1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160 
Road Transport Activities
Page 79
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
IN PARLIAMENT
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent GOVERNMENT REPLY.
PETROLEUM PRODUCTION BILL.
THE House of Commons gave a Second Reading to the Petroleum Production Bill which had already been passed by the House of Lords. Lord Hartington moved the rejection on three grounds. He regarded the Bill as wrong in principle, being a return to the old vicious system of royal monopolies. Secondly, it would tend to make the ownership of land less attractive, to diminish the sense of security in ownership and thus to reduce the flow of capital into the land, which was essential if the Government's agricultural policy was to. succeed. His third objection was that the Bill was unnecessary and would impede the search for oil rather than promote it. A long discussion took place after whica the Second Reading was carried by 251. votes to 29.
LONDON TRAFFIC CONGESTION.
GENERAL discussion took place in the House of Lords on congestion of traffic in London. Lord Kilmaine raised the subject and complained of empty or partially filled buses running during the day. He thought the arumbers should be reduced between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and again between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. He advocated the prohibition of horse-drawn traffic in the main streets except in the early morning or the night.
Lord Lamington's opinion was that the trouble was largely due to the number of private cars and empty taxicabs. He thought the main thoroughfares ought to be closed at certain hours to private cars.
The Earl of Denbigh called attention to the increasingly bad atmosphere in the streets and its harmful effect. He had never seen a policeman interfere with a smoking car.
Earl Howe regarded the poisoning of the air as rather serious. He said that in New York they had attempted to ventilate their streets through the drains and sewers. He would like to see something of the sort done here, More might be done to keep traffic nearer the side of the road, and one cause, of congestion was the crawling taxi. He did not believe in restricting any form of traffic until the streets were used to their full capacity.
Lord Sandhurst expressed the opinion that if there were more courtesy between the various road users the roads could be used to their full capacity. The Marquess of Aberdeen said that if the Government were to state what were the privileges of the motorist and the pedestrian respectively, it would do much to enlighten the public.
SPEAKING for the Government, the 1,—)Earl of Plymouth said people could not be made more courteous by legislation or administrative action. He made reference to the Victoria Dock Road now approaching completion, the North Circular Road, and the improvement scheme at Vauxhall Cross, the institution of one-way working in 107 streets and the laving out of 92 roundabouts. Some 224 parking places had been appointed. He also spoke of the increase in traffic control signals. Coach operation in the inner area of London had been curtailed and many urban services were now routed around the inner area. The London Advisory Committee had considered all the matters which had been referred to in the debate.
With regard to redundant buses, the London Passenger Transport Act had only recently come into operation, and measures for the co-ordination or curtailment of services could be brought about only gradually. As to horsed vehicles, he reminded the House that in 192 the Advisory Committee decided that they could not advise the Minister to Make drastic regulations by which horsed vehicles would be prevented from using particular streets all day or at certain times. Limited restrictions had been imposed in Oxford Street, but if such prohibition was made general horsed vehicles would be unable to get from one part of London to another. At present the Minister was doubtful whether horsed vehicles did much harm. In any case their number was decreasing rapidly.
With regard to fumes emitted by motor vehicles, it was difficult to make the regulations effective. He would bring this matter to the notice of the Minister. If there were still doubt regarding the procedure to be followed at crossing places he felt certain the Minister would consider the advisability of issuing a further statement.
L.P.T.B. TROLLEYBUSES.
ON the Report Stage of the London Passenger Transport Board Bill, Mr. Mander raised the question of supplies of trolleybuses to the L.P.T.13. He thought that when powers were given to a great public board of this kind, equal facilities should be given to contractors to tender for and to obtain the orders. He understood that the
board intended to pursue that practice, and to give all established firms an opportunity of tendering for orders freely and fairly. There were some manufacturers who had had a considerable experience of the types likely to be required, and he asked that those in charge of the Bill would give the assurance that the Board intended to submit those tenders 'to open competition.
Sir Francis Fremantle called attention to complaints that the bus services in the outer areas of London had been reduced and the stopping places altered to the inconvenience of passengers and to the increase of fares and the lack of consideration to these grievances. He hoped the Transport Board would pay more attention to these minor questions of the convenience of the public in the extended trolleybus services which the Bill authorized.
Sir George Hamilton said, in rep/7 to Mr. Mander, that the L.P.T.B. would, of course, put out public tenders for any machines that they bought under this Bill. As to Sir F. Fremantle's remarks, they would be read by the Board, who would take into consideration every word that he had said.
AMPLIFIED MOTOR HORNS.
A TTENTION was called by Sir ri.Cooper Rawson to the fact that in France motor lorries weighing 3 tons or more were compelled to carry equipment by which the sound of the horn of an overtaking vehicle was amplified electrically in the cab of the lorry. He asked whether the Minister would consider introducing regulations for similar equipment in this country. Col. Ifeadlam stated that the Minister was having made tests of this type of equipment.
PEDESTRIAN CROSSING PLACES.
h AR. STANLEY informed Dr. Salter ivithat the organization representing pedestrians was not consulted before the new experimental crossing places in London were instituted, but he consulted the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee upon which the local authorities of the area were largely represented.
Dr. Salter pointed out that pedestrians were not represented on the Committee and asked the Minister if he did not think that the muddle and confusion which now existed would have been avoided if specialists had been consulted.
Mr. Stanley said he thought he got good advice from local authorities which represented the ratepayers. He took exception to the statement that muddle and chaos had resulted from experiments which he believed would prove successful.
SAVING IN POLICE SALARIES.
THE Home Secretary states that, J. from the introduction of traffic light signals in 1932, to the end of that year, a saving of 21 constables was effected in the Metropolitan Police Area and, in 1933, a further saving of 224 constables.