Road Transport Activities IN PARLIAMENT
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River Severn Bridges. Merton-Kingston Road. Crossriver Traffic.
MHERBERi MORRISON, Minister of Transport, is,eviderttly keen upon making up leeway in connection with road-traffic legislation. He recently announced that tie bad received: an assurance from the chairman of the Royal Commission on Transport that a first report, dealing with the regulation and control of road vehicles, from the point of view of public safety; might be expected before the summer recess from the Commission.
So soon as the report is received, consideration will be given to the Royal Commission's recommendations, with a view to the introduction of a Bill. The progress of the , Bill will have to depend upon the state of the Parliamentary time-table, and, at this stage' of the session, the Government is unable to give any pledge in this respect.
As the suggestions received from local authorities and ,other bodies on the provisions of the draft rjoad Traffic Bill which was distributed by his predecessor had been carefully noted, Mr. Morrison saw no reason, at present, for supposing that it would be necessary to circulate any proposed new measure to local authorities for their comments before its introduction.
River Severn Bridges.
riiHE desirability of constructing a bridge over the River Severn at Highley, Shropshire, in view of the lack of bridges over the river in this neighbourhood, having been pointed out by Colonel Windsor-Clive, the Minister of Transport stated that if the road authorities were prepared to make an adequate contribution towards its cost he would consider any suggestion that they might make for ti.sistance from the Road Fund.
Merton-Kingston Road. SJR JOHN POWER called attention to a scheme for constructing a by-pass road to relieve congestion. at the level-crossing on the main. London-Kingston road. ..This would involve the acquisition of property and incur much expense: and Sir John Power asked whether the Minister of Transport was prepared to co-operate with the highway authorities in a scheme to deal with the level-crossing and so remove the necessity of constructing the proposed bypass road and impose upon the railway company recognition of the potential liability devolving upon it under Section 22 of the Wimbledon and Croydon Act of 185.
Mr. Morrison said that various tentative proposals for improving traffic conditions at that point on the Merton' Kingston road just north of Merton Station had been submitted to his department. Discussion was still proceeding and, at this stage, he was not prepared. to express an opinion upon the meritS of the other projects.
Cross-river Traffic.
T"question of improved' communications across the Lower Tyne is now under consideration by the North and South Tyneside 'Joint Town Planning Committee, but no definite proposals have yet reached the Ministry of Transport.
Storing of Petroleum.
IN. their report for 1928 His Majesty's Inspectors of Explosites state that they examined 85 petroleum Spirit stores in the course' of the year and found that the majority was satisfactory, only One being "classed as unsuitable. The visita were approximately evenly divided between (1) refineries, large bulk storage depots and can filling establishments, representing the wholesale trade, and (2) garages, service filling-stations and stores of spirit in tins, representing the retail trade. As noted a year ago, the larger depots were well maintained.
The Mines Department has arranged to test lamps on request to ascertain Whether they be suitable for use in
mixtures f petroietun-spirit vapour and air. Lamps which are not suitable for all the conditions to be encountered in mines may be quite satisfactory for the conditions of a petroleum:spirit store or tank and might even have advantageS over the ordinary miners' safety lamp. Such lamps may be presented for this test. A number of instructive details of accidents with petrol is furnished by the inspectors.
Rebuilding Weak Bridges.
ATTENTION having been called to the existence of weak bridges in the Isle of Ely . and the coniequent hampering of the transport of heavy crops of potatoes and beet, Mr. H. Morrison said that he was aware of the position and that grants had been made to the county council towards the cost of reconstructing a number of weak bridges.
A circular had recently been issued indicating that, in certain cases, grants of 75 per cent, would be made from the Road Fund towards the expenditure incurred by local authorities in reconstructing weak bridges in private ownership, , where, on this account, an additional liability was assumed by the local authority.
Fuel Filling Stations.
TilE Home Secretary states that so soon as he has received the supplementary report which the Petroleum Pilling Stations Committee is preparing and which he hopes will be available at once he proposes to issue a circular to all by-law-making authorities, bringing the report to . their notice and in-siting them to proceed with an examination of the needs of their areas, with a view to the adoption of by-laws Lord Cecil and Motors.
LORD CECIL, in the House of Lords, renewed his: appeals to. the government to introduce road-traffic legislation at the earliest possible mo:nent in the interests Of public safety. He mentioned that deaths from traffic accidents Lad increased, in a year, from 5,000 to 6,000—a 20 per cent.
increase. • .
After some discussion, Earl Russell indicated that it might be possible to have a Bill ready for introduction in November, perhaps in the House of Lords. He hoped legislation would, do something to reduce accidents, but he was afraid it would stop a long way short from effecting all that was necessary to prevent accidents.
Recent evidence before the Select Committee and the Royal Commission: on Transport showed that what was more necessary was the education of the pedestrian public and the improvement of the manners of the motor-vehicle driver. Lord Cecil thereafter observed that public opinion was much in advance of the views that he had heard expressed around him. The poorer classes had no deans for corporate expression and, nowadays, if they wanted anything carried out, they could only do it by combining and making some form of society.
The motor trade, Lord Cecil stated, had an immense number of these associations and he was amazed at the number of them which came before the committee durin8 the past session.
London Traffic Bills.
T"two London Co-ordination of Traffic Bills which were promoted by the London County Council and the London Electric Railway Co.s for the purpose of establishing a common fund and common management of their passenger undertakings, were rejected on third reading by, the House of Commons.
The London County Council Bill was defeated by 295 votes to 172, and the second Bill was rejected without a diYision: