thee schemes have been accepted in principle, but there is still a large lapse of time before anything practical is done. As traffic needs are likely to change materially from year to year, and usually to exceed even the most far-sighted estimates, it is important that there should be the least possible delay in making •a start on a scheme, and that modern rapid methods should be used for the construction.
Two or three of the papers at the Civils' conference dealt with the latter point. Road users may find more of immediate interest to them in a paper by Mr. Stuart Lovell, West Riding County Engineer and Surveyor, in which he analysed the ability of the existing highway organization to deal with an expanding programme of road construction.
Particularly effective is Mr. Lovell's list of items that may all have to be observed before work on a major improvement scheme can even begin. To make things more complicated, there are occasional hazards in the list, reminiscent of those in a game of snakes and ladders, and annotated by Mr. Lovell with some such laconic comment as matter reverts to item 10."
Size of Opposition
Some idea of what the road builders arc up against may he obtained even from the first few items on Mr. Lovell's list: "Ministry request the local authority to prepare Order details.
"Local authorities circulate appropriate authorities and other bodies (but not individuals) to obtain observations_
"Local authorities submit to Ministry draft Order details. " Ministry headquarters prepare _draft Order. " Draft Order placed on deposit (three months). "Objections received by Ministry.
"Inquiry to discuss objections (if not resolved). "Order made (if not amended by findings of inquiry—
in which case matter reverts to item 1)."
After this promising beginning, the procedure turns to the acquisition of the land needed for the road. Other characters join the Ministry and the local authority. The divisional road engineer, the chief valuer and the district valuer all take a hand, and there is yet another inquiry, with the usual snakes-and-ladders proviso. The system of land acquisition finally becomes " a rather complex matter," says Mr. Lovell ironically. It involves all the characters , who have previously appeared, plus, "of course," all agents acting for interested parties.. If no agreement can be reached, there may be a Compulsory Purchase Order.
This is not nearly the end of the story. The local authority and the Minister Pass the files to each other • perhaps half a dozen times more, while the draft contract is being considered, authority to proceed is sought, tenders: are received and approved, and the final contract is prepared, If the contractor g still in business, he can then make a start on the site. .
As the Minister so often says, he must not ride roughshod over the rights of individuals affected by a proposed road. Mr. Lovell shows that there are many other less justifiable causes for delay. The present highway organization, he suggests, is obsolete, like much of the present road system.
He is careful not to reach the point of Making specific proposals for revision, but he asks so many barbed questions that his own opinion can be seen almost without disguise. One interesting suggestion is that new construction of all important roads should he the responsibility of a special highway authority.