State Interference with Spain's Road Transport
Page 36
Page 37
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Despite Government Enactments and the Powerful Influence of the Railways, Goods and Passenger Transport by Road has Made Striking Headway in Recent Years
T1,000 villages HERE are or small towns and 8,000 hamlets which are not linked by road. Nevertheless, when General Primo de Rivera undertook h i s great roadbuilding plans, a big step had been made in developing road transport in Spain, and Europe's second largest country— except Soviet Russia soon found itself with a network of excellent main roads and of tolerable subsidiary roads.
Traffic has made considerable strides, but not in keeping with the system
of highways available. Away from Madrid or Barcelona, One can find stretches Of road where 20 or 30 miles can be driven without passing another vehicle. Over Spain's great area there
826
are only 6,500 buses licensed on regnlar services-:---urban services being excepted—whilst -the licensed goods vehicles total 66,04)0.
Apart from -the slow development of Spain's economic resources_-, the straggle between road and rail has in tervened to throttle road traffic. The railways will not easily give up the monopoly of transport, which was virtually in their hands until General Primo turned road transport from an adventure into a commercial proposition. The latest stage reached;is: the famous Decree of August 29, which has been suspended provisionally, as the result of a demonstration in Saragossa of 10,000 motor hauliers.
Apart from the fuel tax, the tranport man must pay three other fees. He has the horse-power tax on' a basis
of £1 per horse-power. He has : transport tax ranging from £4 on with i-ton pay-load capacity-to £50 on a 6-tonner. Finally, there is a " road fee" rising from £7 -in the lowest category to £50 in the ,highegt.
Fantastic Taxation.
These taxes would not be so severe if the Decree Of August had not lirni-fe'd operation to 24 miles a day.: Beth the transport tax and the "road fee' are then adjusted according to the .cliStance covered above this rnaxiMuht, with fantastic results where long-distance heavy transport is concerned. Thus, a 6-tonner covering 36,000 Miles annually would pay 2500 a year' in these two taxes: There is, howeire'r, a lull while the transport organizations figllt the matter with the authorities. PaSseager transport is already ,So heavily shackled that there has 'mit been Much opportunity for new restrictions. -In most cases, monopolies are granted in respect of routes, aCcordigg to the system introduced during the
Dictatorship. The State awards concessions and most routes arc operated by only one company. Where more than one operator is established, it is generally, provided that they shall work_the route in conabination. ,
Long-distance runs are, for the most
part, permitted only where direct competition with the railways is not involved. Thus, Madrid is not linked by road with -Barcelona. Seville or Valencia.. During July, August and September, what is called a " pullman " service is worked daily from Madrid to San Sebastian by Daimler cars--a strenuous regular run.
There are a few pirate" services. On the route to Valencia, where five hours can be saved by using a bus, as compared with the fastest train, there is what amounts to a regular daily service by a tourist agency, which advertises "parties made up daily for Valincia."
A Hair-raising Experience.'
There is a most active -concern, Alsina-Grau S.A., which runs many long-distance services with great efficiency, operating mainly in Catalonia and down the Mediterranean coast. Those who enjoy hair-raising experiences should take a tripon the company's " Andorra Express," which covers 120 miles from Barcelona to Seo de Lirgel for the most part on narrow, twisting hill roads, in 4ihours, including three or four stops, one of 20 minutes. Although the powerful new IIhpano-Suiza vehicles used on the route are exceedingly well driven, the elect of the fast driving on the weaker passengers is swift and invariable, and one wonders whether the half-hour saved is really a commercial gain. The same company has a fine sere vice from Granada over the southern shoulder of Sierra Nevada, a lofty snow-covered range rising 12,000 ft.
high, down to Malaga. Driving is more restrained on this run. When the writer used it early last year, there appeared to be a price-cutting dispute proceeding with a rival cornpany, for single tickets costing Ss. and " returns " at 9s. 6d. were being issued for this SO-mile 'mountainous journey. Magnificent scenery can be viewed by travelling on one of the company's vehicles on the Malaga-Almeria run as far as Motril and then. taking the. Granada bus—unfortunately, they do not connect—over the Sierra Nevada to Granada. . : 7
British Buses Do Well.
. A well-known long-distance service is that .from Seville; with its imposing buildings, down to. Algeciras, for , Gibraltar, on which Bussingvehicles are used. Leylands. seemto do well on the twice-daily service from Madrid to the quaint old Castilian town of Salamanca.
, A. Government measure in July permitted the railways to enter the field of road transport for goods and passen• germ. They have taken over a greatmany of the services around Madrid and similar reports are received from other parts of Spain.
For the most part, it appears that subsidiary companies are formed, which are controlled by, the railwaysand which, •in turn, manage the bus coinpanies ta-ken over. Operation is left in .the hands of the original corn • panics. Transport owners allege that this method is adopted to prevent profits made on the road from appearing in the railway balance-sheets, as most of those companies owe huge sums to the State.
There are also numerous complaints of raised fares, but no statistics are available to show how far bus fares have been increased. Certainly, some trains that make local stops have been suppressed where parallel bus services operated by railway companies can handle the traffic., On the other hand, the railways are at present taking great interest in the oil-engined railcar.
Madrid and Barcelona both have British vehicles as the backbone of their urban bus systems. Barcelona has T.S,M. machines, and Madrid uses A.E.G. and Leyland vehicles, most of which are now fitted with oil engines. The Barcelona undertaking is much more extensive than is Madrid's.
Operated jointly by a tramways company and the municipality, the Madrid services are new, having been inaugurated in 1934 with modern London-type buses.
Double-deckers are being used on
routes which, in some cases, would hardly provide paying loads for 20-seaters, whilst in other instances the fares are so high, compared with those on the underground-railway and tram services, that traffic is thin, even at peak hours. All services are suspended at 11 p.m., despite the fact that theatres and cinemas do not end their evening performances until I a.m.
British passenger and .goods vehicles do not find the market in Spain to which their merits. entitle them.
Vehicle Requirements.
_Spanish conditions, however, differ considerably from those in Great Britain, Long runs over mountainous, but good, roads, With little traffic and few towns or villages, demand powerful, responsive engines and ample braking capacity. Both passenger and goods transport demand unusually high speeds, and AineriCan 1-2-ton vehicles take the cream of the trade.
It must also be pointed out that American.. manufacturers pay . 'more . . 'attention to smart design. Attractive appearance tells heavily abroad.