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SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI
Page 3
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All hail to the Transit. Commercial Motor rarely devotes such a big chunk of its editorial pages to any one vehicle, especially a van; we have done so this time in deference to the enormous contribution this adaptable little CV has made to the British economy over the past 40 years.
So where to now? Life begins at 40 they say, and we at Commercial Motor would certainly like to see the Transit continue to prosper. Nothing Is quite so challenging as keeping an old idea fresh and this van has lost out in recent years to the younger, more virile Sprinters and Movanos. Its age is showing a little and we hope that the changes Ford plans will address the wrinkles highlighted In our roadtest (see page 48) and restore it to its former glory.
We would also like to congratulate the Highways Agency for its continual generation and piloting of congestion-busting schemes. An overtaking ban on the M42 won't be popular but we have to try these schemes if only to prove they don't work. If a small section of motorway where you can't overtake but you are travelling at around 50mph does in fact mean a clearer highway then it is worth the effort. If it doesn't work then we should take every opportunity to tell the Highways Agency and the transport ministers exactly that and why. The same for variable speed limits.
But the idea of using the hard shoulder as a fourth lane scares the stuffing out of us. What if there's an accident? How do the emergency services get adequate access if no one can approach except by helicopter? Efficiency, much less political targets, should never be allowed to bump safety off the top of the agenda.