LOCAL LICENSING LIMITATIONS.
Page 19
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By "The Inspector.'
IT IS a little difficult for many of us who are normally busy to keep ourselves properly abreast of all the choppings and changings that take place, or are likely to take place; in connection with such legislation, national and local, as applies to the operation of the motor vehicle. Editorially, I'know quite well, these. things are watched professionally, and an editor's mind becomes attuned to a very nice perception of the incidence and value of all these changes, big and little, in national legislation or local regulation, but for an ordinary business man, for -the
type of man Who owns commercial motor transport, I repeat: there is considerable difficulty in keeping track, week by week, of the position in this connec tion. .
Not every owner, for instance, can tell you at a moment's notice what is the existing position with regard to. the proposed new national regulations as to axle weights, speeds, and other circumstances
.surrounding the operation -of motor vehicles for industrial purposes. Most of us know, to our cost, the particulars of the new national taxation bases, and we know this for very obvious reasons, but it is a task of considerable. difficulty to the ordinary man obsessed with his own commercial worries, distracted by business complications of every kind in these anxious days, to keep himself properlyinstructed as to how far he is, 'at any one time, within the law in respect of his operation of motor vehicles in any
particular district. •
The Editor of The Commercial Motor invariably—
and I know he will permit me to award him -palms in this isolated respect, although he frequently, and of necessity, does not see eye to eye with the present correspondent—does good service to his readers in recording clearly, so far as is possible, changes and contemplated changes in. the national legislation
affecting commercial motor vehicles. [We thank you for those few kind words—ED. CAL]
The principal object of the present paragraphs is to plead for more activity in ensuring :better control of that portion of motor legislation which has to do with local licensing: to ask that everyone's attention should be focused on the necessity of combatting applications for powers to promote local regula tions and restrictions in connection with the control of motor traffic—local regulations which are frankly framed as the result of local prejudice.
Manufacturers are always being urged, even in these days, to standardize, and a not inconsiderable difficulty in their way, sofar as commercial vehicles are concerned, is the tendency that is becoming more apparent in recent months for local authorities to use their powers with regard to thelicensing of public service vehicles to embody, as stipulations, all kinds of structural restrictions and peculiarities —to say nothing of attempts to penalize motorbus owners and to legislate for preferential trathear treatment. Particularly is this tendency to be noted in connection with the local licensing of motor cha.rs-&-banca and motorbuses. These are the outstanding examples at the present time, and they are important ones, to which everybody's attention should he drawn, as the tendency may very well become far
more aridespread at short notice. In the writer's opinion regulations of this kind should he only possible on a national basis, havihg regard to the ascertained views of all local authorities who can be considered to be properly concerned.
There may he local conditions that render it unwise to allow machines of exceptional weight or exceptional overall dimensions to circulate in certain areas, but it does not appear that there can be any very great case for, shall we say, Manchester to insist on a drastic reatriction of seating aacommodation that would not apply in Birmingham, or Leeds, or Glasgow, or Newcastle.
These things should be settled on a national basis, and the machine that is considered by the national authorities to be in all respects constructed with due regard to public safety and to average conditions throughout the country should, ipso facto, be a successful candidate for licensing, providing the local need be appa,rent. There is a danger that certain branches of our industry may be restricted by local decisions imposing struotural limitations of a serious nature because of the desire, that is sometimes apparent, for local authorities to display their supposed exceptional knowledge of what is good and what is bad. Things like this are well taken out of local hands.
There is a very well-recognized feeling abroad in the country that the more important !municipal authorities are very loath to be told, for instance, that Scotland Yard—that highly-organized licensing authority for the Metropolis—has decided that . such-and-such a thing is good enough in practice. That is almost enough in many cases for a provincial municipality to decide that they will not be bound by any such decision. This feeling of course is not universal, but it is one that is encountarecl from time to time. In a case that came to the writer's notice, the municipal authorities decided, after what appeared to be profound consideration, that the only type of machine which it was practicalsle to use for public service was an electric vehicle. The machine in itself, of course, has a first-class reputation, but the decision in that caw, it is believed, was arrived at solely because the local authorities, probably advised by a local expert, came to the conclusion that, in the public interest, that was the only' type of mechanism it was safe, to license. If that. were true in the particular town which the writer, has in mind, it is true all over the country.
Local authorities, of course, have their right to a say in the framing of any national regulations which may rule out what -are agreed to be unsuitable classes of construction. Of course, if they are purchasing for themselves, thess have the right also to make what choice they like as between types, providing they conform with the proper standard of efficiency from the public point of view! but, when it comes to imposing structural limitations on those who ask for licences tolply for hire, or to operate public services otherwise, it is claimed that local authorities should have no opportunity tcv ventilate their -views upon the technical appropriateness of design, but that such matters should be settled according to a national schedule of regulations. Such national regulations might provide for alternatives for town and country.
The whole subject is one for national consideraand it is one which the writer believes the Commercial Motor Users Association and other national bodies are taking into careful account. It is hoped that their deliberations will prove of considerable utility to the industry at large.