Road Transport Activities in
Page 57
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
PARLIAMENT
Payments from the Road
•• Fund.
FROM statements officially given it ..12 appears that the payments from the Road Fund during the past financial year in fesvect of the maintenance of classified roads amoniated to £10,041,132, and in respect of the maintenance of unclassified roads in rural areas to £1,810,970. The following approximate sums have been or will be paid to local authorities Engand and Wales from the Road Fund in: respect of the year 1928-29 :— (1) Maintenance and minor improvements • of classified roads and bridges in London and county boroughs,
R;244,000. • . . (2) .Maintenance of unclassified roads in rural areas, £1,594,000. (3) Maintenance and minor improve. wilts of classified roads and . bridges other than those in London and county boroughs, £6,120,000. (4) Costs of licensing and registration of motor vehicles, £387,000.
The estimated cast to the Road Fund of the two London schemes—the Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel and the Elephant and Castle improvements—and all other Anecial schemes in progress in London or in contemplation, towards which grants have been promised, is approximately £9,000,000, excluding any grant which may be Made towards approved schemes in respect of Charing Cross, Waterloo and Putney Bridges. The Road Fund liability in respect of schemes approved in principle or for grants, since August, 1929, under the trunk-road, five-year, and annual programmes in connection with the improvement or reconstruction of ,,classified roads and bridges is estimated at approximately £40,0b0,000. With reference to the recent Ministerial statement that £500,000,000 had during the past 10 years been spent on roads out of the national revenue, Mr. Morrison explains that the figure was an estimate of the total expenditure during the past 10 years on the maintenance, improvement, cleansing and construction of highways, bridges and ferries on the part of local authorities in Great Britain, including '°Tants from the Exchequer or the Road Fund.
Coach Time Schedule.
MR. THORNE asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention had been called to the case of four coach drivers who were fined at Bedale, Yorkshire, amounts varying from £5 to £1 for exceedinc, the speed limit, of 20 m.h.p., on the Great North Road, and
whether he was aware that the men were all drivers of London-to-Liverpool vehicles, and if he could state the number of hours allowed for the outward and homeward journeys. Mr. Morrison said his attention had not been drawn to the case, and under the existing law he had no means for ascertaining the times allowed for the completion of journeys by the drivers of motor coaches. When Part IV., of the Road Traffic Act became fully 'operative he anticipated that an effective check would be imposed on the time schedules of coach services.
Toll Bridge Statutory Rights.
zIR -WALTER DE FRECE directed kjattention to the grant of 85 per cent. to East Riding County Council for the erection of a new bridge at Loftsome. Re asked the Minister of Transport whether he was aware, when authorizing the grant that the Loftsome Toll Bridge Co. would have the right to prosecute the owners of all public-service vehicles using that free bridge on the ground that as the latter was within one mile of the toll bridge the owners of those vehicles would be infringing an Act of George III.
Mr. Morrison said lie was aware of the provisions of the Act referred to. The matter had been discussed with East Riding County Council, which was satisfied that in the erection of the new bridge the authority would be in no way interfering with the statutory rights of the company. .
Traffic Improvements at Blackheath.
WITH regard to the improvement of treffic conditions at Camomile Bottom Blackheath, the works have now been completed, and the roundabout traffic system now in operation is on the whole functioning satisfactorily. The Minister of Transport states that, therefore, he is arranging for the junction to be kept under observation, in case it may be possible by additional signs or lights to render this system even more effective.
London Processions and Traffic Disturbance.
T"question of the dislocation and congestion of traffic causing business and financial loss, owing to processions such Efs the Lord Mayor's Show, was raised by Mr. Marley, and a suggestion made that such processions might take place at such times and by such routes as to cause less obstruction.
The Under Secretary to the Home Office stated that the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis had power to make regulations for preventing obstruction. of the streets within the Metropolitan Police district in all. times of public., processions, and did, in fact, make such regulations on the. occasion of the recent Lord Mayor's Show. In framing the regulations every effort was 'made to reduce to a minimuin the inevitable interference with traffic. Mr. Marley remarked that the Show might take place on a Saturday afternoon, when there was not so much traffic, or at the Olympia or other place.
Bridge Construction.
T T PON a suggestion made by Sir R.
Aske that there was urgent need in many parts of the country for the construction or reconstruction of iron or steel bridges, and that, in view, of the number of unemployed, steps should be taken for the early provision of such bridges, Mr. Morrison pointed out that the construction or reconstruction of a large number of bridges was included in the programme of work now being carried out, with assistance from the Road Fund, for unemployment relief.
He regarded work of this kind as desirable, and had encouraged highways authorities to undertake such schemes. The choice of materials rested, however, Primarily with the responsible highways authority, and was .governed largely by local and technical considerations. Iron and steel were being much utilized.
Co-ordinating Road Services.
INQUIILIES having been made regarding the date when bus and coach services will be _reorganized and coordinated, Mr. Morrison explained that it was his intention to bring into operation on January let next the provisions of ,the Road Traffic Act necessary to enable the Traffic Commissioners to receive applications for licences and to come to a decision thereon. The requirement, however, that passengervehicle services could not be operated except under a road-service licence issued by the Commissioners would not come into force before April 1st, 19;1. He hoped that it might then be possible to effect a complete change over from the present system of licences to that provided for in the Road Traffic Act. It might, however, be necessary to have recourse to the provisions of Section 96 of the Act, to cover the transitional period if such a course should prove necessary.
Incidentally, Mr. Morrison hopes shortly to be in a position to announce the majority of the appointments of traffic commissioners.
Compulsory Insurance.
iunt. REMER has introduced a Bill 1.V.Ito compel insurance companies to issue third-party insurance certificates to motor drivers having no convictions for careless, reckless or dangerous driv ing against them. He declared that the Bill dealt with a grave defect in the Road Traffic Act and that at the present moment insurance companies were refusing policies to many people who were previously insured with them, the reason given being that those people had bad insurance records. Leave to introduce the Bill was given.