Consulting
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• The haulage industry and passenger vehicle operators are to be invited to consultations on the Government's massive plan for improving the nation's roads on which /2,250m is to be spent over a period of 10 to 15 yews from 1972.
Among the benefits visualized is the use of "larger and faster vehicles suited to better roads".
Details were given in a Green Paper presented to Parliament on Wednesday by Mr. Marsh, Transport Minister.
There being no monopoly of wisdom on the subject, says Mr. Marsh in a foreword, he has decided to put forward the proposals as a basis for discussion rather than as a cut and dried plan. They are an indication of current thinking rather than firm Government policy.
He argues that a new strategy for building and improving national roads in the 1970s and early 1980s is needed, the nation being concerned with effective networks rather than with individual roads.
A network of national routes—an interurban trunk road plan—will give not only a high economic return on the vast sums involved; it will also meet the social and developmental needs of the regions and of thc country as a whole.
Substantial sums will also be spent or improving other inter-urban roads servink particular local areas and on links with tla main network.
The Minister promises that the views cs all interested bodies will be carefully eval. uated. Those to be consulted in addition tc the hauliers and public service vehicle opera tors and other direct road users will incluch regional economic planning councils, 1= authorities and the TUC and CBI.
The global figure of £2,250m include! expenditure of an estimated L1,600m on tla "red" inter-urban network which is shown ii a series of maps accompanying the Greer Paper.
The plan has four objectives: 1) To establish a much needed basic net work of high quality routes—mostly motorways—to provide the vital access betweet regions and between the major cities.
2) To develop comprehensively othe] important routes serving the needs of shone distance transport.
3) To improve a great many routes b) works at places where this is most needed, n eliminate the worst bottlenecks and congestion.
4) To devote a substantial and growini part of the programme to road works in urbar areas.
The Green Paper says the Ministry ha: already acted to ensure that a large numbel of new highway schemes will be in an ad vaned stage of design and preparation read) to follow the existing programme in the earl) 1970s.