Two Years' Road Work
Page 19
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WHAT have the past two years meant to the roads of Britain? Very little, if we exclude the Mersey Tunnel—a few corners rounded off, some comparatively short stretches of new road opened, several bridges reinforced, and there we have the sum of the achievements.
Now, what have these two years meant to Germany. The answer is contained in a striking book of 84 pages sent to us by Dr. Seholz of the Reichsverband der Automobilindustrie E.V. (the equivalent to our Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) and entitled "Two Years' Work on the National Motor Roads." We are sending our copy to the Minister of Transport in case he has not received one direct.
There has been•throughout Germany an intense activity in this work of road conStruction, and great progress has been made towards the building of the 5,000 miles of motor roads, which constitutes the ultimate aim. Some hundreds of miles have been completed, and are in service, and an immense army of workers is busily engaged upon the remainder.
Such an immense project as this is involving the building of hundreds of new bridges over rivers, etc., quite apart from the cross-overs by which these remarkable tracks are freed from the dangers ever present with cross-roads, whatever precaution be taken in the way of warnings, roundabouts and other restrictions, which are, actually, only palliatives.
From the commercial aspect, good roads are an economic advantage ; from the military point of view they are a necessity, and we would do well to keep this latter point well in view, for it is our firm conviction that in any serious future war involving this country,the railways will never be able to give the service that they did during the past war. The recent aerial "attacks" on London have shown that however good the defences may be, a considerable proportion of raids is likely to be successful, and railways are vulnerable at practically any point. That this is being realized by thinking people was proved by the applause which greeted a striking reference to this subject made a few months ago at the annual luncheon of the Road Haulage Association by its chairman, Mr. R. W. Sewill, which remarks were based upon a leading article which appeared in this journal not long before.
We are inclined to the belief that it is only this aspect of the question which has induced_ the development of a five-year road plan for this country, for the Government is essentially railwayminded, and it must have taken something more than the needs Of road transport to force from it the promise to build better roads.