, Motorways for Britain
Page 26
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A DDRESSING the Oil Industries 11-1.-Cinh, Mr. Boyd BoWinian, publicity officer' of B.R.7., spoke on " Motorways for Britain7". He pointed 'ont'that in 1899 -the road system. of Great Britain included 174,000 miles; in 1939, it had risen to only 179,800 Miles—an increase of less than 3 per cent. Meanwhile, the population bad increased by more than 6,000,000. The number. of cycles Thad risen to 10;000,000. and motor vehicles to 3.;00(000. There had been a revolution in social and business life which had increased the need for roads: The only criterion by Which a road system could b•e judged was its adequacy for the job,' and by that standard otte road system was so inadequate that it cost thousands of lives annually besides imposing On industry and Commerce a tremendous burden of delay and inefficiency: In Landon, in 1938, the average rate of vehicle movement'e-as alow::•.7 thanit was 50 years before. -There was no bold policy -of reconstruction and extension; tinkering had failed to solve the road .problems Of the modem age, , When Prime Minister, in 1900, Mr. Arthur-Bal.:Mar said in .Parliament: " I sometimes dream of great highways constructed for rapid motor traffic and confined to motor tra_ffic." We have, not to-day one mile of such public highway. Even our Great North Road.has room for only one line of traffic in 'eachdirection Mr two-thirds of its complete length.
The work of planning an adecpiate road system must he national, also its financial -responsibility. There mnst be a small network of entirely new rOads
itiotOrways. Improverrtnta Must also be made on ail roads -Where Orate is dense traffic, aftel the control and segregation of traffic are necessary to pro
vide 'fOr safe mobility. . •
The speakei' gave the • following reasons why motorways are needed:— They would stimulate trade by faster transport; reduce costs of all commodities; &c7verip accidents; aosist dercntralization -,di'industry; relieve 'congestion-, existing roads; assist the preservation of rural England: open up new vistas for travellers; and assit holiday industries in remote areas.