Motorways Essential for Britain
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I N connection with the exhibition, " Motorways for Britain," being held by the British Road Federation at 22, Lower Regent Street, London, S.W.1, and which was opened by Sir William Rootes, K.B.E., yesterday, the Federation has arranged a series of luncheons at which the following will be the principal, guests and speakers:—December 14: Dr. E. W. Maples, 0.B.E., Chairman, County Councils Association; December 15: Mr. L. St. George Wilkin. son, President, Institution of Municipal •and County Engineers; December 16: Mr. W. Dobson Chapman, President, Town Planning Institute; Decentber 17: Mr. A. F. Palmer Phillips, President, Society of Motor Manufacturets and Traders.
The " motorway " is no new TO untried idea. Roads of this kind are spreading throughout the United
States, and were built in Europe to the extent of many thousands of miles before the war. In Britain, this type of thoroughfare has many friends and strong advocates. Associations representing 250,000 concerns, who are members of the B.R.F., and many official bodies have been pressing for years for national road planning, with two main objects in view: (1) the prevention of road accidents, (2) the saving of time and money . by road users.
It is claimed for the motorway that it can stimulate trade by faster transport, reduce costs of food and other necessities by lowering transport charges; relieve congestion on local and other roads, thus helping the private motorist to admire scenic beauty in reasonable comfort, prevent accidents caused by the mingling of fast and slow traffic, carry town dwellers to distant beauty spots not hitherte known to them, and preserve the beauty, of Britain by making unnecessary road widening in historic towns and villages.
It is stated by the B.R.F. that at least 1,000 miles of motorways should be built as quickly as possible after the war. It is suggested that they should be „100 ft. wide, divided into two 30-ft. one-way tracks, separated bY a central strip planted with flowering trees and shrubs.
The area of land occupied by one mile would be only 12 acres; thus the whole 1,000 miles would require only 12,000 acres, a trifle compared with the 600,000 acres occupied by existing roads. The cost of construction would probably be less than that of effecting major improvements to existing roads.