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Road Transport Activities
Page 132
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IN PARLIAMENT
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent
ROAD TRAFFIC BILL IN COMMUTE E.
WHEN the Standing Committee met W to consider the Road Traffic Bill Sir William, Brass brought up a series of amendments to Clause • 1 dealing with the 30-m.p.h. speed limit in builtup areas. He moved to substitute for "built-up areas" the words "a populous place as defined in this section." The definition he proposed was—" a populous place means any portion of road along both sides of which for a distance of. not less than a quarter of a mile. . . there is a continuous series of buildings . . "
Lieut.-Colonel Moore-Brabazon supported the amendment. He thought the definition in the Bill would not work in practice.
After some discussion Mr. Stanley said that the possibility of defining built-up areas with reference in some way to the buildings along the road was an alternative he had had in mind when drafting the Bill, but the com plexity and difficulty of such a definition were in fact insuperable. Over the country as a whole, the lighting sys tems did coincide fairly, accurately with a built-up area as it was meant to be defined in the Bill, and the existence of street lighting was the easiest way of telling the motorist that he was there subject to a speed limit.
Captain Strickland desired an assurance that later in the Bill there would be a provision for a clear sign visible at eye-level on the road.
Mr. Stanley said that when they came to definite proposals in this matter, he would consider them sympathetically.
CLEAR DEFINITION NECESSARY.
THE hope was expressed by Lieut.Col. Moore-Brabazon that at this early stage the Minister would not take up too rigid an attitude towards any constructive amendment which might he put forward. He was indulging in a great experiment, and this definition of built-hp areas was going to cause endless trouble and annoyance unless it was made perfectly clear.
Mr. Stanley said that he would give the matter his attention is the light cf the diecnssion. The amendment was then, by leave, withdrawn.
Los-at Fraser moved to extend the 30-m.p.h. limit to• a road by the side of which there is not a proper footpath. Mr. Stanley said it was impossible to support the amendment, adding that the facts as revealed by the census taken last year did not point towards the absence of footpaths as a cause of fatal accidents. He asked the Committee to appreciate the power which he had of withholding grants from local authorities. This power had enabled the Ministry to carry out many useful reforms on the road. The amendment was negatived.
Mr. H. Williams moved an amendment limiting the speed to 10 miles per hour in built-up areas except where the Minister had certified that the surface camber and banking of the road were such that the speed might be in creased to 40 miles per hour. He thought one of the outstanding factors in the causation of accidents was the construction of our roads.
Mr. Stanley mentioned that he had circularised the local authorities regarding camber and super-elevation to meet the points now raised, and whenever a section of road fell due for. repair those particular defects would he eliminated. The colour of the road was another matter included in the circular. The amendment was negatived and the Committee adjourned.
40-M.P.H. LIMIT PLAN REJECTED
AT the second sitting of the Standing Committee,. an amendment was moved by Mr. H. Williams to substitute 40 m.p.h. for 30 m.p.h. as the speed limit in built-up areas. He did so in order to challenge the principle, but as an alternative amendment he suggested that the Minister should have 'power to vary the -general 'speed limit for built-up. areas by Order.
Mr. Stanley said that it was obviously desirable that there should be
considerable flexibility. He would have., included in the Bill the suggested provision, but he was afraid the . House of Commons would never give so much power to any. Minister. Parliament, however, could not shirk the duty of fixing an initial speed limit, even if the Minister should have power
to vary it. • . .
The Committee rejected the amendment, to abolish the 30-m.p.h. limit in favour of 40 m.p.h. and agreed to a suggestion Made by the Minister that it should wait until the next meeting for his definite proposals.
EASTER ACCIDENTS.
WITHOUT being able to give exact 11( hg-ores as to accidents during the two Easter weeks of this year, the Minister regretted that they were likely to have been at least as numerous as
during those of last year. '
CONTRACT CARRIAGES: AMENDMENT EXPECTED SOON.
COLONEL HEADLAM stated that the Minister of Transport hoped to be in a position to place his amendment dealing with contract carriages on the Order Paper at a very early date so that the interests concerned would have ample time to consider it before it was discussed in committee on the Road Traffic Bill.
REDUCED HORSE-POWER TAX.
IN the course of the general discusIsion on the Budget, in the House ot Commons, Sir H. Samuel, referring to the reduction of the horse-power tax, said the withdrawal of money from the Road Fund to -cover the concession, was open to criticism in respect that the money in the Road Fund was requiced for the purposes of the Fund, an immense amount of work being urgently needed upon the roads.
Mr. Amexy offered congratulations to the Chancellor upon the reduction of the tax. His experience in travelling around the British Empire was that there was no more serious obstacle to the export trade in British motorcars than the fact that our -domestic taxation created a type of car which was unfit for the rough roads overseas.
THE STEEL SHORTAGE.
Ik AR: BANFIELD pointed out with ifiregard to the motor industry that extreme difficulty was being found in getting supplies of the necessary steel. The time had come when the Government ought clearly to state what it was going to do about the re-organization of the iron arid steel industry. Manufacturers were unable to get stabilised steel prices, .
He also called attention to the complaints about the condition of bridges and said it should not be beyond the power of the Government to do something jay raising a public • loan for public work-S. .
MOBILE POLICE CARS.
nN the suggestion that the Home L./Secretary should provide the Mobile Polite with faster motorcars having sirens which would Clear a way -.for them in the same way as fire engines, Sir John Gilmour said he thought the question Was based on a misapprehension. When arrangements were made for the institution of the Mobile Police, the object was to bring about a better Standard of road behaviour among drivers generally by the presence'of the patrols on the road, rather than by, chasing offenders in fast cars.
He was not aware of any need for departing from the present policy.